Jayson,

I’ve cooked hot dogs every way imaginable. You mention that on a normal day you can see the skin shriveled up "in the way only deep fried dogs do". I’ve seen shrivelled up dogs that have been cooked on a grill. Years ago, I had been told that the dogs were deep fried. This was before I had even eaten one. I went and sampled the dogs. I asked the owner how they were prepared and what brand they were and she reacted as though I had asked her weight. I later found out where the dogs were made. I had assumed that the dogs were deep fried and posted this info (as well as a negative review of the dogs) on another forum. Someone who said they were an employee of Hot Dog Johnny’s posted that the dogs are definitely not deep fried, but he would not say how they were prepared. Another employee that served me at Johnny’s told me that the dogs were boiled. The person who owns the company that makes the hot dogs served at Johnny’s told me that they are either boiled or steamed.

I’m not 100% sure because the owner would not tell me. But the bottom line is that the dogs weren’t good. At least that is my opinion as well as the opinion of my wife, son, and daughter.
Can you tell me how you know the dogs are fried? I’ve since had the same dog served at Johnny’s in a local deli near me. It was steamed and tasted exactly like the dogs that I had at Johnny’s. But I’m willing, even curious to go back and try them again. I can understand the owner’s reluctance to divulge the brand used (Schmalz skinless franks) but not her reluctance to say how they are cooked. Some people cannot eat fried food and deserve to know if the dogs are prepared this way.