If you have ever lived in or visited Utah you may have heard of J.Dawgs.  They do one thing and in my opinion, they do it right – hot dogs!  What makes them so special and delicious is that they first score all-beef (or you can pick Polish) jumbo franks on each side with diagonal cuts that look like sort of like this: “VVVVV”.  Then the franks are grilled until they puff up and become nice and juicy.  They are then placed on a delicious roll and smothered with this absolutely amazing sauce.  The first time I had one of their hot dogs I thought I had died and gone to heaven, and I don’t usually like hot dogs at all!

This Copycat J.Dawgs Special Sauce is sticky, sweet and a little smokey which makes it the perfect condiment for all kinds of grilling adventures.  Try it on your hamburger, mix it with a touch of mayo for the best fry sauce, or even serve alongside grilled chicken or pork.  When I put together my hot dogs at home I like to add some chopped onions and pepperoncini’s which complement the sauce perfectly!  Sometimes I’ll even throw a little sauerkraut on there.  If you are like me, once you try this sauce you won’t want any other sauce on your hot dogs!  I keep mine in a squeezy condiment bottle in the refrigerator and it’s good for a few weeks.

A couple of tips for making the best hot dogs at home:

• Start with an all-beef hot dog.  We like Nathan’s Jumbo Restaurant Style Beef Franks because they grill up just perfectly!  (See pics below.)
• When I grill the franks I place them on the grill at the front and turn them frequently so they don’t burn and cook perfectly.  When they look puffy and juicy like the ones pictured below, they are ready to serve!
• Buy soft, delicious buns, (I am partial to brioche or bakery buns), and give them a light grill or toast face down on a buttered skillet.
• Serve this sauce on the side so people can put as much as they like on their hot dogs.
• Serve chopped onions, chopped pickles, sauerkraut and pepperoncini’s on the side for people to add as they like!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce (I use Original Sweet Baby Rays)
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (can use regular if you don’t like smoked)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan combine all ingredients
2. Bring to a light boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently
3. Reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer while stirring for 4-5 minutes
4. Remove from heat and set aside in the saucepan until it cools completely, then transfer to a condiment serving bottle