My life as a transient chef is fun. One minute, I’m grilling freshly caught coho salmon at a wedding in Sandy, Oregon; the next I’m creating kimchi burgers and hot dogs for Mama O’s 10th anniversary Kimchipalooza
Ingredients
14 cloves garlic (from about 1 head)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup Napa cabbage kimchi
1/2 cup Kewpie mayonnaise (see Recipe Notes)
8 all-beef hot dogs
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 hot dog buns, preferably split-top
Instructions
Heat an outdoor grill for direct, medium-high heat (about 375ºF). Meanwhile, prepare the garlic and hot dogs.
Separate and peel the cloves from 1 head garlic (about 14 cloves). Cut each clove in half lengthwise. Using the side of a knife, pestle, or blunt end of a wooden spoon, lightly smash each garlic piece, but not with too much force that it breaks apart.
Heat 1 cup vegetable in a small saucepan over medium heat until 300ºF. Meanwhile, fit a fine-mesh strainer onto a small heatproof bowl.
Add the garlic to the hot oil and fry, stirring and flipping the pieces occasionally, until they stop sizzling as much and start to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. If the temperature is too high, move the pan off the heat until it comes back down to 300ºF.
Pour through the strainer. Let cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce and kimchi and cut the dogs.
Squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice from the kimchi into a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup Kewpie mayonnaise and stir to combine. Stack 1 cup cabbage kimchi on a cutting board and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside until ready to serve.
Cut “octopus legs” into each end of 8 hot dogs: Starting about 1 inch from one end of a hot dog, cut in half toward the end with the tip of a knife. Roll the hot dog a quarter turn and repeat making a second cut. Cut each “leg” in half again to now make 8 legs. Repeat on the other end of the hot dog.
Sprinkle the fried garlic with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and toss to combine. Reserve the garlic oil for another use.
Place the hot dogs on the grill and grill uncovered until the ends curl outward, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the upper rack of the grill, a cooler spot on the grill, or a baking sheet tented loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Working in batches if needed, place 8 hot dog buns on a cut side (for split-top buns) or cut-side down (for regular) on the grill. Grill uncovered until toasted (flip the split-top buns halfway through to toast both sides), 30 seconds to 2 minutes total.
To assemble, place a hot dog in a bun. Top each with the spicy mayonnaise (about 1 tablespoon), 2 tablespoons sliced kimchi, and 3 or 4 fried garlic pieces.
