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5 Over-The-Top Hot Dog Recipes For The Ultimate Football Tailgate

Rachael Ray Show 9/14/2018 Rachael Ray Show Staff

a group of people standing around a table

After crashing a Los Angeles Rams tailgate and cooking with some awesome fans, our resident "Top Chef" Richard Blais was all fired up to share his game-day hot dog recipes.

As always, Blais went above and beyond with his creations, hitting us with out-of-this-world dishes like hot dog chili, spiralized cheese dogs, and a version of the Hawaiian dish Musubi with, you guessed it, hot dogs!

You’ll definitely want to keep these recipes in your back pocket for your next tailgate or viewing party.

1. Mexican Corn Dogs

a tray of food on a table: Mexican Corn Dogs

This tasty mashup features a traditional corn dog (Blais uses creamed corn in the batter—genius!) topped with mayo, chopped cilantro, and cotija cheese. For a spicy-tangy kick, he finishes it with Mexican chili spice and a drizzle of lime juice, “acidity brings out flavor” he says. Yum-o!

GET THE RECIPE: Mexican Corn Dogs

2. Hot Dog Musubi

a plate of food with a fork and knife: Richard Blais' Hot Dog Musubi

Inspired by one of his favorite Hawaiian dishes, SPAM musubi (grilled SPAM and rice wrapped in seaweed), Blais subs in hot dog for the SPAM. The crispy split dogs are layered over a block of sushi rice, with a little Japanese mayo, then topped with sweet-and-savory eel sauce and wrapped in seaweed. “It’s like a Japanese pig in a blanket!” quipped Rach.

GET THE RECIPE: Hot Dog Musubi

3. Hot Dog Chili

a pizza sitting on top of a wooden table: Hot Dog Chili

Instead of the usual ground beef or turkey, Blais pulses hot dogs in the food processor and uses them as the protein in his chili. He combines the ground dogs with a hearty combination of peppers, chile, onion, beans, garlic and corn—and get this, instead of stock, he gets flavor from hot dog boiling water. Talk about innovation! He even chops up hot dog buns, toasts them into croutons, and uses them as a garnish. Sour cream, cheese, cilantro, and sweet pickle relish round out this crowd-pleaser.

GET THE RECIPE: Hot Dog Chili

4. West Coast Hot Dog Breakfast Burrito

a plate of food on a wooden table: Richard Blais' West Coast Hot Dog Burrito

For early afternoon games, tailgates start early, and we mean EARLY, like 6 am! So, Blais wanted to give us some breakfast fare—in the form of a burrito filled with scrambled eggs, hot dog and whatever other toppings you like.

In honor of the Rams, who hail from LA, he added avocado and French fries in there, then drizzled on red and green salsas. Wrapping the burrito in the foil is great, says Blais, because it sets the shape and is ready to go when hungry guests arrive!

GET THE RECIPE: West Coast Hot Dog Breakfast Burrito

5. Hot Dog Spirals

a hot dog on a wooden table: Hot Dog Spirals

Blais skewers and cuts spirals into hot dogs (you get double the length, he says!), grills ‘em up ‘til crisp, then covers them with gooey, creamy melted cheese. Pop it in a bun, and you’ve got the perfect spiraled cheese dog!

GET THE RECIPE: Hot Dog Spirals

Related video: Richard Blais' West Coast Hot Dog Burrito