If you’re looking for a Halloween dinner recipe that’s spooky, silly, and sure to please the kids, these Freaky Franks are a must-try. With just a few ingredients and a little bit of creativity, you can whip up these fun, hair-raising hot dogs for your next Halloween party or dinner before trick-or-treating! Kids love this creepy crawly…
If you’re looking for a Halloween dinner recipe that’s spooky, silly, and sure to please the kids, these Freaky Franks are a must-try. With just a few ingredients and a little bit of creativity, you can whip up these fun, hair-raising hot dogs for your next Halloween party or dinner before trick-or-treating! Kids love this creepy crawly recipe for a quick and easy Halloween dinner!
Kid-approved fun: My kids absolutely love these! They can’t get enough of the “creepy” hot dogs with spaghetti “hair.” Not to mention serving them in tomato sauce for a gory presentation!
Easy to make: This recipe only takes a few ingredients, and it’s simple enough that the kids can help too! It’s so my fun!
Spaghetti: You can use regular spaghetti or opt for whole wheat spaghetti for a healthier twist that gives this Halloween dinner recipe a bit more fiber while still being kid-friendly.
Veggie, turkey, or beef hot dogs: Use your favorite kind of hot dog to make the base of these spooky creatures. Veggie dogs work great if you want a plant-based version, or you can use turkey or beef hot dogs if your crew prefers!
Tomato sauce: A simple sauce that adds flavor and a spooky pop of color to your Freaky Franks. You can use store-bought marinara or make your own homemade tomato sauce recipe!
How to Make Freaky Franks for Halloween Dinner
Step 1: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Step 2: Cut each hot dog into 3-4 even pieces (depending on the size of your hot dog).
Step 3: Break the spaghetti in half into 4-inch pieces. Carefully poke the spaghetti pieces through the hot dog pieces lengthwise, creating a “spaghetti hair” effect.
Step 4: Drop the Freaky Franks into the boiling water and cook for 10-11 minutes until the spaghetti is tender. Drain the water.
Step 5: Serve the Freaky Franks with a side of tomato sauce for dipping. You can also pour the sauce over the top for a messier (and more “gory”) presentation!
Tips and Tricks
Poking the spaghetti: It can be a little tricky to poke the dry spaghetti through the hot dogs, so be gentle and patient. This is a great part for kids to help with!
Make-ahead option: You can prep the Freaky Franks ahead of time and refrigerate them until you’re ready to cook.
Freaky Franks are the ultimate spooky, kid-friendly recipe to make your Halloween both fun and delicious! Whether you’re throwing a party or just want a creative Halloween dinner idea, this easy dish will have the kids asking for more! Plus, it’s a great way to get in a healthier option before the candy rush. So grab some spaghetti, hot dogs, and sauce, and get ready for some creepy, tasty fun! Would love to know what you think of this recipe – leave a rating and comment below!
1/2packagespaghetti(whole wheat spaghetti for extra fiber!)
8veggie, turkey or beef hot dogs
2cups tomato or marinara sauce
Instructions
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Cut each hot dog into 3-4 even pieces (depending on the size of your hot dog).
Break the spaghetti in half into 4-5 inch pieces. Carefully poke the spaghetti pieces through the hot dog pieces lengthwise, creating a “spaghetti hair” effect.
Drop the Freaky Franks into the boiling water and cook for 10-11 minutes until the spaghetti is tender. Drain the water.
Serve the Freaky Franks with a side of tomato sauce for dipping. You can also pour the sauce over the top for a messier (and more “gory”) presentation!
Video
Notes
Poking the spaghetti: It can be a little tricky to poke the dry spaghetti through the hot dogs, so be gentle and patient. This is a great part for kids to help with!
Make-ahead option: You can prep the Freaky Franks ahead of time and refrigerate them until you’re ready to cook.
Grilled hot dogs are the ideal camping food. You can easily cook the perfect hot dog on the go, make enough to feed a ton of people and pile it high with your favorite toppings. We’re elevating our juicy hot dog recipe with smoked chimichurri, which is one of my favorite toppings right now. Thanks to my friend Tom at The Backyard Palate for the inspiration here to make the best grilled hot dogs! He’s always cooking up next level meals with delicious grilled meats and sauces, so I couldn’t resist giving this great recipe a try.
With the FYR Grill, I’m so stoked that we’ve got a portable cooking vessel to match the portability of these delicious hot dogs. Since we can throw the grill right in the back of the truck and take it camping with us, and it has a ton of surface area for grilling, I’m always ready to cook freakin’ delicious pounds of hot dogs for a crowd!
Hot dogs are a simple camping go-to meal because they’re fully cooked, which means you just need to warm them up before eating. They’re also inexpensive and easy to find, with a variation in every corner of the country. Chicago dogs or Maine red snappers, anyone? From Memorial Day to Labor Day, grilled hot dogs are everywhere.
But because of this, sometimes the humble frankfurter can get relegated to the (literal) back burner. Not with these dogs, though! A good hot dog becomes the best hot dog with the addition of smoked chimichurri. Because of its tangy flavor and fresh, herbaceous vibes, this South American cowboy sauce has become one of my go-to ways to level up grilled meats. We also add a smoldering coal from the fire to bring in even more smoke flavor.
Our Ingredients for Grilled Hot Dogs with Chimichurri
The Meat: Your favorite hot dogs, layered with cheddar cheese on the grilled bun and topped with grilled corn.
The Sauce: Our chimichurri boasts chopped parsley, red wine vinegar, garlic cloves, red chili flakes and olive oil.
What’s a skinless hot dog?
Every hot dog is made and then precooked in a casing, which is also called a skin. So, skinless hot dogs have their casings removed after they’ve been precooked. When you boil a hot dog that’s still in the casing, which is often called a natural casing or collagen casing, you often get the snap that some people think of when they think of a juicy hot dog. But when you’re grilling, those casings can become tough. And if you know me, you know that I think grilling is one of the best cook methods for basically everything. For that reason, we go with skinless hot dogs in this grilled hot dog recipe!
How to Make Grilled Hot Dogs with Chimichurri
Our first step will be to make the smoked chimichurri. In a mason jar, stir together 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 4-6 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon red chili flakes and enough olive oil to reach your desired consistency.
Then, add a smoldering coal from your fire — ideally, you want the coal to be white hot. Please do not use a briquette or other charcoal that has been chemically treated in this recipe. Only use high-quality hardwood charcoal.
Cover the jar quickly to encapsulate the smoke, then set it aside to marinate for 20-30 minutes. Once you’ve finished the marinating time, remove the coal.
To grill the hot dogs, preheat your grill to medium heat (about 350 degrees Fahrenheit). Score your 5-6 hot dogs, then place those on the grill grates to cook for 4-5 minutes until they’re warm and have nice grill marks. Pull those dogs off the grill.
Next, add 4 ears of shucked corn to the grill. Cook the corn until the ears have a slight char, about 6-8 minutes (or even 5-7 minutes if you have smaller ears of corn). Once you get those perfect grill marks, remove them from the grill and slice the kernels off the cob.
For the hot dog buns, slather the inside with cooking oil and add them to the grill. Once you’ve toasted the inside a bit, open it up, fill them with your 3 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Then, fold the buns over and cook them slowly with a cover or lid. Let the cheese melt and then remove the buns from the grill.
Add that perfect hot dog to the bun, then scatter corn and chimichurri over the top. Serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Grilled Hot Dogs
Since we often associate hot dogs with grilling season (and rightfully so!), classic BBQ sides are the way to go here. Slaw, fries and onion rings are all great options. When I’m camping, I like to go the potato salad or macaroni salad route.
Leftovers and Reheating
If you’ve got leftover hot dogs, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat, just warm them up on the grill or the stove! Keep the smoked chimichurri in the mason jar and store in the fridge for up to a week.
There are so many different types of hot dogs! What do I choose?
The different varieties of dogs are off the charts! You definitely don’t want to go with the cheapest possible hot dogs, which always hit a note of disappointment for me. I love beef dogs, and Nathan’s and Hebrew National make jumbo dogs with an incredible beefy flavor. You can find these in your local grocery store. Or, you can always stop by your butcher shop for some high-end frankfurters!
What other toppings can I use for these grilled hot dogs?
One of reasons I love hot dogs is because of the different ways you can top them. If you want to make your own hot dog bar, you can go classic with favorite condiments like pickle relish, yellow mustard, barbecue sauce or ketchup (yes, yes, I know ketchup on a dog can be controversial, but I’m not going to be the guy that takes away someone’s favorite condiment). Or you can let your imagination run wild! Try one of these regional varieties. I’ve heard of people going with the most high end condiments you can think of: caviar and potato chips. If you go for it, let me know in the comments!
I’m going camping too! When can I get the new FYR Grill?
Good things take time, right? We expect to ship these grills in the first quarter of 2025! You can find out more info on our Kickstarter page.
Get The Cookbooks!
Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
By Derek Wolf
All the major tastes—salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami—are explored in depth, along with an investigation of other components you should consider when it comes to flavor, such as aroma, heat, and texture.
Our grilled hot dogs with chimichurri recipe takes the humble frankfurter to the next level. Perfect for camping with a crowd!
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American, South American
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 35 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Calories 578kcal
Author Derek Wolf
Ingredients
Hot Dogs:
5-6Hot Dogsskinless
3cupsShredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
4Corn on the Cob
Olive Oilas needed
Hot Dog Buns
Smoked Chimichurri:
½cupParsley chopped
¼cupRed Wine Vinegar
4-6Garlic Clovesminced
1tbspRed Chili Flakes
Olive Oil to desired consistency
Salt to taste
Instructions
Smoked Chimichurri:
Add all the ingredients for the chimichurri to the mason jar along with a smoldering coal from the fire (ideally white hot). Cover quickly to encapsulate the smoke, then set to the side to marinate for 20-30 minutes. Pull out the coal once done.
Hot Dogs:
Preheat your grill to medium high heat (about 350F)
Score your hot dogs, then add to the grill to cook for 4-5 minutes until done. Pull off.
Add your corn to the grill and cook until charred (about 6-8 minutes). Pull off and slice off the cob when done.
Slather the inside of your buns with olive oil and add to the grill. Toast the inside, open up, fill with shredded cheese, fold over and cook slowly with a cover or lid. Let melt, then pull off.
Add your hot dog to the bun along with the corn and chimichurri. Enjoy!
Notes
What’s a Skinless Hot Dog? Every hot dog is made and then precooked in a casing, which is also called a skin. So, skinless hot dogs have their casings removed after they’ve been precooked. When you boil a hot dog that’s still in the casing, which is often called a natural casing or collagen casing, you often get the snap that some people think of when they think of a juicy hot dog. But when you’re grilling, those casings can become tough. And if you know me, you know that I think grilling is one of the best cook methods for basically everything. For that reason, we go with skinless hot dogs in this grilled hot dog recipe!
