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Not everyone wants to be stuck behind a grill during the picnic! If you have to cook hot dogs for a crowd, there’s an easy way to do it-in the slow cooker! Crockpot Hot Dogs are a thing, and they are delicious!
It’s summertime and the outdoor grilling season is in full swing. But not everyone wants to be stuck behind a grill during the picnic! If you have to cook hot dogs for a crowd, there’s an easy way to do it!
This is perfect for concession stands at ball games, after-church activities or birthday parties that have you busy doing other things.
The best part is the hot dogs turn out great! They taste just like they’ve been steamed on those special rolling racks you see at hot dog specialty shoppes. Set up a fun table full of creative hot dog toppings and you have your own self-serve hot dog bar without babysitting the grill!
Can you make smaller batches of hot dogs?
Slow cookers work better when they are full (the heat distributes more evenly) so it’s best to either do a large batch of hot dogs or opt for a smaller (3 qt.) Crockpot for cooking.
Won’t the hot dogs fall over as the pot empties out? How do you keep them standing up?
If the slow cooker pot isn’t completely full, just lean to the hot dogs against the walls of the pot. They stand up well, even when there are only a few left!
How long will the hot dogs stay warm?
It takes about 2 hours for them to heat through completely. After that, they will stay warm as long as the Crockpot is plugged in and switched to the “warm” setting. However, once you start opening the lid to serve, it’s hard to keep the heat in, so it’s important to keep it plugged in the whole time.
Hot Dogs for a Crowd
- 60 hot dogs, standard length for a 5 quart crockpot
- Stand the hot dogs up on their ends and cover.
- That’s it. Really. Do NOT add water. This will make them split. They will steam beautifully in their own juices!
Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours. You can leave them on warm once they are heated through and you have hot dogs for a crowd and ready to eat for the entire party!
How easy is that? I wish there was some way to take an electrical outlet to the beach or camping! 🙂 Although, part of the fun of camping is roasting hot dogs. This is just WAY cleaner and you don’t end up with fifteen hot dogs “dropped” in the fire pit.
Don’t forget the toppings! Try this yummy Crockpot Hot Dog Chili or my mom’s famous Zucchini Relish!
If you don’t want to go with the traditional hot dog, you could always try these delicious pretzel dogs!
What about you? Do you cook anything “different” in a slow cooker? Leave a comment and let me know.
This post was updated on 8/1/17
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Sophie says
Thanks for sharing tips about “How to Cook Hot Dogs for a Crowd”, will love to try this one. Thanks for sharing this one.
Rishika says
Its actually very difficult to serve for crowd not only hot dog but any other recipe, btw thanks for sharing this to serve for crowd.
Wendie says
Hi! Excited to do this for my grandson’s first birthday party coming very soon. By “quality” hot dogs, which would you recommend?
Thanks!
Nicole Burkholder says
Aw, congrats on baby’s 1st birthday <3 I would recommend Costco's Hebrew National brand hot dogs. They are nice and thick and all-beef. If you can't get them, Oscar Mayer makes pretty good all beef hot dogs as well. There are also Nathan's hot dogs, but they can get a bit pricey.
Amber says
I have a question for you. I’m looking to have a birthday party at a park. How long will the hotdogs stay warm for in the crockpot once unplugged?
Nicole Burkholder says
As long as it’s closed, it will probably stay warm for a while, but once you open the lid, there’s no way to keep the heat inside anymore. Is there any way to bring an extension cord to the park? Maybe find a random outlet somewhere? 🙂
Mel says
HI, Thank you for the wonderful idea. As people take hotdogs out, the remaining ones are going to fall over. We’re you on top of refilling the crock pot or did you you just stir them up as the stack depleted?
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m sorry to get back to you so late! I was out of town over the weekend and I’m just getting caught up. 🙂 I tried my best to keep the hot dogs leaning to the side so they would stay up as people pulled them out. It wasn’t too much work, and they did stay up as long as they were leaning to one side or the other.
Tia Suter says
Does it matter if you use skinless hotdogs or not?
Nicole Burkholder says
I honestly have no idea, since I didn’t realize there was a difference! I’ve never had the skinless dogs, I guess. They seem to be more expensive and for a kids’ party, I’m all about saving money 😀 I asked a few friends who might know, so I’ll respond when I hear back from them. I’m assuming that the ball park/Oscar Meyer hot dogs we buy have casings, so that’s what I’m giving instructions for in the post.
Nancy says
I have a question. Does the ends of the hot dogs touching the bottom of the crockpot get hard, crunchy, browned, or stick to the bottom? I read if the lay on their side and don’t get ‘stirred’ its not good. You’ve said several times it works perfectly, but I still needed to ask for reassurance. Hot dogs are going to be a main part of my son’s graduation party. Thanks!
Nicole Burkholder says
They really will be fine 🙂 As they plump and juice up, they release a little fat that seems to keep things nice and steamy in the cooker. However, I did notice the last time that I made these, the cheaper hot dogs can get dried out after several hours (especially if they fall over onto their sides.)
If you get better quality hot dogs and keep them upright (and on low) you should be just fine. Lots of people have commented here and on Pinterest about how well it worked for them.
Congratulations to your son!
Nancy says
Nicole,
First, thanks! We had our grad party Friday and just as you assured me, they turned out great! I even messed up a little and accidentally bought bun length. We used Nathan’s skinless beef hot dogs. I just sort of leaned them a little so the lid fit on. I fit 72 in my oval crockpot. I worried about how to keep them on end as they were eaten and figured I’d stuff foil in there to keep them standing. But they just leaned over a little more and were fine. Party started at 6:30 and I ate a hot dog at midnight and it was still perfect! This might be the best tip I have ever used! Thanks again!
Nicole Burkholder says
Thank you so much for coming back to let us know how it went! I’m glad you didn’t have to mess with keeping them upright. They seem to be fine just leaning a bit 🙂 Congratulations again!
Valerie says
I’m so excited about trying this for my son’s birthday party next Saturday! This is a genius way to save time and focus on getting the place decorated!
Shannon says
Do you ever add chili and/or cheese into the crockpot with the dogs?
Nicole Burkholder says
No, because you are cooking them standing up on their ends, so that would be a bit of a mess. You could very easily have a second crock going with chili for topping, though!
Sarah says
Hi. When you say standard hot dogs, that means not the bun length, correct?
Nicole Burkholder says
Yes. As you might be able to see in the picture, the standard size comes right up to the top of the crock insert. I suppose that probably depends on the size/shape of your slow cooker, though.
Meg says
Can you do tjis in a smaller batch? Like 20 or so?
Nicole Burkholder says
You can, but if you have a smaller crock that would be better. A slow cooker heats best and most evenly when almost full.
Ivy says
Does this work for frozen hotdogs?
Nicole Burkholder says
I don’t see why not! It would just increase the initial cooking time to get them thawed and warmed through. Basically this is just an easy way to keep them warm without drying them out. Let us know how it works!
Fran Mills says
Thank you! We used your method of doing the wieners in the crockpot for our weekend volunteer concession stand at a local annual garage sale. It took about 2 hours on high to get them hot as you said. Once we started selling hotdogs and needed to reload, I put the wieners right out of the fridge into the microwave for 2 minutes per dozen then into the crock pot. We added another step by putting ours onto the BBQ grill for 30 seconds to give them a little colour. It was a total success and we got through 144 wieners between 8am and 1230,pm! FYI we improvised a steam tray for the buns by putting the buns in a roast pan with a wire cooling rack in the bottom. Added a 1/4 cut of water to the bottom, loaded it with fresh hotdog buns, put a lid on it and set it on an electric hot tray. The buns were soft and warm and our customers were very happy! Easiest hot dog sales event ever! High five…????
Nicole Burkholder says
That is a genius tip for the hot dog buns!!! I love it. And tossing them on the grill for a few seconds is a great way to get that color/flavor without having to stand over them and roll them for hours! 🙂 Congratulations on a successful even and thanks for coming back to share the details!
Tracy H says
Followed this recipe exactly for a get together tonight and was so embarrassed! The ones on the bottom were CRUNCHY and burned. Looking at similar recipes, it either DOES need water or a SIGNIFICANT reduction in cooking time. I wish I could post a picture of the devastation at the bottom of my crock… So disappointing! : /
Nicole Burkholder says
The ones on the bottom? Do you mean the ends touching the bottom? Because they should be standing up on end as shown in the photo, not stacked on top of each other for best results. (I don’t know if that’s how you did it, I’m just trying to clarify.) I’m sorry to hear they didn’t turn out for you. We use this trick all the time and haven’t had any issues. That said, some slow cookers do cook a lot hotter than others. Also, a completely full cooker will heat more evenly than one that’s only partly filled. Again, I don’t know how you had yours set up- just trying to troubleshoot for you. Sorry to hear it wasn’t successful 🙁
Nicole Burkholder says
You know, after rereading the post, I realized that I didn’t clarify that the hot dogs should be up on end for the best results. I have done a smaller batch before where they weren’t standing up, but I “stirred” them a few times to keep the cooking/heating even. I appreciate your comment, because it made me go back to read the post and clarify the instructions for others. I’m sorry you had the be the one to discover my mistake. 🙁 Thanks for letting me know!
Amy says
quick question – do you pierce them a bit to allow the heat to escape, like you would if you were microwaving them? i’m hoping to try this…
Nicole Burkholder says
No. They plump up and steam without it. 🙂 It doesn’t get any easier!
Jen says
What a fantastic idea! I have never seen this before! I love how easy this is and I am sure they taste super juicy!
Nicole Burkholder says
I was surprised at how well they turned out. They really do taste like the ones cooked on those rollers in the shops 🙂