These Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs will take your hot dog game to the next level and can be made in the air fryer, oven, or grill. It makes delicious and juicy hot dogs wrapped in crispy bacon that you can top with your favorite toppings, and serve in soft or crispy hot dog buns!
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There's no shame in admitting I love a hot dog from time to time! Especially a gourmet hot dog that goes beyond your basic hot dog and bun with mustard or ketchup.
Wrapping all-beef hot dogs in bacon and then cooking them until crispy takes regular hot dogs to the next level and can be done in the air fryer, oven, grill, stovetop, or even in a deep fryer.
My personal favorite method is the air fryer, since we use it all the time. Cooking bacon-wrapped hot dogs in the air fryer is a quick and easy way to get a crispy texture and smoky flavors
However you make them, this bacon wrapped hot dogs recipe is perfect for Game Day, summer BBQs, or just for an easy meal on busy weeknights.
For more hot dog recipes, check out my Coney Island Hot Dogs, Easy Air Fryer Brats, or these fun Pretzel Dogs!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Get creative and add your favorite toppings to make these dogs your own!
- We'll be using simple ingredients you can get from your local grocery store.
- Air frying makes dinner quick and easy every time!
What You'll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities and complete instructions.
- Hot Dogs - Any type of hot dog will work, use your favorite brand. We prefer all-beef hot dogs.
- Bacon - The best bacon for this recipe is smoked, but you can use unsmoked if you prefer. You'll need enough slices of bacon to wrap one slice around each hot dog. Regular cut bacon works better than thick cut bacon for this recipe.
- Hot Dog Buns - White hot dog buns or brioche hot dog buns are great, or you can make your own using my Brioche Bun recipe.
- Toppings - Use your favorite condiments to top your hot dogs. When we are going for ease, we like the standard ketchup, yellow mustard, and relish combo.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs
- Prepare hot dogs. Wrap bacon around each hot dog.
- Secure bacon. Use a toothpick to secure the ends of the bacon.
- Cook. Set the air fryer to 390 degrees F and place hot dogs in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Make sure there is a bit of space around each hot dog to allow the hot air to circulate. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Flip. Flip the bacon-wrapped sausages then cook for another 5 minutes. Remove them from the air fryer and serve on hot dog buns with your favorite condiments and sides!
More Cooking Methods
- Stovetop: You can also cook these in a large cast iron skillet on the stove top over medium-high heat. Just wrap the hot dogs and secure with toothpicks like above, then place them in the pan, turning occasionally, until the bacon is crisp on all sides and the hot dogs are heated all the way through.
- Grill: Repeat the same process of wrapping the hot dogs in bacon, then grill over indirect heat, turning with tongs, until the bacon is crispy. I avoid cooking these directly over the flame because the bacon grease can easily cause flare-ups.
- Oven: If you want to cook your bacon-wrapped hot dogs in the oven, I recommend placing a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and placing the wrapped hot dogs on there. Cook in a preheated 425 degree F oven for about 18-20 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the hot dogs are heated through.
Recipe FAQ's
Yes! If this is your first time air-frying hot dogs, then you're in for a treat! It's such an easy way to cook hot dogs, and it works perfectly any time of year. Cooking hot dogs in the air fryer takes just a few minutes, and adding the bacon makes them smoky and crispy too!
Store your leftover hot dogs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the air fryer to get those crispy hot dog edges again.
A Danger Dog is a bacon-wrapped hot dog that originated in Mexico where they are deep fried. They have also become a popular street food in L.A. where they are griddled and topped with sauteed onions, peppers, pico de gallo, as well as ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Sometimes they even have a grilled whole poblano pepper or jalapeno pepper on top as well.
Tips for Success
- Crispy buns are a game changer for hot dogs. If you want to make your buns crispy, add the bacon-wrapped hot dogs to the bun and place them in the air fryer assembled. Cook for 1 minute at 390 F. Then remove it from the air fryer, top it with your favorite condiments, and serve.
- You can line your air fryer basket with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup; just make sure there is enough space for the hot air to circulate around the hot dogs.
- You can slice each strip of bacon in half lengthwise to fit around the hot dogs better if they are quite thick.
What Do I Serve With a Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog?
Hot dogs are always a winner. You can add almost any condiment, savory topping, or salad to them, and they go with basically any BBQ side you can think of.
We do have some favorites, though! Here are some hot dog toppings, sauces, and side dish ideas we love.
Toppings
Caramelized Onions, Remoulade Sauce, Bread & Butter Pickles, Homemade Creamy Coleslaw (on top or on the side, no judgment here!), Instant Pot Pork and Beans, Sweet & Sticky Copycat J Dawgs Hot Dog Sauce, Bacon Bits, Roasted Peppers, Sliced Jalapenos, Bacon Jam
Sauces
Alabama White BBQ Sauce, Outback Blooming Onion Sauce, Kansas City BBQ Sauce, Carolina Mustard Based Barbecue Sauce, Rhubarb BBQ Sauce, Homemade Aioli
Sides
Texas Cowboy Caviar, Kool-Aid Pickles, Crispy Loaded Potato Skins, Grilled Corn Salad, Candied Bacon, Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers, Baked Potato Wedges
Substitutions and Variations
- Use turkey bacon instead of all-beef or pork franks if you prefer.
- Thick cut bacon will work fine, but you may need to cook it for a minute or two longer, depending on how thick it is.
- Any kind of link sausage will work for this recipe. You will need a slightly longer cook time if the sausages are thicker than what a normal hot dog would be.
- If you don't want much bacon on your hot dogs you can use half a piece of bacon, leaving a larger gap between each wrap.
- Try this approach with chicken drumsticks or chicken wings instead of hot dogs!
- Francheezie: Slice the hot dog and insert a long block of Mozzarella cheese or Cheddar cheese before you wrap it in bacon for a cheesy bacon hot dog that you might find in Chicago!
More Summer Dinner Recipes
- Grilled Cajun Chicken Sandwiches
- Juicy Bison Burgers
- Grilled Poblano Pepper Southwest Burgers
- Corn Dog Mini Muffins
- Maine Lobster Rolls
Air Fryer
Easy Air Fryer Brats
Beef & Lamb
Burgers 101: How to Grill Burgers
Dinner
Coney Island Hot Dogs
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 hot dogs
- 4 slices bacon
- 4 hot dog buns
- Ketchup, mustard, relish, etc.
Instructions
- Wrap the bacon around each hot dog. Use a toothpick to secure the bacon.
- Set air fryer to 390 degrees F and place hot dogs in the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through to make sure the bacon cooks crisp and even on both sides.
- If you want to make your buns crispy, add the cooked bacon wrapped hot dogs to the bun and place them back in the air fryer. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite toppings and condiments.
Notes
- Storage: Store your leftover hot dogs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the air fryer to get those crispy hot dog edges again.
- Stovetop: You can also cook these in a large cast iron skillet on the stove top over medium-high heat. Just wrap the hot dogs and secure with toothpicks like above, then place them in the pan, turning occasionally, until the bacon is crisp on all sides and the hot dogs are heated all the way through.
- Grill: Repeat the same process of wrapping the hot dogs in bacon, then grill over indirect heat, turning with tongs, until the bacon is crispy. I avoid cooking these directly over the flame because the bacon grease can easily cause flare-ups.
- Oven: If you want to cook your bacon-wrapped hot dogs in the oven, I recommend placing a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and placing the wrapped hot dogs on there. Cook in a preheated 425 degree F oven for about 18-20 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the hot dogs are heated through.
