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Corn Dogs

Source of Recipe

From "Martha's American Food" by Martha Stewart


Recipe Introduction

"The State Fair of Texas, with the largest attendance among all state fairs in the United States, has spawned some pretty large legends over the years. There's the annual showdown between Texas and Oklahoma college football teams at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park. Big Tex, the 52-foot-tall mascot, greets visitors with a 'Howdy, folks!' And, in 1942, brothers Neil and Carl Fletcher introduced a newfangled snack called the 'corny dog.' The Fletcher family has been selling hundreds of thousands at the fair every year since. Whether or not the brothers actually invented the deep-fried hot dog on a stick, they certainly created a much-touted local institution. The secret to achieving an even coating: Put the batter in a tall container, such as a Mason jar, for dipping each hot dog. True fans like to swirl the corn dogs in mustard before taking the first bite."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 â…” cups yellow cornmeal
â—¦ 1 â…“ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
â—¦ 3 tablespoons sugar
â—¦ 2 teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
â—¦ 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
â—¦ 1 ½ cups milk
â—¦ Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying (about 2 quarts)
â—¦ 12 hot dogs
â—¦ Yellow mustard, for serving


Recipe

Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir in eggs and milk. (You will have about 5 cups batter.) Fill a large heavy pot, Dutch oven, or deep-fryer with enough oil to submerge hot dogs; heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 360° F.

Meanwhile, pat hot dogs dry and insert a 10-inch bamboo skewer through each lengthwise; roll in flour to coat. Dip a hot dog into batter, turning until completely coated; let any excess batter drip off and wipe away extra batter using your fingers so that hot dog is coated evenly. Holding it by the skewer, carefully add hot dog to hot oil. Immediately repeat with remaining hot dogs.

Cook corn dogs, turning with tongs to cook evenly, until deep golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes for each. Transfer to a paper towel-lined platter, turning to blot oil. Serve warm, with mustard.

Makes 12