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5. Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil. Put the burgers on the grill, cover, and cook for 9 minutes, flipping after about 5 minutes, for medium-done (150°F, slightly pink). Add a minute per side for well-done (160°F).

6. To toast the rolls, put them cut-sides down directly over the fire for the last minute of cooking.

7. If serving the burgers directly from the grill, serve on the rolls. If the burgers will sit, even for a few minutes, keep the rolls and burgers separate until just before eating.

Hot Dogs Stuffed with the Works

You will need large hot dogs (knockwurst or foot-longs, take your choice) to hold all of the filling in this recipe. “The works” means anything and everything you like on a hot dog, so if there’s something that works for you that we haven’t included, bring it on; you can’t mess it up. Whatever you do, the results will be over the top. One word of warning: Don’t wrap the bacon too tightly, or it will break when the hot dogs swell during cooking.

TIMING

Prep: 10 minutes

Grill: 8 minutes

GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• Clean grill screen

• Long-handled tongs

GETTING CREATIVE

• Substitute drained chili for the sauerkraut.

• Replace the hot dog with chorizo, kielbasa, or any other smoked sausage.

* * *

THE GRILL

Gas:

Direct heat, medium-high (425° to 450°F)

Clean, oiled grate

Charcoal:

Direct heat, light ash

12-by-12-inch charcoal bed (about 3 dozen coals)

Clean, oiled grate on lowest setting

Wood:

Direct heat, light ash

12-by-12-inch bed, 3 to 4 inches deep

Clean, oiled grate set 2 inches above the fire

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 6 SERVINGS)

2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 cup refrigerated sauerkraut, drained, rinsed, and coarsely

chopped 4 large hot dogs such as knockwurst

½ ounce Cheddar cheese, cut into 4 small sticks 4 slices bacon

Oil for coating grill screen

4 long hot-dog buns or small sub rolls, split

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the grill as directed.

2. Mix the mustard, ketchup, and sauerkraut in a small bowl.

3. Slit the hot dogs lengthwise, forming a deep pocket end to end in each one. Fill the pockets halfway with the sauerkraut mixture. Put a stick of cheese in the center of each and top with the remaining sauerkraut mixture. Wrap a bacon slice around each hot dog to hold it together, and secure the ends of each bacon strip with wooden toothpicks.

4. Put the grill screen on the grill and coat it with oil. Wait a minute or two, until the surface is hot. Grill the hot dogs until the bacon is cooked through and the hot dogs are browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.

5. To toast the buns, put them cut-sides down directly over the fire for the last minute of cooking. Serve the hot dogs on the buns.

* * *

WHAT’S MUSTARD?

Mustard is a weed that grows wild in practically every region of the world. There are three types of mustard seed, categorized by color. Black mustard is the most pungent, followed by brown mustard, sometimes called Indian mustard, and then white mustard, which is the mildest.

Strong mustards from France and Germany are typically made with black or brown seeds. Yellow American mustard, which is relatively bland in comparison, is a mixture of white seeds and turmeric.

The production of prepared mustards is relatively uncomplicated. The seeds are soaked in water to soften their shells, and then they are ground. The pungency of mustard develops from essential oils in the seeds, which are activated when the ground seeds and soaking water are mixed together. Only then can enzymes present in the seeds activate the oils and create the strong, pungent aroma and flavor that characterize all fine mustards.

If the seeds are heated or exposed to strong acids early in this process, the enzymes will be destroyed and the mustard will lack its characteristic punch. For that reason, the addition of vinegars, wines, sugars, spices, or heat always takes place after the seeds have had a chance to release their oils. For whole seeds,