Hotdog #1 - Sweet Swine

Some of the best sausages on earth are pork sausages. Whether it’s a footlong Russian or a bratwurst, a Frankfurter or a cheese griller, our opinion has always been that a porcine flavor adds much to the hotdog experience.

So the first hotdog recipe in our new series is exactly that: the Sweet Swine.

The inspiration for this informal meal comes from the Christmas table: baked ham with mustard. The ham either emerges steaming from the oven and glazed to within an inch of a honeycomb, or it’s been catching a chill in the freezer after being cured and smoked. Either way, a sweet mustard sauce, mustard spread or mustard jelly ring accompanies the ham on its journey to the table of the family gathered for the celebration.

And so we set out to re-interpret the Christmas ham into a hotdog.

First, the sausage was chosen: a plain cheese griller from the local supermarket caught our eye. We decided to double up on the pork and added some bacon. Because we were strapped for time and couldn’t find the family recipe among our stored recipe books, we opted for a store-bought sweet mustard from the local biltong shop. What more to add? It seemed that something was still missing, but what? Maybe something crispy? Like Spur-style onion rings? Yes! Add some soft hotdog rolls, and we were set for what we’d hoped would be a winner.

Now to the assembly line:

• To start, we wrapped the cheese grillers in bacon strips and fastened it with toothpicks.

Photo credit: Louis Botha Fotografie

• Next up we prepared the onion rings: Cut an onion in half, and then slice it thinly. Separate the rings and toss it into a container with some flour and seasonings to your taste. We left it unflavoured.

• Off to the stove, where we grilled the sausages and deep fried the onion rings.

Photo credit: Louis Botha Fotografie

• Finally, all that’s left is assembly: Cut open the top of a bun, fill with onion rings, insert the sausage (after having removed the toothpicks) and slather on as much mustard as you prefer.

At last, the moment we’d been anticipating had arrived: the taste test. Everyone around the table was quiet for a few seconds. The only sound to be heard was chewing. The faces mirrored different expressions of contentment, and we were thankful. The Sweet Swines were even better than we’d expected.