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The ultimate State Fair classic with a spicy, cheesy upgrade! Savory beef franks coated in a crispy, golden-brown jalapeno cheddar beer batter.
Ingredients
- ½ gallon peanut or vegetable oil for frying
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup fine ground cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large jalapeno pepper deseeded and stem removed
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ⅔ cup pilsner style beer I use Modelo
- 1 egg
- 1 TB milk
- 3 TB honey
- 2 TB cornstarch
- 8 skinless beef franks regular length (bun length franks are too long and you won’t have enough batter)
Instructions
- Heat the peanut oil over medium high heat in a large Dutch oven or stock pot to 365 degrees F.
- While oil heats, make the batter. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a food processor. Add the deseeded jalapeno and shredded cheese; pulse until well blended (no large chunks should remain).
- Pour dry mixture into a bowl. Add beer, egg, milk, and honey. Fold with a spatula until a thick batter forms. Set aside.
- Pat franks dry with a paper towel and push a skewer ¾ of the way into each frank.
- Add cornstarch to a shallow plate. Gently roll each hot dog in cornstarch for a light dusting.
- Fill a tall glass (Collins or highball) up to an inch from the top with batter.
- Once oil is 365F, dunk a hot dog completely into the glass of batter. Swirl to coat, and gently remove.
- Allow excess to drip off, then carefully drop into the hot oil. Fry for about a minute until puffed and golden brown.
- Remove with a spider skimmer to a wire rack. Let oil temp rebound to 365F before frying the next batch.
- Cool oil before cleaning. Rest corn dogs 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
We cannot stress this enough-NEVER skip dusting the hot dogs in cornstarch! Hot dogs are incredibly slick, and cornstarch is the absolute only way to guarantee the heavy batter actually sticks to the meat in the hot fryer.