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Not Dogs

Not Dogs

So about five years ago my sister took me to this amazing restaurant in NYC called Dirt Candy. Amanda Cohen, who attended the same culinary school I did, was the owner and never in my life have I been so in awe of someone’s cooking abilities. This amazing chef did things with vegetables that no one could ever fathom. One of the things we enjoyed was a broccoli dog. She somehow took a stalk of broccoli and smoked it and I kid you not it tasted like the best vegetarian “hot dog” I ever had. I got her cook book, ordered a smoker and started making broccoli dogs. BUT I wanted something that looked more like a hot dog because could you imagine the snickers from peers if your kid was eating broccoli on a bun. I roasted and then smoked carrots and they too were delicious and looked more the part. BUT it was an awful lot of work EVERY TIME we had a BBQ. THEN I went to the Fancy Food Fest with Sarah Chamberlin last summer and talked with these wonderful guys at Preservation & Company. They made pickled smoky Brussel sprouts that were AMAZING. I started obsessing as I am known to do and then started fiddling. I apologize for the huge list of spices but once you make these babies, they stay in the fridge for months on end and then you just plop them on the grill. These have LOADS of flavor so for the younger kids, cut the spices in half.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 10 carrot dog
Course: Dinner, Entrees
Calories: 37.9
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 37.9kcalProtein: 0.627gPhe: 18.8mgPKU Exchanges: 1.25exch

Ingredients
  

Primary Ingredient Group
  • 10 Raw Carrots peeled and cut down and shaped to resemble hot dog, each weighing about 55g each after shaping
Brine
  • 3/4 cup Water
  • 2 tablespoons Onion juice From 1/4 onion
  • 2 tablespoons Beet juice from 1 beet
  • 3/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Mustard Seed
  • 1 teaspoon Celery Seed
  • 1 tablespoon White pepper seed
  • 1 teaspoon Coriander Seed
  • 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon Mace
  • 1 teaspoon Worchestershire Sauce
  • 6 Garlic rough minced
  • 1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke
  • 2 teaspoons Sriacha
  • 2 tablespoons Bragg's Coconut Aminos

Method
 

  1. Place a quart sized mason jar and lid in boiling water to sterilize.
  2. Blanch the shaped carrots in a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water for 7 to 10 minutes. You want them a little tender, but not super soft or mushy. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.
  3. In a small pot, bring the water, beet juice, onion juice and vinegar to a boil, stirring occasionally.
  4. Reduce to a simmer. Add the salt, mustard seed, white pepper seed, coriander seed and celery seed and stir the ingredients.
  5. Turn the heat off and add the liquid smoke, smoked paprika, mace, sriracha, coconut aminos and Worcestershire sauce. Stir.
  6. Add the rough chopped garlic to the bottom of the mason jar. Add in the carrot dogs.
  7. Pour the brine over the carrots. Allow to cool slightly uncovered. Once it is cool enough to handle, put the lid on the jar and shake. If there is not enough liquid to fill the mason jar, add equal amounts of additional water and vinegar.
  8. Place in the fridge for at least one week. The longer they sit in the brine, the more flavorful they become.
  9. To serve: lightly brush carrot with olive oil and put on the grill for 5 minutes to heat up and get those lovely grill marks. Serve on a low protein bun with relish and mustard and a side of Faked beans.

Notes

If you do not have a juicer, just grate the onions, place on a cheese cloth and squeeze the liquid out. Same with the beets, but wear a glove because those suckers stain. You can also just use the beet brine from pickled beets -- we are looking for the color.
Reader Q&A:
Q: Could these be canned? A: I have never canned before but think you could for this recipe.
Q: Can you recycle the brine and just add more carrots to it? A: Yes, but reheat it first.
Q: could you omit the mace and liquid smoke and still have a tasty outcome? A: Will be fine without the mace. Liquid smoke pretty important for flavor. -- Brenda
Q: What purpose(s) does the beet juice serve? What if it is omitted? A: It's primary purpose is that it colors the carrot so that it is closer to that of a typical hotdog.
Q: How long past a week can the carrots stay in the brine? A: I have used them 6 months later without a problem

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