Veggies dogs are something I don’t have much experience with, but I have some friends who bring them over every time we invite them for a backyard grill out, and the bit or two I’ve had honestly weren’t bad. I’m all about having get-togethers being as inclusive and open as possible – show up and have a good time. That’s the whole point! So for the kids around an open fire pit, can roasting veggie dogs allow them to enjoy that part of childhood right next to friends with normal hot dogs?
The good news is that the answer is yes. Roasting veggie dogs over a fire is a viable way of cooking them and they cook almost as well as regular hot dogs over a campfire.
Just to be completely transparent from the beginning: I’m not a vegan, nor a vegetarian. So I had to call up some friends who follow these lifestyles to learn more about just how far vegetarian versions of meat have come the past few years since they would have first-hand experience that I didn’t. I tried the vegetarian route for a semester in college way back in the day (yes, for the reasons you would expect a 17-year old steak and potato boy to be willing to try such a drastic switch) and while I noticed some improvements, it just wasn’t the route from me.
But as for the nitty-gritty information on how to roast veggie hot dogs, read on below!
How To Cook Veggie Dogs Over a Campfire
There are a few main options when it comes to cooking veggie dogs or vegetarian dogs over the campfire. We’ll go over each of these, the pros and cons, and hopefully this will help give you a little bit more information on the best preparation so you can make great vegan hot dogs, especially for those of us non-vegans cooking for a kid’s friend, or some old visiting friends who are vegetarian.
On the Grill
Simple enough, right? Whether a griddle style grill-top on an actual grill, or using a grate-style grill over a fire pit, this is a great way to cook veggie dogs. Just lay them on top like other hot dogs, brats, and burgers. Keep an eye on them, turning every so often to cook all the way through evenly in addition to getting those nice grill marks on each side.
A quality veggie/vegan dog can cook very well. For someone who is a non vegetarian or non vegan, they cook surprisingly better than I would have expected and using the good old fashioned grill style works out as a great way to prepare these during a backyard barbecue or get-together.
Wrapped in Aluminum Foil
Wrapping up veggie dogs in aluminum foil is a classic method of campfire cooking and it works with veggie dogs. Put in the food you want, tightly pack in aluminum foil, and put it on the coals (preferably not active fire). The foil takes the heat while keeping the food away from ash and direct flames.
This isn’t as fun a style cooking but it is a great way to prepare veggie dogs in a “set it and forget” it style of cooking that can lead to a delicious meal while everyone else gets to relax and concentrate on other things for a while until it’s time to grab the tongs and serving tray or platter.
This is a really old school method I’m aware of from the time back in my Scouting days. While it’s hardly fun, it is effective (most of the time) and can be a great way to cook the veggie dogs thoroughly.
Roasting on a Stick
This is the classic memory that so many of us have around a fire when we were kids. The good news for those of you who were worried that you couldn’t roast veggie dogs on a stick is that isn’t true. Sliding a vegan dog on a sharpened stick or a pronged fork works just as well as cooking with any of the other methods.
Whether conventional meat or a non-meat alternative, roasting them on a stick over the open fire is a great way to not only cook your veggie dogs but also to enjoy that childhood throwback experience of cooking a treat over an open fire.
So Roasting Veggie Dogs – Yay or Nay
My friend Steve, who has been vegan for around 10 years at this point but he was an omnivore 30 years before that, so I trust his perspective on it. When I asked him just how comparable the two really were, he gave me a pretty detailed answer that I’ll share with you here about how roasted veggie dogs compare to full meat hot dogs.
At first they were noticeably different, but you could still roast them. They had to be cooked a little bit more and you look for different signs they’re cooked right versus a meat one, but keep in mind vegan meat replacement options taste much better now than they did then. They have gotten better, so while it’s slightly more challenging to roast them, it is much more comparable than it used to be.
Steve, now vegan (and just all around cool dude)
That’s some great firsthand knowledge from someone who knows as well as anyone just how good the veggie dogs taste but also what you have to do in order to prepare them and whether or not they are comparable to full meat hot dogs in that situation.
There are many ways to cook veggie dogs and by taking some time to practice the various methods of cooking these you’ll be able to figure out which methods you prefer for that perfect veggie dog.
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