Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Hot Dogs

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 4 large hot dogs, knockwurst, or kielbasa
• 1/2 ounce cheddar cheese, cut into long sticks
• 2 tablespoons chopped onions
• 1 cup prepared sauerkraut, drained, roughly chopped
• 4 slices bacon
• Vegetable oil
• 4 long hot dog buns

Directions

1. Set up your grill for direct cooking over medium high heat. Stir the ketchup and mustard together in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the sauerkraut and chopped onion, then put that aside.
2. Cut each hot dog lengthwise through the middle to make a deep pocket, stopping before you slice all the way through.
3. Spread the mustard and ketchup mixture inside each hot dog. Nestle a cheese strip down into each pocket, then add the sauerkraut and onion mixture on top.
4. Use the sauerkraut mixture to cover the cheese at the ends, too, so the cheese is fully tucked in and not left uncovered where it can melt out as it cooks.
5. Wind one slice of bacon around each filled hot dog, then fasten it with toothpicks at both ends.
6. Wrap firmly enough to hold everything together, but leave a little room for the hot dog to swell as it cooks so the bacon does not split.
7. Oil the grill grates with vegetable oil to help prevent sticking. If using a grill screen, oil it first as well, then let it heat on the grill for a couple of minutes.
8. Arrange the stuffed hot dogs on the grill with the filled side facing down. Cook for 2 minutes, until the bacon on that side has started to cook, then rotate each hot dog a quarter turn and cook for a couple more minutes.
9. Keep cooking, turning so each side gets a few minutes on the heat, until the bacon is cooked through. Close the grill between turns to help everything cook evenly.
10. In the last minute of cooking, split the hot dog buns open and set them cut side down on the grill until lightly toasted.
11. Take the hot dogs and buns off the grill. Pull out the toothpicks, tuck the hot dogs into the buns, and serve.