The Best Smoked Hot Dog Recipe

Heather Painchaud
by Heather Painchaud
6 servings
1 hr 5 min

This is the best smoked hot dog recipe – perfectly cooked with a delicious smoke flavor. Great for back yard barbecues with the family!!


Too busy to make this right away? Pin it for later! Pin this easy recipe to your favorite board on Pinterest and it will be waiting there when you’re ready.

Why smoke hot dogs?

Cooking with indirect heat makes for some of the best hot dogs that you’ve ever tasted. There is just something about classic barbecue sauce and a hot dog full of delicious smoke flavor!

We like to use the Traeger Pro pellet grill electric smoker, it’s better than any gas grill or charcoal grill that we’ve ever had! These tasty hot dogs are simply cooked low and slow on the grill grates.

Hot Dog Recipe:

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Supplies:


Ingredients:


  • 6 all beef hot dogs
  • 6 hotdog buns
  • BBQ sauce


These Harvest all beef franks are our favorite hot dogs but any beef frank will do. Cook time may need to be adjusted for larger dogs.

Sweet Baby Rays is our go-to sauce for this recipe but use YOUR favorite bbq sauce! Remove any natural casings that may be on the dogs before smoking.

Directions:

1. Set the smoker temperature to 225 degrees F.

2. Remove individual plastic wrapper or hot dog casing if needed.

3. Poke holes or cut score marks into the dogs, optional.

Note: this step helps the smokey flavor to soak into the dog.

4. Use a pastry brush to brush a bit of bbq sauce onto each dog.

5. Place dogs onto the grill of the smoker.

6. Cook for 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees when a thermometer is inserted into the end of the hot dog.

Tip: try not to open the smoker during this process as it will allow the smoke to escape and drop the temperature.

7. Use the tongs to place the dogs on a sheet pan or tray for serving.

Look at those grill marks!

This makes 6 slow smoke hot dogs – you can make a large batch too of course! This is the perfect cooking method for a backyard barbecue with friends. The smoking process gives the hot dogs an incredible flavor that everyone is sure to love!

Have you ever made your own BBQ rub with a bit of brown sugar, garlic powder, mustard powder and tomato sauce?! When we are feeling adventurous we like to experiment with whatever is in the pantry. Simply add ingredients to a mixing bowl, taste and try the sauce on your next batch of dogs!

How long do you cook hot dogs?

  • Hot dogs may be cooked in a slow cooker on high for 2 hours or low for 3-4 hours.
  • When boiling hot dogs cook them for 4-6 minutes. Learn how to boil hot dogs in this post.
  • Hot dogs can be cooked on the BBQ grill for 7-10 minutes.
  • Smoked hot dogs take 60 minutes to cook when smoked at 225 degrees F.
  • Baked hot dogs in the oven take about 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. Learn how to bake hot dogs in this post.


Leftover hot dogs may be stored in an airtight container for up to one week in the fridge. You can microwave hot dogs to reheat them for later

Some of our favorite toppings:

  • Hot dog sauce
  • Nacho cheese sauce
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Onion slices
  • Yellow mustard

Must try hot dog varieties:

  • Chili cheese dogs
  • Coney Island hot dogs
  • Chicago style hot dogs
  • New York hot dogs
  • Smoked dogs
  • Mexican hot dogs

If you love this smoked hot dog recipe, please give it a five star review and help me share it on Facebook or Pinterest so that others may enjoy it too!

How to Boil Hot Dogs

The Best Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe

The Best Smoked Hot Dog Recipe
Recipe details
  • 6  servings
  • Prep time: 5 Minutes Cook time: 1 Hours Total time: 1 hr 5 min
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Ingredients

  • 6 all beef hot dogs
  • 6 hot dog buns
  • BBQ sauce
Instructions

1. Set the smoker temperature to 225 degrees F.
2. Remove individual plastic wrapper or hot dog casing if needed.
3. Poke holes or cut score marks into the dogs, optional.
4. Use a pastry brush to brush a bit of bbq sauce onto each dog.
5. Place dogs onto the grill of the smoker.
6. Cook for 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees when a thermometer is inserted into the end of the hot dog.
7. Use the tongs to place the dogs on a sheet pan or tray for serving.
Heather Painchaud
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Comments
  • Bub25759341 Bub25759341 on Jun 23, 2022

    You omitted my favorite way to cook a hot dog…. When I was a kid in New England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, we would steam our hot dogs.

    • Joanne Houston-fath Joanne Houston-fath on Jun 24, 2022

      On vacation road-trips my Pops would wrap a pack of hotdogs in aluminum foil and get a can of baked beans, he’d open the hood of the car and set the food on the engine.

      i forgot all about that until I read your comment.

      To the good ole days 🥂

  • Lew Lew on Jun 23, 2022

    grill marks?.. come on man!

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