How to Cook Hot Dogs in a Crock Pot (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to cook hot dogs in a crock pot? ›

Use the lid to cover the hot dogs, and cook them on high for 1-2 hours, or on low for 3-4 hours. 3. Once the hot dogs are cooked, switch the Crock-Pot to “warm” to avoid overcooking.

Open the package(s) of hot dogs and place them in the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 3-4 hours. Then turn to the WARM setting while serving. There's no need to add water!

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add 1 hot dog. Boil uncovered for 4 to 6 minutes, until the hot dog has plumped up on all sides. Remove with tongs and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.

I have cooked as little as 8 and as up to 48 at once. If you stand the hot dogs up vertically, a medium-size slow cooker (3.5 to 4-quart) should hold up to 48 regular length. A 6-quart appliance should hold up to 64. If you lay them down horizontal, obviously less will fit in the appliance.

Perfect for game day, tail gates etc. Assemble hot dogs in buns then wrap in foil. Sandwiches too. Set crock pot on low.

Keeping the hot dogs warm:

Turn the slow cooker to warm after the cooking time is up. They can keep for up to 3 hours on the warm setting.

Heat lamps: These are a very simple piece of equipment to keep food warm. These may not hold food as long as other options and still leave you with a quality hot dog. But, if your hot dogs aren't sitting and waiting long due to lots of customers, heat lamps work fine and you can set them up wherever you have an outlet.

If you pan grill or fry the hot dogs ahead, wrap them in foil, and then stick them all into a cooler, it becomes a traveling warming oven, and works exactly as you would hope – to keep your hot dogs hot!

How do hot dog vendors cook their hotdogs? ›

Street hot dogs are boiled. This works for two reasons: it's both low-effort and impossible to screw up. However, to avoid overcooking, street dogs are stored in less-than boiling water. In the biz, this is known as “hot holding.” This is an easy way to keep food ready-to-serve over a long period of time.

So how can you tell when they're done? Hot dogs are ready when they reach an internal temperature of at least 140°F. It's always a good idea to keep an instant-read thermometer close by when grilling.

Before being consumed, hot dogs should reach an internal temperature of at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit, says Coleman Natural Foods. Another general rule for if a hot dog is cooked is to check its texture. Fully cooked hot dogs will have wrinkly skin and will become darker in color.

To keep hot dogs warm for a party, there are several methods you can try. One option is to keep the hot dogs in a slow cooker using a “warm” or “low” setting, which will keep them at a consistent temperature without overcooking them.

Equipment and Ingredients

Serious hot pot enthusiasts might also want to consider investing in a hot pot-specific vessel that's made for this purpose. If you don't have a heating plate, you can also opt to use a crockpot (more on that method later).

Most slow cookers have two slow cooker temperature settings. The 'Low' cook setting reaches temperatures between 164-182°F (reaching a peak of around 205°F after 4 hours). Wondering what temperature is 'High' on a Crockpot slow cooker? The 'High' cook setting tops off at around 205°F after cooking for 4 hours.