Hot dogs, the simple sausages that originated in Germany as the dachshund, have become an integral part of American cuisine and culture.

They are one of the simplest meals to prepare and, done right, among the tastiest to eat. You can buy hot dogs from a street corner vendor or at the baseball game, or you can cook them at home.

But how best to cook hot dogs? Do they taste better grilled or boiled? (And let’s not even consider microwaved, though that method may do in a pinch whenever time is of the essence.)

Grilled hot dogs, with their dark brown, lightly charred skin, are generally tastier than their boiled counterparts. On the flip side, boiled hot dogs are plump and tender, but they need condiments to make up for their blander flavor.

Each method, as you can see, has its advantages and disadvantages. So here’s what else you need to know to make up your mind.

Grilling Hot Dogs

Nothing quite says “weekend family fun” like cooking on an outdoor grill. Hot dogs were made for grilling outdoors. However, you should follow some rules if you want your dogs to be hot and delicious.

Whether you’re grilling on charcoal or gas, you’re going to need a hot grill that’s been preheated over medium-high heat for enough time. To get there, light the charcoal and wait till the briquettes turn white and ashy, or turn all the burners on your gas grill on and preheat with the lid closed for 15 to 20 minutes.

If you’re using a charcoal grill, push the coals to one side so you have two cooking zones: one with direct and another one with indirect heat.

And if you’re grilling with gas, simply turn off half of the burners. This will again give you a two-zone configuration. A charcoal grill is more likely to give your hot dogs a nice, smoky flavor. However, you have greater control over the temperature — and outcome — when using gas.

Put the hot dogs on direct heat and turn them over frequently until the grill marks are all the way around. Then move them to the indirect-heat grilling zone and leave them there for another two to three minutes. Once they’re done, remove them from the grill and serve them straight away.

The key to getting grilled hot dogs right is to switch between direct and indirect heat. Direct heat produces aroma and flavor. But cook your hot dog over direct heat for too long, and your dogs will burn. Indirect heat heats the dogs fully through on the inside without drying them.

The advantage of grilling hot dogs is that, like every other meat that has been kissed by fire, they will taste great. However, grilling hot dogs takes constant attention because otherwise, you may wind up with dogs that are charred on the outside and undercooked on the inside. They can also become a little too firm if you’re not careful.

Boiling Hot Dogs

If the weather is bad or you’re just too antsy to deal with the grill, boiling hot dogs can be an option. Bring about a quart of water to a boil, then toss in eight hot dogs.

You should keep them in for four to five minutes before taking them out and putting them on paper towels to absorb some of the sogginess. If the hot dogs are frozen, leave them in the boiling water for about eight minutes.

Boiled hot dogs plump up very nicely. Unfortunately, they are not quite as tasty as grilled hot dogs. The reason? Browning and caramelization — the two chemical reactions that give flavor to grilled, pan-fried, and oven-baked food — can’t happen in boiling water.

Added condiments, whether that’s ketchup, mustard, mayo, or something else (more on our favorite condiments below), will have to provide the flavor for you.

What About Air-Fried Hot Dogs?

Everyone seems to have an air fryer these days, don’t they? The new home appliance is so versatile that you can cook just about anything in it: and hot dogs are no exception.

To make air-fried hot dogs, preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C). Cook the hot dogs for three minutes, then take them out and serve.

Some people swear that air-fried hot dogs taste just as good as if they were grilled. And no wonder, as both of these cooking methods rely on what chefs call “dry heat,” which is basically hot air cooking your food.

Condiments That Go Well on Hot Dogs

Whether you grill, boil, air fry, or even microwave hot dogs, they are not complete without some condiments to go on them.

Some people are content to eat their hot dogs with just mustard. However, bolder aficionados will pile all sorts of things on their wieners. These include sauerkraut, chili, cheese, diced onions, jalapenos, pickle relish, diced tomatoes, pickle spears, and horseradish.

What about the ketchup on hot dogs controversy? The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council suggest that ketchup on a hot dog when the eater is 18 or over is unacceptable. On the other hand, a rule exists that all rules are made to be broken. 

At the Home Cook World editorial team and test kitchen, our favorite condiments are those that go on Chicago-style hot dogs: yellow mustard, white onions, pickle relish, a dill pickle, tomato slices, peppers, and celery salt.

However, once we learned about Danish-style hot dogs topped with ketchup, yellow mustard, remoulade, crispy fried onions, and dill pickles, we had a hard time choosing an all-time favorite!