The Great Hot Dog Cook-Off Much Belated Recap

I had a great time volunteering for the 4th Annual Great Hot Dog Cook-Off. I don't want to gush too much here, but the lovely ladies who organized and helped out were just fabulous, generous and fun. At the end of the day, we raised $4,000 for City Harvest and sent many people home full of hot dogs and plenty tipsy.

I was the appointed chef wrangler and grill mistress. This meant that I had to get everything set up for the chefs, get them onto and off of the grills and to their serving stations. I found myself running inside for beers, wiping up all sorts of messy toppings and flinging handfuls of (hardwood) charcoal onto the six-foot long grills.

I was very impressed with the creative dishes our valiant chefs prepared. There were major departures from the traditional hot dog, like a homemade ravioli stuffed with hot dogs, and a "veggie" dog that was a grilled banana topped with marshmallow fluff, chocolate chips and peanut butter. One contestant made her own hot dogs, others added bacon, salsa, jam, peppers and pickled cabbage. Unfortunately, I was too busy during the day to try very many of the contestant's dogs or get pictures of them all. Luckily for me, there were several photogs and bloggers running around so I can refer you to a few sites. I did manage to snap a few pics and for a full list of winners be sure to visit the official web site.

Recaps & photos here:
NYT Fort Greene Blog
Time Out New York

Not Eating Out in NY
Sharing Food
Dave's Kitchen
Forking Tasty

A few snaps I managed:

Grilled Lamb Burgers

I love lamb. I really do. Especially since I discovered that a local grocer sells it ground and ready for burger-making. Lamb is flavorful and juicy, and works well with traditional Middle Eastern flavors like cumin. Fresh garlic and a bit of cayenne pepper keep things interesting.

Grilled Lamb Burgers:
1 lb. ground lamb
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper

Set up your grill for a two-level fire: hot on one side and cool on the other. With charcoal, this means putting all the coals on one side. For a gas grill, after preheating, turn off one of the burners to create a cool area.

Mix the lamb gently with cumin, coriander, cayenne and garlic. Form into 3-4 patties. Season both sides with salt & pepper.

When the grill is hot, start the patties over the hot side and grill, turning once, about 2-3 minutes per side. Move them to the cool side and put the lid on the grill. Cook for another 4-8 minutes depending on their size and how well done you prefer your meat. I used the hot side of the grill for some onions while the burgers finished cooking. Fresh goat cheese would be a great topping for these. I usually eat mine with mustard and onions.