How to Eat a Corn Dog

Last Updated: October 26, 2022 References

A corn dog is a popular American food that’s usually served in carnivals or at fairs. It’s a sausage on a stick that’s dunked in cornmeal batter and cooked until golden brown.^{[1]
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Research source} People enjoy devouring this tasty treat that can be eaten as an appetizer or a light dinner. If you’re looking for tips on how to gobble down this yummy meal, you've found the right place! You can enjoy eating a corn dog by choosing a good recipe, making it properly, and eating it with some condiments or side dishes.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Making the Corn Dog

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Choose fresh hot dogs. Hot dogs are the key ingredient to corn dogs, so it's important to pick out fresh hot dogs when making the corn dogs. It's highly recommended to use beef hot dogs, but pork, chicken, and vegan hot dogs can work as well.^{[2]
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Research source} Many recipes also encourage using kosher hot dogs, since they're the type used at fairs and carnivals.^{[3]
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- Wipe the hot dogs with a napkin to keep them clean before cooking.
- Dusting the hot dogs with flour or cornmeal allows the batter to go on more easily when dunking the corn dogs.^{[4]
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2
Make a good corn dog batter. Corn dog batter is the only way to transform hot dogs into the crispy, moist corn dog. A corn dog batter is made by whisking dry ingredients and wet ingredients, and then combining them together. A typical corn dog batter will have:^{[5]
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- Yellow cornmeal: Cornmeal is a must to corn dogs and it's where the name 'corn dogs' originated from.
- Flour: Usually all-purpose flour, it keeps the corn dog batter together and leaving it thick.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is added to form fluffy, moist corn dogs.
- Salt and black pepper: Added for flavor to the corn dogs.
- Sugar: White sugar is not added in every corn dog batter recipe out there, but it does leave the batter slightly sweet and delicious.
- Eggs and milk: Used as a wet ingredient to the batter, it helps keep it from being too dry and lets it regain its consistency.
  - You may want to keep the cornmeal batter cold before using. It prevents it from sloughing off when being fried and leaves you with a thickly-covered corn dog.^{[7]
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3
Choose how you’ll cook the corn dogs. In order to eat a corn dog, it must be properly cooked. A corn dog can be made by being fried in oil, baked in an oven, microwaved in a microwave (if frozen), or made on another cooking device. It's usually best to follow your recipe's cooking instructions to cook the corn dog correctly.
- Ensure you cook the corn dogs for the correct amount of time. Cooking it for too long will cause it to burn and blacken, but not cooking it enough will leave the insides raw and gooey.^{[8]
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- Most recipes fry corn dogs in oil because it's the way they're made at fairs and carnivals. Frying corn dogs leaves you with a golden brown, crispy-coated crust.
4
Use good-quality wooden skewers. In order to make a corn dog, wooden skewers (also called corn dog sticks) are used to handle and hold it. The wooden skewers should have one pointed edge to poke the hot dog with, and another edge that's not pointed to hold it well. It's usually best to get size 8.75 inch (4.5 mm) for a whole hot dog used in a corn dog.^{[9]
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- Instead of wooden skewers, large lollipop sticks can be used instead. They're not as sturdy as wooden skewers, but they work just as well.^{[10]
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Know how to dip the corn dogs. It's important to dip the hot dogs completely with batter for the corn dogs to come out completely covered and golden brown. Dunking the hot dogs in a bowl is usually difficult to do, since it's harder to completely cover it. It's highly encouraged to pour the batter in a mason jar or tall glass for easier dipping.^{[11]
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- When dipping the hot dog, dunk just enough until it's completely covered with batter. The hot dog should not show at all.
- After dipping the hot dog, gently twirl the hot dog around and rub it against the jar or glass to get rid of any excess batter.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Eating the Corn Dog

1
Hold the corn dog. In order to eat a corn dog, it needs to be held by its stick. Use the hand you eat with to hold onto the stick, a similar procedure followed when holding a popsicle.
- This step may not apply to you if you're eating corn dog bites or mini corn dogs since they don't have a stick poked through them.
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Take a bite. Bite into the corn dog while you hold onto the stick. You'll be able to enjoy the sweet cornmeal batter that's covered on your favorite frankfurter.
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Finish the entire corn dog. Keep biting and chewing onto the corn dog until there is nothing left but the stick. A corn dog should be eaten until it's completely gone.
4
Dunk the corn dog in some condiments. A corn dog is delicious when eaten with other condiments. The most popular condiments are usually tomato ketchup and mustard, but mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, cheese sauce, and ranch can work as well.^{[12]
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- Try the corn dog with a variety of condiments to find one you like the most.
- You can either dunk the corn dog in condiments or drizzle them on top.^{[13]
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Garnish the corn dog with toppings. A corn dog can be topped with many other foods that make it taste even more delicious. Try sprinkling on some cooked or raw vegetables (potatoes, broccoli, pickles, garlic, peppers, etc.), shredded or melted cheese, sesame seeds, and any other desired toppings.^{[14]
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Research source} Be creative!
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Have a few side dishes with the corn dog. Eating only a corn dog as a meal is usually not very filling for yourself or for a group. A corn dog can be enjoyed with a variety of side dishes to make a whole meal. Some meals you can make alongside a corn dog include onion rings, french fries, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, mozzarella sticks, chicken nuggets, or coleslaw.
- Many fried foods go great with corn dogs, since they're a type of fried food as well. Make a few fried foods to go alongside corn dogs while you eat them.