Fry Onions With These 3 Simple Ingredients For A Next-Level Cookout Topping

If there's anything that you can always add to a cookout dish without fear of ruining it, it's onion. This humble veggie obviously needs no introduction. We already know it well enough in all its forms, from sauteed, caramelized, and pickled, to raw slices on sandwiches and burgers. Here's another way to cook onions you should know about — tobacco onions. Best yet, you only need three simple ingredients to make them: flour, cayenne pepper, and salt.

All you need to do is thinly slice the onion, then dredge the pieces through flour, cayenne pepper, and salt. There are many popular types of onions to choose from for this dish, although sweet varieties like Spanish and Vidalia are ideal for an extra sweet edge as they caramelize. A quick deep-fry and they will turn golden-crisp with gorgeous flavors.

Tobacco onions arrive in crispy bites with a slight give underneath the teeth, a delightful contrast against juicy grilled meat. The flavors are a whirlwind of everything you love in onions, intensified by a deep-fry warmth that melds right into the meat's hearty richness. There's also that signature savory taste and peppery aroma, only this time it's backed by a delectable nutty depth you only get with deep-fried onions. The cayenne pepper's smoky, spicy taste laces in every now and then, adding even more complexity.

All of those BBQ recipes made to tackle cookouts are about to get a whole lot better with a bowl of tobacco onions. They fit right in as an onion substitute in a hamburger. Rather than the usual peppery freshness of the raw version, you've got crispy strings of onions bulking up both the taste and texture. Likewise, hot dogs can also be improved immensely with these onions on top. You can try it with a simple grilled hot dog, where it's paired with chopped pickles, bacon crisps, and a bit of cheese crumbles, or you can go all out with a corn dog that adds even more thick crisps to each bite. And just imagine these crispy onions on the side of a medium-rare steak, alongside a creamy sauce and some grilled veggies. Pure heaven.

Sneak more flavors into your grilled dishes by adding a few more spices and condiments to the batter. Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried herbs, etc., anything that's calling your name can be sprinkled in. Considering the dish's southern influences, you can also deep-fry these onions with buttermilk, à là the classic buttermilk fried chicken. This will give you a richer version that pairs perfectly with southern cookout delicacies, such as smoked brisket and Alabama hot dogs.