I am noticing more and more restaurants dedicated solely to a good hot dog with a lot of different flavor combinations and I am loving that! As much as I love burgers, I still find that even at 33 years old, when we get invited to or host a barbeque with the typical choice of hamburgers or hot dogs, I tend to go for the dogs. When we visit family in Utah I love visiting a favorite and popular local hot dog spot called J-Dawgs. But since there are no J-Dawgs around me, it’s up to me to create a spectacular dog with great toppings. I wanted to share some fun ideas for toppings and topping combinations to host a fun hot dog bar this summer.

Tips for the Ultimate Hot Dog Bar:

1. Get quality dogs.


Hot dogs have come a long ways since I was a kid and you can find really great, high-quality hot dogs pretty easily these days. I like to look for ones that are all beef, nitrate and nitrite free and 100% beef. I’d check Costco or Sam’s Club where you can find good quality hot dogs for a good price. Of course you can always go the sausage or brats route as well--or a combo of hot dogs and sausages. Too many great options for an epic hot dog bar, right?

2. Get the perfect buns.

Feel free to venture outside the typical buns you find at the store and consider getting something like Hawaiian roll buns, buttery brioche buns, gluten-free, or even salty pretzel buns.

3. Set out tons of great topping options.

• Crumbled bacon
• Shredded cheese--three great melty options are cheddar, smoked gouda, and spicy pepper jack
• Onions--you can finely dice raw onions or make caramelized onions for extra onion flavor
• Avocado or guacamole
• Relish--you can go with sweet or dill relish
• Dill pickle spears
• Good quality chili--of course you can make your own favorite chili recipe or you can get store-bought. My favorite brand is Stagg chili.
• Sauerkraut
• Chives or chopped green onions
• Sauteed bell peppers and onions
• Pickled jalapenos
• Crushed Fritos or tortilla chips
• Grilled pineapple

3. Lots of condiments.

• You can really up your hot dog game by offering more than the standard ketchup and mustard as condiments. Here are some great condiment ideas for adding loads of flavor. 
• Mustard--the king of hot dog condiments! You can go with the classic yellow, or go with something like Dijon, spicy brown, or even honey mustard.
• Ketchup--any kind will work but may I recommend my favorite Trader Joe’s organic ketchup. It’s got the BEST flavor!
• Mayo--you could try the ever-popular, squeezable Japanese Kewpie mayo if you can get a hold of a bottle.
• Hot sauce
• Buffalo Sauce
• BBQ sauce
• Ranch dressing
• Sriracha 

With the extensive list of all the condiments above, just make sure when buying condiments to get some combinations that would work well together. Here are a few examples of delicious hot dogs combinations you can make:

Spicy Buffalo Dog:

Add diced onions, crumbled bacon, chives, buffalo sauce, a drizzle of ranch and possibly even a sprinkling of blue cheese.


Hawaiian-Inspired Dog:

On top of a Hawaiian bun add grilled pineapple, caramelized onions, a bit of mayo, pickled jalapenos and bacon.

Mexican-Inspired Dog:

Add sauteed fajita-seasoned bell peppers and onions, refried beans, guacamole, pickled jalapenos, shredded cheese and a spoonful of salsa.

BBQ Dog

Add your favorite BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, coleslaw and a sprinkle of bacon.

What are your favorite “beefed up” hot dog combinations to make? Do you have any other topping ideas or other hot dog topping combinations you’d add to this list? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

    Mary Richardson
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! mary@dvo.com