Cooking with Ease: Corny Dogs – From Fairgrounds to Football Fridays

Rockwall, TX (October 23, 2025) – There are certain foods that just taste like fall in Texas, and a good corny dog is right at the top of the list. Nothing says autumn like that golden, crispy batter wrapped around a juicy hot dog, eaten with one hand while the other waves to a neighbor or cheers at a Friday night football game.

The State Fair of Texas may be famous for putting corny dogs on the map, but the truth is, they’re just as perfect for a backyard tailgate or a cozy Saturday spent watching college football on TV. And the best part? With a handful of pantry staples and a pot of hot oil, you can fry up a batch of homemade corny dogs on your own!

This recipe keeps things simple and classic: a crisp cornmeal coating that fries to deep golden perfection, wrapped around a good beef hot dog (always worth using the best you can find). A popsicle stick turns them into fair-style finger food, easy to dip, easy to eat, and guaranteed to bring a smile.

As Skip Fletcher of Fletcher’s Corny Dogs famously said, “Corny dogs are simple, but they ain’t easy.” The trick is maintaining that oil temperature, around 365°F, so the batter crisps without burning and the hot dog inside heats through. Too hot, and you’ll scorch the outside. Too cool, and the batter slips or soaks up oil. Keep an eye on your thermometer, and you’ll be golden… literally.

Whether you serve them up with mustard, ketchup, or a zesty dipping sauce of your own, corny dogs have a way of turning any gathering into a celebration. As the seasons change, sometimes the simplest comforts, like a crispy corny dog, are the ones that remind us why we love this time of year.

Corny Dogs

Makes: 8 servings | Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup COLD water
• 8 beef hot dogs
• 8 popsicle sticks

Directions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in deep fryer or deep pot to 365° F.
2. Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
3. Add in eggs and water and combine.
4. Insert popsicle sticks into hot dogs and leave enough stick to hold. When oil is ready, dip one hot dog at a time, completely covering in batter.
5. Place battered dog in hot oil and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, rotating with tongs.
6. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.
7. Serve immediately with favorite dipping sauce

Melissa Tate is a home cook and writer with a passion for hospitality, food gifts, and fine, locally-produced fare. Along with writing, cooking, and creating care packages, she helps her husband run their working horse and cattle ranch, Tate Farms here in Rockwall County. She is currently writing her first cookbook with a New York based literary agent. You can find more of her work at melissatatetx.com and on Instagram & Facebook at @melissatatetx.

  Blue Ribbon News, cooking with ease by melissa tate, corn dogs, feature, Good Eats, recipes