How to Set Up a Hot Dog Bar

Hot dogs, a popular food at parties, are inexpensive and yet endlessly customizable with toppings. To take advantage of this, you can set up a hot dog bar. You set out the toppings and allow your guests to create their ideal dog. Set up your hot dog bar by first coming up with ideas for hot dogs and buying ingredients. Afterwards, set out the toppings with labels on serving trays and cook your hot dogs!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Shopping for Ingredients

1
Count the number of people you’ll be feeding. Before you shop, stop to figure out how many people will visit your bar. This will help you determine the number of the hot dogs, buns, and toppings to provide as well as keeping you from going over your budget.^{[1]XResearch source}
- Consider how many children are coming. Children may eat less than the adults.
- Ask your guests about dietary restrictions. Cross-contamination is a risk in a self-serve scenario, so avoid any significant allergens.
- Find out if any guest is vegetarian or vegan so you can provide non-meat dogs.
- Parties with a lot of other food, including side dishes and desserts, also can mean fewer hot dogs eaten. Shorter gatherings also lead to less time spent at the hot dog bar.
- Knowing what your guests are likely to eat also helps. You can get extravagant with the ingredient options, but many people will gravitate towards familiar toppings such as ketchup and mustard.
2
Get hot dogs. Plan for each person to eat two or three hot dogs. Multiply that two or three hot dogs by the number of people you intend on feeding to make sure you buy enough hot dogs.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Buy turkey dogs or vegan/vegetarian hot dogs to feed vegetarian and vegan guests.
- Children may only eat 1-2 dogs, so plan for them.
- Consider getting mini hot-dogs and mini-buns so guests can try out a variety of fillings without overeating.
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3
Pick up buns for your hot dogs. Pick up enough buns to cover your hot dogs. Bratwurst buns tend to hold up better for hot dogs that will have a lot of toppings. Consider purchasing alternative buns for those with dietary restrictions.
- Examples of alternative buns include grilled portobello mushrooms or lettuce wraps.^{[3]XResearch source}
4
Purchase your fixings. Basic ingredients such as ketchup, mustard, and cheese are always popular, but consider adding more unusual ingredients, including any toppings you wish to make by hand, such as homemade chili and coleslaw.^{[4]XResearch source}
- One way to come up with topping ideas is to think of a few hot dogs you’d like to serve. For example, when you want to include Chicago dogs, you will likely want to add mustard, white onions, pickle spears, tomatoes, peppers, and relish to your bar.
- Some examples of creative hot dogs include pineapple, bacon, and teriyaki dogs, buffalo hot dogs with blue cheese, hot sauce, and mozzarella, and a peanut butter and bacon dog.^{[5]XResearch source}
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Setting up the Bar

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Figure out how you’ll contain the food. For a simple approach, the toppings can be kept in bowls. To slow bacterial growth, consider covering all food. Leave meat products in insulated containers or warmers. Return toppings to the refrigerator when not in use. Prepared toppings, such as salsa, kimchi, and relish, can be kept in a container in a cooler filled with ice.^{[6]XTrustworthy SourceUS Food and Drug AdministrationU.S. government agency responsible for promoting public healthGo to source}
- After food sits for two hours at temperatures between 40-140 degrees F (4-60 degrees C), it is not safe to eat.
2
Place labels. Labels are useful if you have unusual ingredients that not everyone will know, such as kimchi, or need to distinguish items, such as between hot and mild peppers. These can be written on paper folded in half and stood next to the toppings or placed upon popsicle sticks and stuck in the food, for example.^{[7]XResearch source}
- Another possibility, if you wish to provide ideas for hot dog combinations, is to write out these suggestions and their ingredients on a chalkboard or notecards.
Many people don’t add decorations, but you have the option to customize the bar to fit your party. For example, add a floral display for a wedding or red, white, and blue stars for a patriotic look. The condiments can also be placed in various containers. Glass containers give your display a fancier look, while mason jars add a rustic look.^{[8]XResearch source}
4
Set out the plates. Choose your plates and, before serving time, place them at the end of the bar near where you’ll put the hot dogs. Paper plates are cheap and stand up to all the different foods at gatherings. Pastry papers or glassine bags can be found where bakery supplies are sold and can be used to hold individual hot dogs.^{[9]XResearch source}
- Of course, for a bar serving a family or small gathering, you can set the table and even use regular dinner dishes.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Making the Food

1
Prepare condiments in advance. Before you heat up the hot dogs, handle toppings. Chop your onions and slice up vegetables so you don’t have to scramble at the last minute. Prepare toppings that need to be made, such as if you intend on making fresh chili or mixing a special sauce.^{[10]XResearch source}
- These toppings can be prepared the day before and stored in sealed containers in the refrigerator.
Once it’s time to eat, turn on the grill, stove, or light a fire. Gas grills need to be preheated for ten minutes. Charcoal grills can be started when the guests begin arriving. Cooking the hot dogs on the stove is simple for families or during cold weather. Or let everyone roast their hot dogs over an open fire!^{[11]XResearch source}
3
Set out your ingredients. Remove your ingredients from the refrigerator and set them on your serving vessels. Heat up any premade toppings you want hot. Wait as long as possible to put them out. This gives bacteria less time to accumulate on the food before you eat.
- The hot dogs don’t take long to cook, so they won’t have to sit long before use.
4
Cook your hot dogs. Grill hot dogs on medium heat for seven to nine minutes. Turn them occasionally to make sure they cook evenly. The hot dog should char but not burst. Another option is to boil a pot of water, place the hot dogs in the water, let the water return to boiling, then cover, remove the pot from heat, and let it rest for seven minutes or until the hot dogs look cooked through.
- When in doubt, check the back of the hot dog package for cooking directions.
- Hot dogs should be heated to and kept at a temperature of 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) unless eaten or stored within two hours. Use a warmer to hold cooked meat.
5
Return to the bar periodically to check food supplies. Especially if you only set out a portion of your food, you may find you need to restock. Cheese tends to go fast and you may be low on hot dogs. Refill bowls and make more hot dogs as needed. Also, refresh heated condiments when they get cold, unless you are using a warmer.
- A food thermometer is useful for testing food such as chili, but you can also swap out or reheat the chili at a set time, such as every 20 minutes.
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Tips

A twist on a hot dog bar is to choose several types of hot dogs, such as Chicago, Bahn Mi, and Mexican, make them, and set them out for your guests instead of having your guests assemble the toppings.
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Unusual toppings can lead to unique hot dogs, but during a gathering you may want to stay safe and choose ingredients you know most people will eat.
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Get creative with your decorations. Customize the bar to achieve any theme you want.
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Warnings

Food left out at room temperature quickly gathers bacteria. Throw out anything exposed after two hours. Keep cooked meats in warmers and condiments on ice.
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