Pronto Pups

One of my most shameful food cravings is corndogs and Pronto Pups. I don’t remember when my desire for these truly began, but it’s been ongoing for years and years. Decades, even. And across three countries.

After trying just about every brand of corndogs/Pups on Earth, I decided to try making my own.

• A mistake? Maybe.
• A food bucket-list item checked off? Yes.
• Would I make them again? Probably not.
• Would my doctor consider literally killing me if he knew how many ‘dogs I ate? He’d have every right to, and no jury would convict him.

Many people (ok, not really that many) don’t understand the difference between Pronto Pups and corndogs. I hadn’t either, until I read a comprehensive article about them. It’s actually an interesting read. Here’s a great excerpt:

     Every Pronto Pup is a corn dog, but not every corn dog is a Pronto Pup.

Huh? What this really means is that Pronto Pups use a pancake-type batter [with a little cornmeal], and corndogs use a cornbread batter. Corndogs are a bit sweet, and Pronto Pups don’t have the sweetness. But each type is soooo good.

This diagram shows the crucial relationship between Pronto Pups and corndogs.

Looking at a hotdog with a stick jammed into the end and encased in batter, you’d likely think they’re easy to make. Not so. Getting the batter to stick to the hotdog can be a bit tough. I learned quickly that hotdogs out of the package can have moisture on them (gross, but true), which needs to be dried off for the batter to stick properly.

Made a “Panko Dog.” Don’t waste your time.

Cooking them is also challenging. If using a home deep fryer, the batter will stick to the bottom of the basket and basically glue the Pup to the bottom. I partially fixed this by removing the basket and just dumping the pup directly into the oil. If making them again, I’d dip the hotdogs in the batter, freeze them, and then cook them. They’d have a flat spot on one side, but it’s better than this:

The result of the Pronto Pup gluing itself to the bottom of the deep-fry basket

The recipe is based on this blog post. But if I ever make them again, I’d use a different recipe (not to dis the blogger who came up with this).

What you’ll need:

• 3/4 cup + 2T flour
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 3T sugar
• 1t salt
• 1t baking powder
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup, + 3T milk
• oil for frying
• hot dogs (I used thick ones. Bad idea. Too much dog, not enough batter.)
• wooden skewers

I wonder how these would taste with butcher-quality hotdogs or Chinese-style sausages, etc. Or Slim Jims, even.

What to do:

Soak the skewers in water for 15+ minutes.

Combine flour(s), salt, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. In a different bowl, whisk the egg and milk—egg first, then add the milk. Gradually stir the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix well. The result should be similar to thick pancake batter.

Heat the oil to 375° or hotter, if possible.

Pour the batter into a very shallow bowl or high-rimmed plate.

Skewer the dogs and coat with batter—the dogs should be completely dry to facilitate the batter sticking to them.

Fry until golden, about 2-3 minutes, but don’t just time them, keep an eye on those pups.

Thoroughly enjoy!

You can almost see the delicious shamefulness.