FOOTLONG TACO DOG INSPIRED BY BOB'S BURGERS

For the Babish Taco Dog

Place the meat grinding equipment and food processor blade in the freezer for at least 1 hour before using.

Place the steak and bacon on a sheet tray. Freeze the meat for 15-20 minutes or until firm.

Meanwhile, combine the salt, curing salt, and remaining spices in a small bowl. Whisk to combine the mixture.

Grind the frozen meat through the largest setting/plate of the meat grinder. Make sure that for every 4 pieces of chuck/brisket, add 1-2 pieces of suet.

Transfer the ground meat to a bowl and add the spice mixture to the ground meat and fold to incorporate.

Grind the meat mixture, through the smallest setting/plate.

If the mixture is too sticky to work with, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

Add about half of the meat mixture to the bowl of a food processor, along with about half of the ice water and pulse until the farce is sticky and homogeneous. Repeat with the remaining ground meat and water.

Cover the meat and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Soak the sausage casing in warm water for 30 minutes.

Thread the sausage casing onto the meat extruder attachment. Fill the casingings with the cured farce.

Twist the filled sausages into hot dog 12-inch lengths and poke small holes in the casing to prevent any unwanted blowouts. This recipe will make four 12-inch hot dogs.

Transfer the hot dog links to a sheet tray and refrigerate them uncovered for 2 hours.

Preheat the smoker to 175 °F and fill with your desired wood chips/pellets (we used mesquite wood pellets).

Smoke the hot dogs for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 150 °F.

Either grill or pan-sear the hot dogs for 4-5 minutes when ready to serve.

To form the tortillas: preheat the oven to 225 °F. Cut the tortillas into a football shape such that the sides of the taco shell are only 3-4 inches tall. Create a mold out of heavy duty aluminum foil, so that the tortillas may rest over top to form a taco shell (see video for clarification).

Bake the taco shells until crisp, about 30-45 minutes.

Remove the taco shells from the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, add about 2 inches of oil to large roasting pan. Preheat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 °F on the stovetop.

Add the tortilla shells to the oil and fry for 30 secods per side or until golden brown. Transfer the fried shells to a large rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels.

To assemble: Place the griddled or boiled hot dogs into each of the fried taco shells, top with the Hot Dog Chili, and Chunky Cheese Sauce. Serve immediately with a copious amount of napkins.

For the Chunky Cheese Sauce

Melt the processed cheese in a medium sauce pot.

Add the diced tomatoes and green chilies and fold to combine the mixture.

Once the entire sauce is heated through, turn off the heat and fold in the cubed cheddar. The cheddar chunks should not melted entirely.

Serve immediately.

For the Hot Dog Chili

Heat the oil in a medium skillet or dutch oven or medium sauce pot.

Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until well browned, about 8-10 minutes. Make sure to break up any large chunks.

Remove the beef from the skillet along with all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat. Reserve the cooked beef.

Add the onion to the skillet and continue cooking until the onions turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer or until fragrant.

Add the remaining ingredients and the reserved beef back to the skillet and stir to combine.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for 35-45 minutes or until thickened and the flavors have combined. If the sauce becomes too thick, add water until the desired consistency is reached.

Optionally, refrigerate the chili overnight for better flavor development.