ingredients
-for the sauce:
1/2 pound ground lamb
1/2 pound 80/20 ground beef
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 medium white onion,finely diced
4 cloves garlic,finely chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard or 1 tablespoon prepared
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon dry oregano
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
12 oz beer
-for the Dogs:
8 all beef hot dogs or Hot Links (Nathan's brand are excellent)
12 oz. beer
2 tablespoons butter,clarified
8 New England Style Hot Dog buns (Freihofer's brand recommended)
Brown or Dijon mustard
Finely diced onion for topping
Sprinkle of celery salt (optional)
method
-for the sauce:
Heat a non stick skillet or dutch oven to medium high.
Add ground lamb,beef and 1 teaspoon salt.Cook until no longer pink,mashing up meat into very small pieces as it browns.
Drain meat only if there seems to be an excessive amount of fat,reserving 4 tablespoons fat in skillet.Return skillet to heat,add onion and saute 2-4 minutes until translucent.
Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrent @ 1 minute
Clear a small hot area in the pan and add tomato paste. Allow to caramelize slightly for 2 minutes,then incorporate into meat mixture.
Stir in brown sugar,mustard,cinnamon, oregano,chili powder,salt and black pepper and cook 1 minute.
Deglaze the skillet with beer,scraping up browned bits at the bottom with a wood spoon to incorporate into the sauce and reduce heat to medium, cook until thickened @ 8 minutes.
Cover and keep warm until ready to assemble hot dogs,adding more beer if sauce becomes too thick.
-for the hot dogs and assembly:
Cut 8 slits diagonally on both sides of hot dogs or hot links.
Heat a large skillet to medium and add beer,butter and hot dogs and bring to a slow boil,uncovered.
As the beer evaporates,the butter will begin to brown the hot dogs. Turn them to brown evenly,adjusting heat as necessary to prevent from browning too quickly so hot dogs are cooked evenly. Cooking time should be @ 10-15 minutes. Keep cooked dogs warm in a covered dish.
If you like,butter the buns and toast in the oven or on a grill. slather buns with mustard,top with a generous amount of warm sauce and top with diced onion.
Sprinkle with a little celery salt if desired.
