It’s prime grilling season and there’s no better excuse to experiment with unusual and epicurean toppings. Experimenting can also lead to some grave mistakes, so it is essential to take into account the flavor profile of the main ingredient, the grilled sausage itself. The gourmet hot dog is having a moment right now. Riffs on the classic Chicago dog (celery salt, onions, relish, mustard, pickles, tomatoes), New York dog (spicy brown mustard, sauerkraut), even the LA dog (served with a side of a potential celebrity sightings) can be found in fine dining restaurants across the country.
The challenge? How to serve up phenomenally unique, gourmet sausage toppings at your next cookout while making sure the meat itself remains the shining star. So we've picked some of our favorite sausages and some delectable suggested toppings. Recreate them or take them as a starting point and just go for it!
This tasty link is made with some of the freshest venison meat in New Zealand. Smoked venison is heady and rich and the port wine adds depth and a hint of sweetness. While grilling the sausage, throw on some radicchio. Radicchio is cultivated leaf of chicory with a surprising bitterness to it. Make sure not to grill it into submission so it still has some crunch. Pile it on top of the sausage, add a dash of balsamic (this will complement the wine’s sweetness, you just don’t want too much) and allow some blue cheese crumbles to melt on top and dig in! Just make sure not to stain your shirt with the vinegar!
Chicago Style Summer: Wagyu Beef Hot Dogs Bean-Town Style
Wagyu beef is some of the best beef around. When you have these hot dogs in your possession, you don’t want to mess with them too much. They taste amazing with a play on the classic Chicago dog toppings. Use a poppy seed bun, lightly grilled, and add tomatoes, celery salt, and yellow mustard. Make your own relish. Combine bread and butter pickles in a bowl with pickled cherry tomatoes and add a little sugar. This homemade touch will really take things up a notch.
Bison Sausage With Chipotle Chilies Cools Down With Guacamole
A no-brainer: Mixed with beef, and bacon, this lean bison sausages heat is turned up to eleven with the addition of spicy chipotle chilies. And what goes better with this smoky heat than avocado? How to: Mash avocados with some cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and a little garlic powder. Set the sausage in a grilled brioche bun and slather on the guacamole. Add a bit of crema, crumbled queso fresco, and chopped tomatoes. While you’re at it, you might as well fry up some bacon and add it on top too!
Pesto Pairs Perfectly with Italian Style Lamb Sausages
This succulent lamb sausage is flavored nicely with a bit of Italian spices and tastes amazing right off the grill. Pesto can be made with any leafy green. For such a flavorful grilled sausage, arugula pesto is a nice choice. It is a little less biting than basil. Mix up the arugula, pine nuts (or any kind of nut), garlic, parmesan cheese, and oil in the food processor. Wrap the sausage in a slice of mozzarella right off the grill and slather on the pesto and top with roasted red peppers. You can buy these in a jar or make your own.
Wild Boar Bratwurst With A Side of Freshness
Wild boar is surprisingly nutty and sweet. The slight licorice flavor of fennel works wonders with the intense game flavor of this bratwurst. Slice fennel thinly, mix with some lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to create a fennel salad topping. Place on gourmet brioche buns and add the fennel salad, some pickled onions, and a healthy squirt of dijon mustard. The brightness of these gourmet sausage toppings will really make the wild boar sing (or snort).