Why Does Five Guys Always Slice Its Hot Dogs Like That?
While most people head to Five Guys for its burgers, there are just some times you really want a hot dog. Fortunately, Five Guys serves those too, along with a limited non-burger sandwich menu that includes veggie sandwiches and grilled cheese. When you order a hot dog at Five Guys, however, you'll notice something very specific about the way employees cooks the chain's hot dogs — they split a hot dog in half lengthwise, a step known as butterflying. They then cook it on a griddle before placing the hot dog in the bun.
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A 2023 TikTok from the official Five Guys account explains that this cooking method is employed so the hot dogs cook evenly. And with a hot dog that has more surface area touching the hot griddle all at once, there's the added bonus of crisping up more of the food while only having to flip it once during cooking. Besides, if you've ever tried to cook a round hot dog on a flat surface, you also know that this isn't the most efficient way to do it, since you'll have to push the whole thing around a bunch in order to get it to cook evenly. This is clearly a hindrance when you're a cook at a fast-paced counter service restaurant.
The other benefits of butterflying a hot dog
There are other benefits to butterflying a hot dog that don't necessarily involve cooking time. With all that added surface, you can do things like adhere a slice of melted cheese to it; otherwise the cheese would drape over the sides of the uncut version, without portions of it melting very well. Then there's the added cradle for toppings. If you're someone who loves to stack toppings on your hot dogs, imagine how much extra stuff you can pile on the butterflied version, from sauce-based condiments to pickles and veggies (butterflied Chicago-style hot dog, anyone?). Plus, if you're a fan of grilling hot dogs, imagine all the crispy and crunchy charred bits bringing added flavor.
Just at Five Guys, you can choose a pretty wide variety of toppings, too, from raw to grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and slightly less conventional sauce toppings like barbecue, hot sauce, and A1 Sauce. That's a potentially messy dog, but frankly, some of the best food is messy.
Of course, if you're looking for other novel ways to cook hot dogs at home, there's always the spiral cut variety, and if you're looking to get really interesting, you can rock the cute octopus trick. Or if you're feeling particularly wild, our deep-fried Nashville Hot Hot Dog recipe is a next-level move, if you ask us.