Punch up your summer grilling with these hot dogs with spicy kimchi slaw! It’s an easy way to use up any kimchi in the fridge — or try it for the first time. These are a great weeknight family meal, or served to a crowd at your next cookout.
One of my favorite things to do when I’m entertaining people in the summer months is to serve something very casual and familiar—but then add an unexpected twist.
HOT DOGS WITH A KIMCHI TWIST
These Korean-style hot dogs are your basic grilled beef hot dog in a bun, but with a really special (and simple) spicy kimchi slaw and creamy sauce. The slaw features daikon radish, carrot, and kimchi — a mix that will taste familiar if you’ve eaten a lot of Korean food like bibimbap!
The combination of crunchy slaw and the sweet, spicy, and creamy sauce really makes this hot dog something new and your friends will love it this summer.
WHAT IS GOCHUJANG CHILI SAUCE?
There is one ingredient on this list that may not be familiar to you, and that is gochujang chili sauce. It’s a very specific kind of Korean chili paste that is slightly fermented and mixed with glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, malt powder, and salt to give it a sweet-spicy-salty flavor profile.
Gochujang is very addictive! If you like hot stuff like me, once you try it you’ll find ways to mix it into everything. It’s particularly great when combined with something creamy, like the mayo that I mix it with for these hot dogs.
Gochujang is available at most supermarkets these days—look for it in jars or squeeze bottles with the other Asian ingredients. But if you can’t find it, you can make an easy substitute by mixing three tablespoons of Sriracha and one tablespoon of brown sugar together. It’s not a perfect replacement, but the flavors are similar.
TOP WITH A QUICK KIMCHI SLAW
The slaw is a “can’t-skip” part of these dogs because it adds so much flavor. It’s crunchy, salty, and savory—the quintessential hot dog topper. (It would also be a great burger topper, now that I think about it.) You can make the slaw in advance, but not more than a day since it starts to break down and lose some crunch after that.
As for kimchi? It used to be that you could only find kimchi at Asian grocery stores, but now most supermarkets carry at least one brand of it. Kimchi has become more popular as Korean cuisine has become more popular and as people have begun consuming more fermented, spicy foods in general.
You’ll always find kimchi in the refrigerated section or produce section of the store as it has to be kept chilled. Kimchi is typically available with varying levels of spiciness. I’d recommend starting with a mild version as spicy kimchi can be very spicy. Use any leftover kimchi from this recipe to make Kimchi Avocado Quesadillas!
YOUR NEW FAVORITE HOT DOG RECIPE
All in all, these are a completely different hot dog, but definitely something that you can throw together in a rush and serve to a crowd.
Your guests may start by thinking you are making simple hot dogs, but when you bring out the sauce bowl and the slaw, their interest will be piqued! Enjoy!
MORE HOT DOG RECIPES!
Hot Dogs with Spicy Kimchi Slaw Recipe
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 hot dogs
Daikon radishes are large, long, and white, and they’re fairly easy to find in the produce section of most grocery stores. If you can’t find them, however, feel free to substitute regular red radishes, cut into matchsticks.
Ingredients
For the Kimchi Slaw:
- 1 cup kimchi, minced
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 1 cup grated daikon radish
- 4 scallions, white and light green parts chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Spicy Gochujang Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 to 4 tablespoons Gochujang Korean Chili Paste
- Juice of 1/2 lime
For the hot dogs:
- 8 all-beef hot dogs
- 8 hot dog buns
Method
1 Make the slaw: Stir together the minced kimchi with the grated veggies, scallions, cilantro, and salt. Let this sit for at least 10 minutes for the flavors mingle. Taste and add more salt if needed.
You can make this slaw up to a day in advance and refrigerate it, covered, but it will start to break down if you make it much earlier than that.
2 Make the chili-mayo sauce: Whisk together mayonnaise with Gochujang chili paste and lime juice. Start with three tablespoons of the chili paste, then taste and add more if you want it spicier.
3 Grill the hot dogs: Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium heat (about 350°F) and grill the hot dogs and the buns over direct heat. I grill the hot dogs for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once until they have nice grill marks. The buns need just 30 seconds to crisp up a bit.
4 Serve: Top each hot dog with a generous amount of slaw and drizzle with the sauce. Serve immediately!
