Tastefully Tuesday - Deep Fried Bacon Chili Cheese Dogs

BLOG AUTHOR'S WARNING: If you have cholesterol problems, please do not try this at home...or anywhere else.

Being a home school family, we watch a lot of PBS here. Gone are the days of Clifford and Oscar the Grouch, as the old standbys my boys grew up on have been replaced with shows with more substance, like the Antique's Roadshow and documentaries about favorite topics like the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Civil War, or our favorite -- food!

Some time back we caught a PBS special about the country's best hot dogs. The one that stood out to us the most was from a New Jersey diner, Rutt's Hutt. The hot dog is called a ripper and Roadfood.com describes it like this:

The magnificent hot dog served by Rutt's Hut is known as a ripper because its skin tears and crinkles when it is deep fried. The oil bath turns the pork-and-beef link rugged, dark, and chewy on the outside, while the interior remains soft and juicy. With mustard or spicy-sweet relish, this is one of America's great hot dogs.

Sadly, our schedule that weekend didn't allow us time to drive the 4+ hours to Rutt's Hutt, so we temporarily settled for a pan-fried version. When the fireman received a deep fryer as a gift last Christmas, we were thrilled with the idea of being able to finally try this culinary curiosity known as a ripper. However, life got in the way and we didn't get around to actually opening the deep fryer until last week.

Since then we've deep fried everything from fresh-cut fried potatoes, to chicken patties, to corn tortillas to make nachos. Last weekend when we realized we had an entire Sunday where I'd be working from home, we all readily agreed that rippers were a perfect option for dinner. Here's our recipe, with a few handy tips.

Ingredients:

• cooking oil
• hot dogs
• bacon
• hot dog buns (we prefer potato roll style)
• condiments and other hot dog toppings

Directions:

1. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
2. Wrap hot dog with one slice of bacon and secure each end of the bacon with a toothpick.
3. Deep fry until bacon appears done and crispy.
4. Place on roll and add favorite condiments or other toppings.

Mine is topped with American cheese, chili, ketchup, and shredded cheese. In all fairness there is a local restaurant that every Tuesday has $5 rippers, but the ones the fireman makes are without compare better and less expensive. While they may not be any healthier, they sure are tastier!