Dylan, What’s a “Flo” Dog?
My best friend Shane was the one to introduce me to this style of Hot dog so I’m passing the torch with this article.
If you’re from New England and you’ve never been through Maine (Ogunquit / York), you may not of heard of Flo’s Hot Dogs; Truth be told, if you’re driving fast enough you’ll likely miss it and not realize it.
Flo’s is run out of a small Red shack, is only open for certain hours of the day, and is cash only; Outsiders are likely to scoff at it, locals are likely to rave about it – and they’re known for their hot dogs – you get the gist.
A traditional Flo’s hot dog is steamed (so is the bun), and can be served any number of ways. However, the way to do it is the “House Special” – which features Mayonnaise, Flo’s Relish, and Celery Salt.
Condiments for Hot Dogs
To make my version of Flo’s Hot Dog, you’ll need:
- Flo’s Relish – Click here to purchase (not an affiliate link)
- Mayo
- Celery Salt
- Hot Dog Buns – I used Arnold’s Potato Hot Dog Buns
- Unsalted butter (for the griddle)
Of these ingredients, the only one you’ll struggle to replicate is the Relish.
You can try your best but you’re truly better off just buying it online – which is what I do.
Set Your Griddle to Medium/High Heat
Our goal is to brown the outside of the hot dogs, not burn them or crack the casings.
The reason for this is to preserve the elusive “snap” which provides a textural difference between the soft bun.
Griddle Frying the Hot Dogs
Put down a pat of butter and spread it around.
Then, place your hot dogs on the cook surface. I like to initially move the hot dogs around so that the butter is on the surfaces of the hot dogs. This way the celery salt has something to stick to.
After the butter is on the hot dogs, sprinkle the surface of the hot dogs with some celery salt. You DO NOT need a ton of celery salt to notice the flavor.
After the above, you’re then rotating and moving the hot dogs around so that both sides of the hot dog are browned.
Again, you want to avoid splitting the casings so that the “snap” is preserved for when you bite into it.
Adding Your Condiments to the Hot Dog
Once the hot dogs are done and the buns are toasted you can add your condiments.
- Slather the hot dog bun with some mayo – around 1 tsp.
- Put in your celery salted hot dog.
- Top with flo’s relish.
- Optionally sprinkle on some more celery salt.
There you have it – Hot Dogs cooked on a Griddle – Flo-style.
Hot Dogs on the Blackstone Griddle
Ingredients
- Hot Dogs or use Pork/Beef franks
- 1 Pat Unsalted Butter
- Celery Salt
- Flo's Relish
- Mayonnaise I used Hellmann's
- Hot Dog Buns I used potato buns
Instructions
- Get your griddle up to around medium/high heat.
- Add 1-2 pats of butter to the griddle after it's heated. The amount of butter will really depend on how many hot dogs you're griddle frying.1 Pat Unsalted Butter
- Wait for the butter to start to froth/bubble, then add your hot dogs. Use tongs to move the hot dogs around so they're covered in the unsalted butter.Hot Dogs
- When the hot dogs are covered in butter, sprinkle some celery salt on the hot dogs. Rotate the hot dogs so that you cover both sides.Celery Salt
- Allow both sides of the hot dogs to thoroughly brown.
- When the hot dogs are near done, put some mayonnaise on the inside of your hot dog bun.Hot Dog Buns
- When your hot dogs are browned – takes roughly 5-7 minutes – you can put the hot dog in the bun. Then take your Flo's Relish and put some on top of the hot dog and enjoy!Mayonnaise, Flo's Relish
