Upgrade Plain Hot Dogs By Fixing Them Cowboy Style

A great hot dog often needs just a squirt of ketchup or mustard, but you'd have to down more than one to make a meal. For a super satisfying dog loaded with flavor, make it cowboy style by piling on Southwestern-inspired ingredients like barbecue sauce, smoky bacon, and chili. No matter which toppings you choose to giddy up with, these deliciously decadent dogs could fuel a gunslinger for days of riding.

Unlike with authentic Chicago-style hot dogs, there are no strict rules for cowboy style or "Western" dogs — besides a few common players, they're up to interpretation. Most recipes feature sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, melted cheese, and either caramelized or French-fried onions, creating a sweet, savory, rich bite that's finger-licking good. To make it more authentically "cowboy," some cooks add baked beans and/or bacon. The latter can be crumbled into bits, left as whole strips, or wrapped around the franks to crisp up as the sausage cooks. Salty cured pork and beans were dietary staples for cowboys, and they already make for a unique, must-try hot dog topping combo.

With the help of the cheese, onions, and sauce, everyone at your cookout will be crying "yeehaw!" Other great additions to cowboy style hot dogs include pickled jalapeños, spicy mustard, or a big old ladle of chili (another real-life cowboy favorite). If that isn't "Wild West" enough for you, we have more ideas on how to transform your average hot dog into a frank of the frontier.

There are so many more ways to make delicious hot dogs with a cowboy theme. First off, try a cooking method that real Old West cowboys used and roast your franks over a campfire. This infuses the sausages with an additional smoky flavor and turns them crisp and blistered on the outside. They'll be perfect with your Western-style toppings.

If you're disappointed that most cowboy style hot dogs have nothing to do with cowboy caviar, you can (and should) add a scoop of this addictive dip to your franks. Tangy, savory, and full of veggies, it will add a refreshing crunch to balance the rich cheese, sauces, and meaty elements. Other toppings to elevate your hot dogs that would complement the cowboy style include guacamole, queso or pimiento cheese, ranch dressing, and pulled pork. For a really unique twist, you can even forgo the bun and wrap the franks in buttery Texas toast.

We also recommend adding flavorings to the hot dog itself. The most obvious (and delicious) choice is to use cowboy butter, which seriously elevates steak but is just as good on other meats. Just mix butter with herbs, spices, and a tangy ingredient like mustard or lemon juice, then cook your hot dogs in the melted mixture or add a big pat to the finished franks. You can also marinate hot dogs with three simple ingredients — Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire, and soy sauce — for super flavorful sausages deserving the tip of a ten-gallon hat.