One of the best hostesses I’ve ever known was our next-door neighbor while I was growing up. Becky Rawlins seemed to be able to host a handful of friends or a few dozen guests without batting an eye. She did flowers, cooked like a pro, and was even known to keep her house scented to perfection thanks to spritzing rooms with her favorite perfume. She made a recipe very similar to this one countless times. When she hosted our youth group at church for Sunday suppers, these were always on the menu. Make the sauce ahead and even slit the hot dogs in advance. Assemble and bake before serving.

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Fancy Hot Dogs

Makes: 8 - 10 servings

Ingredients

1 TBSP unsalted butter
1 sweet onion, diced (about 1 cup)
½ Cup ketchup
⅓ Cup apple cider vinegar
3 TBSP light brown sugar
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp hot sauce
2 (12-ounce) packs bun-length beef franks (I use Hebrew National)
14 hot dog buns

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium. Add the onions, and cook until soft, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add the ketchup and next 7 ingredients. Stir to combine. Remove from the heat.
Cut a small slit down the length of each hot dog (about 4 inches long). Place the hot dogs, slit sides up, in the skillet and spoon the sauce over to coat all the hot dogs. Bake at 350˚F for 20 minutes, basting three times.
Serve the hot dogs in the buns with the extra sauce spooned over.