How to Make Carrot Dogs: 2 Ways

Today, veganism is becoming increasingly popular, so thinking of new ways of cooking can come in handy, like if you’re throwing a BBQ and have invited vegans or vegetarians over.

5-Minute Crafts would like to share 2 ways to make carrot dogs.

A. On the grill

This technique might be more convenient for smaller-scale dinner parties or if you’re cooking just for yourself. It relies on an umami-packed marinade that makes the carrots have a very distinctive, intense taste.

What you’ll need

For the marinade:

• 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo

For the hot dogs:

• 8 medium carrots, peeled and trimmed
• Vegetable oil (for the grill)
• 4 hot dog buns

Instructions

1. Combine carrots, maple syrup, soy sauce, adobo sauce, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan to make the marinade. Make sure the saucepan is big enough for everything to fit. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.
2. Once that’s done, uncover the pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 2–3 minutes more or until the marinade is completely reduced and the carrots are coated in glaze. Make sure to shake the pan occasionally.
3. Set your grill to medium-high heat and oil it. Grill the carrots, turning them once, until they’re browned and slightly charred, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the carrots to a plate.
4. Toast your buns on the grill until they’re golden brown, about 30 seconds. Transfer the buns to the plate and assemble your hot dogs. Add any toppings you’d like.

B. In the oven

This technique might be more convenient if you’re cooking for many people as you can easily scale it up by using the oven grill.

What you’ll need

• 6 carrots (see note below)
• 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil
• ¹⁄₂ tsp of kosher salt
• ¹⁄₄ tsp of freshly cracked black pepper

Note: This recipe works best when you can choose large, thick carrots because they will shrink during the process. If they’re too long, you can always trim them to fit the bun.

Instructions

1. Place your oven rack as close as possible to the broiler element or source of heat and preheat it.

2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the carrots there. Broil them until charred, giving them a quarter-turn every 5 minutes, more or less. In total, it might take about 20 minutes.

3. Once they’re blackened all over, remove them and wrap them tightly in new aluminum foil. Let them sit wrapped for 15 minutes for them to steam and become infused with a smoky flavor.

4. Unwrap them, and once they’re cooler, pull the charred exterior off each carrot. Finish them off with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, and season with salt and pepper. Now you can assemble the hot dogs.