This is the Ultimate King of MANdogs. Named after one of the greatest sports legends of all time, Babe Ruth, this hot hog features everything the Bambino loved in a hot dog- mustard, sauerkraut, onions, and relish. And if that’s not enough, we marinate the sauerkraut and hot dogs for 24 hours in a classic American beer. It’s a bigger-than-life hot dog for a bigger-than-life sportsman.
Not only did The Babe slug 714 career home runs while being over-weight, he was also able to do so under the influence of alcohol and lack of sleep. Imagine what kind of stats he would've been able to put up if he had taken better care of himself and maintained a better diet. It’s miraculous that he played so consistently and phenomenally for many years. Fans would boast that he “did it on hot dogs and beer” and not by using steroids or any other type of performance enhancing drugs.
Legend says Babe Ruth loved hot dogs so much that he went on a crazed hot dog eating binge one afternoon in April 1925. The Babe reportedly gorged himself on somewhere between twelve and eighteen hot dogs before finally blacking out. He was admitted to St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York, undergoing surgery for an intestinal abscess. New York newspaper journalists called his illness “The Bellyache Heard Round the World.” Of course, we don’t recommend eating eighteen hot dogs at one time, but if you wanted to consume one Ruthian-sized hot dog, The Bambino is a Grand Slam!
Typically, I would use a dark stout beer like Guinness when marinating meat. However, as a tip of the hat to The Babe, I use a classic lager from our oldest American breweries, such as Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life, or Budweiser. The Babe’s favorite beer was Blatz which was produced by the Valentin Blatz Brewing Company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin until 1959 when the label was sold to Pabst Brewing Company. Blatz beer is currently produced by the Miller Brewing Company of Milwaukee, under contract for Pabst Brewing Company. If you want to get as close to Blatz recipe, I recommend using Pabst Blue Ribbon beer or Miller High Life.
Two 12 oz. bottles of preferred beer (see my recommendations in description above)
8 oz yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 TBSN Worcestershire sauce
Sweet Relish
Preferred mustard (recommend Spicy Beer Mustard- click here for recipe)
8 preferred hot dogs (recommend Ball Park 100% Beef Franks or 1/4 lb steak dogs from Goldbelly.com)
8 preferred hot dog buns (Keto diets use low carb option. Gluten-free use GF option)
12 oz. canned sauerkraut
4 TBSN preferred butter
Large Ziplock bag, Large sauce pan with lid, cooking spoon, tongs, colander, measuring cup. Preheat BBQ grill.
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 3-10 min on stovetop and grill
Ready: 20 min
Serves: 8 hot dogs
Before you handle any food, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Clean your kitchen work area and pull back your hair or wear a cap. You want to avoid contaminating your meal with harmful bacteria that could cause food illness.
To make The Bambino MANdog:
1. Cut several thin diagonal slits down the length of the hot dogs about 1/4” deep. Do not cut deeper than that.
2. Add hot dogs, sauerkraut, onions, Worcestershire sauce, and beer to a large Ziplock bag.
3. Allow hot dogs to marinade in beer mixture for 24 hours.
4. Drain marinade from hot dogs, sauerkraut, and onions using a colander and large bowl.
5. Melt butter in large saucepan on high heat, then add one cup of the remaining beer mixture to a large sauce pan. Stir to mix and heat to boil. Add onions and sauerkraut mixture.
6. Using tongs, add hot dogs one at-a time. Cover pan and boil hot dogs for 3 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking. 7. Remove hot dogs from pan onto paper towel.
8. Drain sauerkraut and onions into the same colander/mixing bowl. Save one cup of the beer butter marinade if you wish to brush marinade on hot dogs during grilling. Discard the rest.
9. Ready to serve if desired. Or save beer/butter mixture If you want to add grill marks to your MANdogs: 10. Spray the cold grates of your grill with cooking spray. 11. Preheat a gas grill on high. For a charcoal grill, preheat until the charcoal is covered with a white ash. Once the grill is heated, reduce the heat to medium for standard beef franks and to medium/low for beef franks with lower fat content.
12. Reduce heat to low and place hot dogs onto the grill using grill tongs and position the franks perpendicular to your grill gates. This will ensure that your franks get the best grill marks possible.
13. Using grill tongs, roll your beef to grill other side of your frank for about two minutes on each side. Brush marinade on each side. Don’t worry if you turn them too much to avoid burning.
14. After 4-5 minutes, remove hot dogs from grill. Brush off any burnt ash from grill.
15. Layer sauerkraut and onion mixture on top of open bun. Drizzle beer mustard on top of sauerkraut. Place frank on bed of sauerkraut and top with a stripe of sweet relish. Serve immediately.
1 serving: 110 calories, 6g fat (2g saturated fat), 200mg cholesterol, 190mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 0 fiber), 11g protein.
Although hot dogs are a popular summer food, they are not recommended by health professionals due to its low nutrition levels and process of meat. A typical beef hot dog contains 204 calories and 18 g of total fat and 620 g of sodium — and this is before condiments are added. Consuming too many hot dogs over a long period of time may increase health risks like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity.
Rosé, Pinot Blanc and Sangiovese.
Side Dish pairing:Macaroni and Beer Cheese, Beer-Soaked Bacon & Cheddar Steak Fries, Southern Beer Boiled Peanuts.
Veggie Bambino
Use Vegan hot dog alternatives and your favorite veggies for toppings.
Bambino Brats
Follow same recipe and replace hot dogs with bratwurst sausages.
Kick the GLUTS and use gluten-free buns or lose the bun altogether and go with the Bambino MANdog Bowl.
Reduce the carbs by using turkey or chicken franks.
Pump up the protein by using 100% beef franks instead of pork.