Bacon Wrapped Dogs

Apr 30, 2025 • Tom Jackson

Ignite your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill and create Bacon Wrapped Dogs that turn ordinary hot-dog night into a gourmet cookout. Jalapeño cheddar sausages are swaddled in two layers of crispy bacon, then sizzled on the cast-iron griddle until the fat renders and the edges crackle. While they cook, sweet onions caramelize in roasted-garlic olive oil and a dash of Worcestershire, adding a savory layer that pairs perfectly with the tangy pickle-studded special sauce. A quick steam on the grill softens the buns so every bite stays pillowy, yet sturdy enough to hold the smoky sausage, onions, and a final snowfall of blue-cheese crumbles. From backyard tailgates to weeknight dinners, this Bacon Wrapped Dogs recipe brings bold jalapeño heat, creamy cheese, and irresistible bacon crunch in just about 30 minutes.

What You'll Love

Two slices of bacon per sausage, not one. One slice wrapped on a round sausage gives you one crispy side and one side that stays soft where it overlaps itself. Two slices, spiraled and pinned, means the bacon covers the entire circumference of the sausage and crisps on every surface when you rotate it on the griddle. The double wrap also insulates the jalapeño cheddar sausage so it finishes cooking from the inside out rather than drying out against the hot griddle.
The special sauce is doing more than dressing. Duke's mayo, minced Holmes Made spicy dill pickles, Colonial Chile Crunch, and Kozlik's Triple Crunch Mustard — that's fat, acid, heat, and texture in one spoonful. Spread on the bottom bun before everything else goes on, it soaks slightly into the steamed bun and becomes part of the structure rather than a topping that slides out with the first bite.
The onions go on before the sausage, not after. Caramelizing the sliced sweet onion in roasted garlic olive oil with a dash of Worcestershire takes about 10 minutes and happens while the griddle preheats — by the time the bacon-wrapped sausages are ready to cook, the onions are already done and staying warm. Positioning the onions under the sausage in the bun keeps them from falling out and lets the sausage's heat continue to soften them as you build.
Steaming the buns is the last step for a reason. Wrapping the buns in damp paper towels and steaming them in a foil pan on the grill for just a few minutes while the sausages finish means they're warm, pillowy, and pliable at exactly the moment you build — not 10 minutes before, when they'd cool down and stiffen back up. Timing the bun steam to coincide with the sausages hitting 160°F keeps every component of the dog at the right temperature and texture simultaneously.

Bacon Wrapped Dogs

Chef Tom Jackson

Rated 5.0 stars by 3 users

Cuisine

American

Servings

4

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Calories

730

Smoky bacon, spicy jalapeño cheddar sausages, and a zesty dill-pickle mayo sauce make these Bacon Wrapped Dogs the undisputed star of any cookout. Ready fast on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill, they deliver crowd-pleasing flavor in every juicy, bacon-crisp bite.

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Ingredients

Dogs:

4 jalapeño cheddar sausages (or other, of your choice)
8 slices bacon
4 hotdog buns
2 oz blue cheese crumbles

Special Sauce:

1/4 cup Dukes mayonnaise
1/4 cup Holmes Made Dad’s Spicy Dill Pickles, minced
1 tbsp Colonial Chile Crunch
1 tbsp Kozlik’s Triple Crunch Mustard

Onions:

2 tbsp Texas Olive Ranch Roasted Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium sweet onion, sliced thin
Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt
1 tbsp Bear & Burton’s W Sauce (Worcestershire)

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Directions

Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 400ºF, set up for indirect grilling with the Yoder Smokers Cast Iron Griddle installed over the fire box.
Place some oil on the griddle and cook the sliced onions with a sprinkle of salt. Toss often with a spatula to soften and lightly brown, then add the Worcestershire and toss to coat. Remove and cover to keep warm.
Wrap each sausage with two slices of bacon, pinned with toothpicks at the ends.
Cook the bacon wrapped sausages on the griddle to crisp the bacon, turning to crisp all sides.
While the sausages cook, combine all ingredients for the special sauce and whisk to combine.
When the sausages are almost fully cooked (internal temperature 150ºF), wrap the hotdog buns in damp paper towels, place in a small foil pan, cover with a lid or foil, and place on the grill to steam the buns.
Remove the buns when they are softened, just a few minutes of warming.
To build the dogs, spread the buns with the sauce. Add grilled onions to the buns. Place the bacon wrapped dogs over the onions. Top with the crumbled blue cheese.

Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

Why jalapeño cheddar sausages instead of regular hot dogs?

Jalapeño cheddar sausages are thicker and denser than standard hot dogs, which matters for two reasons: they hold up structurally under two slices of wrapped bacon without compressing or splitting during the griddle cook, and the jalapeño-cheddar interior adds a built-in flavor layer that a plain hot dog doesn't have. That said, the recipe works with any sausage you prefer — andouille, bratwurst, or a standard beef frank all wrap and griddle the same way. The special sauce and blue cheese finish are assertive enough to complement a wide range of sausage flavors.

How do I get the bacon crispy on all sides without burning it?

The key is the griddle at 400°F and rotating often. Once the bacon-wrapped sausage is on the griddle, turn it every 2–3 minutes to hit all sides — the rounded shape means it wants to roll back to the same position, so you'll need to use tongs or a turner to hold each position briefly. The bacon will go from pale to golden to deeply crisped fairly quickly at 400°F; don't walk away. Pull the sausages when the bacon is evenly browned all around and the internal temperature is approaching 160°F.

Can I use a different cheese instead of blue cheese?

Yes. Blue cheese crumbles are the default because their sharpness and creaminess cut through the richness of the double bacon wrap and the spice of the jalapeño sausage. If blue cheese isn't your preference, shredded pepper jack melts nicely over the hot sausage, or crumbled cotija adds a salty, drier finish that works well with the pickled elements in the special sauce. Whatever you use, add the cheese after the dog is built and the sausage is still hot so it softens slightly without fully melting.

What can I substitute for the Colonial Chile Crunch in the sauce?

Any chili crisp or chili oil with a crunchy texture works as a direct swap — the role it plays is heat plus crunch plus a toasty, slightly fermented depth that neither hot sauce nor fresh chiles provide. If you don't have any on hand, a teaspoon of Sriracha plus a pinch of toasted sesame seeds approximates it. Don't skip the textural element entirely — without the crunch from the chile crisp or an equivalent, the sauce reads as flat alongside the other toppings.

Can I make these indoors?

Indoor cooking rating: 5 out of 5 — Perfect for indoor or outdoor cooking. A cast iron skillet or griddle pan on a high-heat burner replicates the griddle cook exactly — the bacon crisps the same way and the sausage finishes just as well. Steam the buns in a covered pan with a splash of water on the stovetop. The only difference is you won't have the ambient pellet grill smoke, but with jalapeño cheddar sausage, double bacon, and a loaded special sauce, this build doesn't need smoke to deliver.

Recipe Highlights

Pin the Bacon at Both Ends: Wrapping two bacon slices around a sausage in a spiral and securing the ends with toothpicks before it goes on the griddle isn't just for looks — it keeps the bacon from unraveling as it shrinks during cooking. Without the pins, the bacon tightens and pulls back from the ends as it renders, leaving the sausage exposed. Pin both ends, and the wrap stays tight through the entire cook. Remove the toothpicks before serving.
Build Order Matters: Sauce on the bottom bun first, then onions, then the bacon-wrapped sausage, then blue cheese on top. This isn't arbitrary — the sauce soaks into the bun and creates a moisture barrier that prevents the onion and sausage juices from turning the bottom bun soggy. The onions sit under the sausage rather than on top, which keeps them from sliding out. Blue cheese goes on last because it needs the residual heat from the sausage to soften, not the griddle.
The Onions Are Done Before the Sausages Start: Start the onions as soon as the griddle is hot — they take 8–10 minutes to soften and lightly brown with the Worcestershire, and they hold well covered while the sausages cook. If you start the onions and sausages at the same time, the onions will need attention while you're also rotating the sausages, and one of them will suffer. Finish the onions first, cover them to keep warm, then give the sausages your full attention.
Time the Bun Steam to the Finish: The buns only need 3–4 minutes in the covered foil pan to soften — any longer and they go from pillowy to mushy. Start the steam when the sausages are at around 150°F internal, which means they have only a few minutes left on the griddle. By the time you pull the sausages and build the dogs, the buns will be perfectly warm and pliable rather than sitting and cooling while you wait for the meat to finish.