I was introduced to the mighty Kielbasa Dog by my godmother in Cape Cod and haven’t had a regular hot dog since. So much juicier and packed with flavor, the Kielbasa is an often overlooked sausage. Here, we’ve made it extra decadent with the addition of shoestring onion rings and smoky BBQ ketchup. The onion rings are addictive so be sure to fry up extra for snacking. They also make a wonderful burger topping if you are doing a mixed grill of dogs and burgers. We hope you enjoy!

 

Grilled Kielbasa with Shoestring Onion Rings 

Makes 4 large Hot Dogs

Ingredients:

Canola/vegetable oil for frying

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly cracked pepper

6 oz. of beer

1 vidalia onion

Sea salt

1 Polish Kielbasa Ring

4 brioche style hot dog buns

Smokey BBQ Ketchup

Smoky BBQ Mustard

 

Method:

1. Fill a medium sized stock pot or Dutch oven a few inches high with oil and heat on high until the oil reaches 365F.

2. Meanwhile, whisk flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Then whisk in the beer until the batter is smooth.

3. Line a baking tray with paper towels and set to the side of the frying oil.

4. Discard the ends and outer peel of your onion and then, using a guard, slice on a mandoline slicer to about 1/8″. Pull your rings apart and once oil is heated, begin dipping them in the batter and dropping them gently in the oil. Work in batches to prevent overcrowding. If rings stick together, use tongs to pull them apart. Fry until golden, turning over rings as needed, about 1-2 minutes total per batch. They fry quickly since they are thinly sliced.

5. When rings are golden brown, remove with thongs or a spider to the paper towel-lined tray and repeat with the next batch. Season finished onion rings with sea salt. As you are frying your rings, heat your grill or grill pan for the Kielbasa.

6. Slice the Kielbasa Ring in half. Slice each half again in half lengthwise to form 4 Kielbasa dogs.

7. Grill Kielbasa dogs 3-4 minutes per side until fully cooked and nice grill marks appear.

8. After Kielbasa have grilled, grill your buns, open face for 1-2 minutes until just toasted.

9. To assemble Kielbasa dogs, top each bun with a grilled Kielbasa and dress with shoestring onion rings. Finish with BBQ Ketchup and BBQ Mustard to taste. Enjoy.