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A saucepan with copycat J Dawgs hot dog sauce next to grilled hot dogs, hot dog buns, and a jar of sauerkraut.
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4.88 from 16 votes

J Dawgs Hot Dog Sauce

Never overlook the humble hot dog again in favor of more "grown-up" fare with this sweet & sticky copycat J Dawgs hot dog sauce.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 99kcal
Author: Amy Nash

Ingredients

Hot dog sauce

  • ¾ cup ketchup
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
  • 1 Tablespoon molasses
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • dash of black pepper

All the fixin's

  • All-beef or Polish hot dogs (We like the Costco ones best)
  • Quality hot dog buns
  • Sauerkraut
  • Diced white onions
  • Pickles
  • Banana peppers

Instructions

  • Combine all of the sauce ingredients together in a small pan. Stir over medium-high heat just until the sauce starts to bubble. Remove from heat and allow sauce to cool to room temperature.
  • To prepare the hot dogs, make diagonal cuts in a "W" pattern down the length of each hot dog, slicing about half-way through. This will create more surface area for the sauce. Grill hot dogs on a preheated grill until they are heated through and have nice char marks. The buns can be buttered and toasted on the grill alongside the hot dogs, if you like (which we like!).
  • Assemble grilled hot dogs and buns and then top with whatever toppings you desire (I like sauerkraut and white onions but J Dawgs also has pickles and banana peppers that are popular options) and drizzle with a generous amount of the sticky sweet sauce. Wrap the hot dogs in foil to keep them warm and to make it more like the real J Dawgs experience!
  • The sauce can be refrigerated for a week or two if you have any leftover.

Notes

Recipe adapted from The Food Charlatan.

Nutrition

Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 163mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg