Francheezie Retro Hot Dog

The Deep-Fried Francheezie

If you’re from Chicago, or the Midwest then you’ve probably tried, or at least heard of a hot dog called a “Francheezie.” Some people say that the Francheezie originated in Chicago. A Francheezie is a jumbo all beef hot dog that has been split up the middle, stuffed with cheddar cheese, wrapped in bacon, secured with toothpicks and dropped into a deep fryer. The francheezie is cooked to golden perfection and then served with mustard, or ketchup.

Cheese Stuffed Hot Dog wrapped in Bacon

My mom never had a deep fryer and had to use the broiler. The only problem was that often the cheese would melt and ooze out before the bacon was cooked. It didn’t matter, they were good anyway.

Francheezie out of the broiler

One day I got to thinking about my mom and got a craving for a Francheezie. I still don’t have a fryer and my Moms method just wouldn’t produce the result that I was looking for, so I just had to reinvent the Francheezie. Then all of a sudden it struck me... "Francheezie en croûte." Why didn't I think  of that before?

All Beef Hot Dogs and Cheddar Cheese

The first thing that I'm going to need is the hot dogs. Being from Chicago I will use a Vienna, or Nathan's brand hot dog. I will also need a good quality cheddar cheese (American cheese won't work here). You can use any cheese that you like. I used cheddar and Swiss for mine. I'm going to need a good quality hickory or Apple wood smoked bacon. Finally, I'm going to need some puff pastry dough sheets (any brand will do). 

The first step is to fry some bacon, drain it, chop it and set it to the side. The next step is to split the hot dogs deep enough that you can open them without cutting through. The next step is to cut some cheese pieces about 1/4" x 1/4" and the length, or half the length of the hot dog. 

Keep cheese cold until ready to use

Grill both sides of the hot dog

The next step is to grill bot sides of the split hot dog. Once grilled, remove them from the pan and set to the side until ready to assemble. When ready put some of the chopped bacon on the inside of each hot dog, followed by the cheese logs that you have cut. Roll these prepared hot dogs in plastic wrap for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator. 

Prepared hot dogs wrapped in plastic

While the hot dogs are chilling roll out the puff pastry dough using a little bit of flour. Using the tines of a fork poke holes in the dough (docking) to avoid air bubbles when baking.

Roll out puff pastry dough

 The next step is to prepare an egg wash to seal the dough around the hot dog and to give it that shiny,  golden brown color. To prepare an egg wash just mix together 1 tablespoon of water and one whole egg yolk. Set this to the side until ready to use.

Place prepared hot dog on puff pastry dough

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Once the hot dog is in place on the puff dough, brush the egg wash around it. Roll up the dough around the hot dog, tucking in the sides as you roll.  When finished rolling place the rolled hot dog seam side down on the baking sheet. Brush the egg wash all around the dough. 

Egg washed hot dogs

Using any left-over scraps of dough you may decorate the hot dog any way that you like. 

Ready for oven

Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the sheet into the oven. Bake until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve. 

Francheezie out of the oven

Let's serve them up. What would go good with a Francheezie en croûte? French fries, cottage cheese and a pepperoncini.

Do you want a bite?

I think that my mother would have loved this version of the francheezie.       

 © TMelle 2012