This recipe has a seriously long story but I’ll try to make it quick. Ready? Rachel Zoe making Crack Salami on TV (video is no longer available online to watch, otherwise there would be a link) –> Drunken Hasselback Salami on Busy in Brooklyn –> Hasselback Salami on the Grill by The Aussie Gourmet –> Cranberry BBQ Hasselback Salami on This American Bite –> Me ready to make my own version but no salami in the house = Crispy “Crack” Hot Dogs. Did you get all of that? No? Years ago, when Rachel Zoe’s reality show (The Rachel Zoe Project) about styling rich people was still on TV (man, I miss that show), she made something called “Crack Salami” while hosting a party for her team of stylists and family. Basically, she sliced a salami hasselback-style, rubbed it with apricot preserves and mustard then baked it until sticky and crispy. I was hooked immediately! I shared her recipe all over Facebook and eventually, a few amazing Kosher bloggers made their own fancy versions that blew my mind (links above)! I love each bloggers interpretation of the crack salami, also known as “Hasselback Salami”, but I’ve always kept the basic model: apricot preserves and mustard. My kids beg for it every weekend and when I recently didn’t have any salami on hand, I thought it would be fun to try my recipe (well, really Rachel Zoe’s recipe) with hot dogs. Bingo! Individual portions, can be put in a hot dog bun and is just as crispy as salami!
When slicing your hot dogs, you don’t want to slice all the way through each dog. Lightly slice a sharp knife down into the hot dog, stopping short of cutting through to the cutting board. Make your slices as thin or as thick as you want but I like mine around 1/4 inch thick. Brush the sliced hot dogs with half of the mixture of apricot preserves and honey mustard then rub it in with your hands to get between the slices.
The first time I made these hot dogs, I cooked them directly on the baking sheet and they didn’t get as crispy as I wanted. So the next time around, I placed the dogs on a metal cooling rack and placed that on a baking sheet lined with foil (for easy clean-up). Heck yeah!
Half way through the cooking process, you want to baste the hot dogs with the remaining marinade. At this point, the dogs are beginning to fan out so the marinade can get into all the nooks and crannies. Don’t worry about any marinade that drips to the bottom of the pan and burns. It’s all part of the process. You should see what it looks like when you cook the dogs directly on the foil! Oh hey, you can HERE.
You can serve these crispy sliced hot dogs in buns or on a platter topped with fresh rosemary. Even though there isn’t any rosemary in the marinade, it adds something really special to this dish. You just have to try it to get it! And for your dipping sauce, all you need is more of that sweet and savory marinade.
Can you tell how my 4 year old, Nora, likes her hot dog?? Smashed in a bun, of course. This kid is in heaven and so am I!
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