Baked Hot Dog Casserole

Let me be upfront about what this is: it is hot dogs, in their buns, buried under chili and cheese and baked in a casserole dish until the whole thing goes bubbly and the bun edges crisp. It is not healthy. It is not fancy. I have never once promised y’all that everything on this blog would be either of those things, and I am not about to start with a pan of chili dogs.

What this is, is a hot dog casserole – a genius way to feed a crowd. Specifically a crowd of kids, though I have watched plenty of grown adults go back for thirds. Instead of standing over a grill building hot dogs one at a time while a line forms and folks get restless, you assemble the whole tray at once, cover it, and let the oven (or the grill) do the work. Everybody eats at the same time. Nobody’s dog is cold while they wait on the condiments. It is, in the truest sense, lazy hospitality, and I mean that as the highest compliment I know how to give.

The one move I need you to trust me on is the mayonnaise. You slick the inside of each bun with a thin coat before anything else goes in. It feels weird. Do it anyway. That little layer of fat is what keeps the bun from drinking up the chili and turning to wet cardboard under everything else. It is the difference between a casserole that holds together and a sad, soggy one, and we do not do sad and soggy around here.

You can make this in the oven, which is quick and just about foolproof, or you can make it on the kamado, which takes a little more doing but pays you back in that smoky, charcoal, summer-cookout flavor you cannot fake indoors. I’m giving you both methods below. If you’ve got a gas grill, you’re on your own, but you seem like a capable person and I believe in you.

A little housekeeping before the recipe. I like Hebrew National bun-length dogs, but use whatever hot dog makes you happy; this is a no-judgment kitchen. Same goes for the chili (beans, no beans, your call) and the cheese (I wrote 8 ounces, but I have never once measured cheese for this in my life). And yes, eagle-eyed among you: the kamado in these photos is not my beloved red Kamado Joe. It’s the first kamado I ever owned, years before the Joe. The method is identical no matter which one you’re cooking on.

Notes

Make it yours. Chili with beans or without, more cheese than I said, onion piled on or left off entirely. This recipe does not judge, and neither do I.

Those four leftover hot dogs. Filling 8 buns takes 8 dogs, which means buying two 6-packs and ending up with four orphans. Grill them off for lunch, slice them into a pot of beans, or chop them into the kids’ mac and cheese. Waste not.

Feeding a real crowd. It scales straight up: run two 9×13 pans side by side, or assemble ahead, refrigerate it covered, and bake when the crowd lands (give it a few extra minutes coming from cold).

Print Recipe

Baked Hot Dog Casserole

Hot dogs and buns baked under chili, cheese, and onion until bubbly and crisp-edged. Oven or kamado, and built to feed a crowd (especially kids). The mayo inside the bun is the trick.

Ingredients

• 8 hot dog buns 1 package
• 8 hot dogs you’ll buy two 6-packs and have 4 left over; I like Hebrew National bun-length
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Sweet or dill pickle relish
• 2 –3 cups chili with or without beans
• 8 oz shredded cheese or more
• 1 small white or yellow onion diced

Instructions

Assemble

• Arrange the buns snug, cut side up, in a 9×13 baking dish.
  8 hot dog buns
• Slick the inside of each bun with a thin coat of mayonnaise. This is what keeps the buns from going soggy; don’t skip it.
  Mayonnaise
• Add mustard and relish to each bun in whatever amount you like, then nestle in a hot dog.
  Mustard, Sweet or dill pickle relish, 8 hot dogs
• Top the whole pan with the chili, then the cheese, then the onion if using.
  2 –3 cups chili, 8 oz shredded cheese, 1 small white or yellow onion
• Cover tightly with foil.

Oven Method

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake covered about 20 minutes, until the dogs are heated through and the cheese is melty.
• Uncover and bake another 10–15 minutes, until the top is bubbly and the bun edges brown and crisp.

Kamado Method

• Light the grill as usual; add a chunk of hardwood for smoke if you like.
• Set the heat deflectors at the low level (I wrap mine in foil in case the chili bubbles over) and the grates at the main level, even with the edge of the grill.
• Dial the top and bottom vents until you hold a steady ~350°F on the dome thermometer.
• Set the foil-covered pan in the center of the rack. From there it’s exactly the same as the oven: about 20 minutes covered, then uncover for 10–15 until bubbly and browned.

Notes

• Make-ahead. Assemble, cover, and refrigerate; bake when ready and add a few minutes coming from cold.
• Scale it. Doubles easily across two 9×13 pans for a bigger crowd.

P.S. Why does a package of buns come with eight and a package of hot dogs come with six? It is a question for the ages. I have made my peace with it. I have not made my peace with it.

P.P.S. The mayonnaise, one more time for the skeptics in the back: thin coat, inside of the bun, before anything else goes in. It is the one thing standing between you and a soggy pan. Trust the process.

P.P.P.S. This one sat in my photo archive for years because past me apparently decided hot dog casserole wasn’t blog-worthy. Past me was wrong, and was probably busy that week trying to make something happen with kale.