Celebrate National Hot Dog Day with 3 riffs on the American classic

It's National Hot Dog Day and whether you're a mustard purist, prefer the tang of sauerkraut or the sweet, simple combination of relish and ketchup, the all-American classic can't be beat.

To improve on the tried-and-true hot dog, chef and restaurateur Joe Isidori joined "Good Morning America" to share three recipes that jazz up the traditional food.

National Hot Dog Day

The JoDog Craft Hot Dogs owner made an Italian parm-inspired version, as well as a tropical iteration and a Korean kimchi dog that blew up on the streets of New York during the pandemic.

Check out his recipes below.

The Bronx Bomber

Ingredients
1 all beef dog
1 Martin's Potato hotdog bun
2 tablespoons warm tomato sauce, divided use
1 breaded and fried mozzarella stick
Freshly shaved Parmesan
Italian seasoning to taste
Freshly chopped parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Lightly oil grill grates or a griddle and cook hot dog over medium heat, turning often. This should take 5 to 7 minutes (see note).

2. Place the warm hot dog in the bun and top with a drizzle of tomato sauce.

3. Top with warm fried mozzarella stick and remaining tomato sauce.

4. Garnish with Parmesan, Italian seasoning, freshly chopped parsley.

Recipe notes:

Because outside elements, grill type and size determine how long it takes to cook the perfect dog, there's no magic cooking time. In general, use a range of 5 to 7 minutes for standard dogs, 7 to 10 minutes for jumbo dogs, and 15 minutes for quarter-pound dogs.

Tiki Dog

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients
1 all beef hot dog
1 Martin's Potato hot dog bun
Spicy mayonnaise to drizzle
2 ounces pineapple salsa
Awesome Sauce to drizzle, recipe below (or store bought)
Crispy shallots and garlic
Micro cilantro

Awesome Sauce
Yield: 1 1/4 cups
1 cup gochujang (Korean pepper) paste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger, or to taste
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Directions

1. Blend all Awesome Sauce ingredients until well incorporated and smooth. Refrigerate tightly covered, until ready to use.

2. Lightly oil grill grates or a griddle and cook hot dog over medium heat, turning often. This should take 5 to 7 minutes (see note).

3. Place the dog in the bun and top with spicy mayonnaise, salsa, and Awesome Sauce.

4. Garnish with crispy shallots, garlic, and micro cilantro leaves.

Recipe notes:

Because outside elements, grill type and size determine how long it takes to cook the perfect dog, there's no magic cooking time. In general, use a range of 5 to 7 minutes for standard dogs, 7 to 10 minutes for jumbo dogs, and 15 minutes for quarter-pound dogs.

Crispy garlic and fried shallots are available as a packaged product in specialty foods stores, ethnic markets, and online.

Awesome Sauce is also a bottled product, but there are many recipe variations available online. Some cooks in the South call it Fry Sauce.

Joe's Famous Kimchi Dog

Isidori said this hot dog was first "made famous on the streets of NYC during COVID shutdown."

"We served these dogs outside of the super hot, trendy Rays Bar on the Lower East Side to help them sell their booze," he said.

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients
1 all beef hot dog
1 Martin's Potato hot dog bun
2 ounces kimchi
Brown mustard
Awesome Sauce (see recipe above)
Pinch of crispy shallots and garlic
Cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Lightly oil grill grates or a griddle and cook hot dog over medium heat, turning often. This should take 5 to 7 minutes (see note).

2. Spread the kimchi on the bun and top with the hot dog.

3. Top with brown mustard and Awesome Sauce.

4. Garnish with crispy shallots, garlic, and cilantro leaves.

Recipe notes:

Because outside elements, grill type and size determine how long it takes to cook the perfect dog, there's no magic cooking time. In general, use a range of 5 to 7 minutes for standard dogs, 7 to 10 minutes for jumbo dogs, and 15 minutes for quarter-pound dogs.

Crispy garlic and fried shallots are available as a packaged product in specialty foods stores, ethnic markets, and online.

Awesome Sauce is a bottled product but there are many recipe variations available online. Some cooks in the South call it Fry Sauce.

This story was originally published on July 19, 2023.