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Frank Surprise
Parboil frankfurters. Split and spread with mustard. Put in each frank a thin slice of dill pickle, roll in bacon strip, fasten with toothpick and broil, broil, broil.
Of course, all the hot dogs you meet on the road aren't housebroken like this one. And there's even more surprise when it comes to:
A bacon-wrapped, pickle-stuffed frankfurter from the era when nearly every outdoor cookbook assumed a wood or charcoal fire and an adjustable grill rack. The whole thing hinges on getting the bacon crisp without scorching the split frank.
- ParboilingCommercial frankfurters of this sort were generally sold already cooked, so the parboil mainly heats and plumps them before splitting. A couple of minutes in barely simmering water is enough; a hard boil can burst the casing.
- Broil, broil, broilBest read as sustained broiling rather than a quick blast at maximum heat. Bacon needs roughly 8-12 minutes to crisp, turning often; under a home broiler the second rack position, or a grill rack a few inches above coals burned down to grey ash, gives more control.
- The bacon is the timerAssuming the frankfurters are the usual pre-cooked kind, the bacon's doneness is the only thing left to judge. Regular-cut bacon suits this better than thick-cut, which will still be flabby by the time the frankfurter has dried out.
- ToothpicksSoak wooden picks in water for 20 minutes first, or they char through and the roll unwinds over the fire. Two picks, one at each end, hold better than one in the middle. Count them out and count them back before serving.
- PickleDill spears sliced lengthwise, thin, and blotted dry. A wet slice steams inside the frank and loosens the bacon wrap.
- MustardPrepared yellow mustard is the likeliest reading, though the book says only 'mustard'. Spread it thinly in the split — a heavy hand runs out over the bacon and burns.
- YieldNo quantity is given. Figure one frankfurter, one bacon strip and one pickle spear per person as an appetiser, two or three each as a meal, with buns alongside.