Seattle Hot Dog
The Seattle Hot Dog, famous for its cream cheese and grilled onions, became a late-night favorite in the 1980s/1990s in Pioneer Square. Easy to make and delicious!
Equipment
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
- A flat top grill/griddle is great for this recipe
Ingredients
- 8 Hot Dogs
- 8 Hot Dog Buns
- 8 Oz. Plain Cream Cheese
- 1 Large Sweet Onion
- 3 Tbsp Butter
- 2-3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil or Additional Butter
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- 1/4 tsp Sugar (Optional)
- Your Favorite Hot Dog Condiments (Optional)
- See Recipe Notes If You Want To Add Cabbage
Instructions
- Melt the 3 Tbsp of butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.3 Tbsp Butter
- Thinly slice your onion and add it to the pot along with 1/4 tsp of salt and the (optional) sugar. Cook the onions, stirring often, for 20 minutes. They should darken to a peanut butter brown - with a large amount of caramelization, but still able to hold themselves together pretty well. Note: WATCH THEM. If you don't stir often enough, they will start to char. A little char is fine - just not a lot.1 Large Sweet Onion, 1/4 tsp Sugar, Salt and Pepper to Taste
- While the onions cook, heat a portion of the oil or extra butter in a large skillet/pan over medium high heat. A flat top would do great here, in place of the skillet/pan.2-3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil or Additional Butter
- Use this pan to grill the buns and then the hot dogs. Start by opening your hot dog buns and adding them, in batches, face down to toast. Add more oil/butter between batches as necessary to help them toast. Each buns should take 1-2 minutes.8 Hot Dog Buns
- When the buns are toasted, remove them to a plate or serving platter.
- Add the hot dogs to the now empty pan to cook, flipping occasionally. Cook them to your desired doneness/char level. Optional Step: a number of Seattle Dog vendors split their hot dogs lengthwise and grill them flat - in order to get even more meat to heat contact. Feel free to do that here.8 Hot Dogs
- While the hot dogs cook, heat up the cream cheese. I generally just microwave it in a microwave safe container for two sets of 30 seconds, but you are welcome to heat it in a small pot, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat.8 Oz. Plain Cream Cheese
- When the onions and hot dogs finish cooking, give the onions a taste for seasoning. Consider adding some fresh cracked pepper here. It adds another layer of flavor to the sweetness of the onions, the saltiness of the hot dog and the tanginess of the cream cheese.
- Now to assemble:For each hot dog, take a toasted bun and slather up to 1/8 of the cream cheese evenly over the inside. Add a grilled hot dog and top with 1/8 of the onions. Add any of your desired (optional) extra condiments here.Your Favorite Hot Dog Condiments
- Repeat the previous step for all of the hot dogs and serve right away.
Notes
If you want to add cabbage to your Seattle Dogs, replace half of the onion with 1 C of thinly sliced green cabbage - that's roughly 1/8 a medium head of cabbage. Cook the onion per the original instructions, adding the cabbage to the onion 10 minutes into the cook time (halfway).
If you add cabbage, I recommend not using the (optional) sugar and instead adding a little extra black pepper.