20 Gourmet Hot Dog Recipes For Labor Day

Happy Labor Day, friends! Sept. 5 marks the unofficial end of summer, and there's one right way to celebrate. Even if you're not at a backyard barbecue or ball park, you can still get a taste of your favorite franks with this roundup of unique and delicious hot dog recipes. Hold the ketchup, mustard, and sauerkraut, and check out the following lineup of amazing ways to serve and savor your links.

This collection goes beyond your usual sausage suspects for some playfully experimental variations that promise to tantalize your tastebuds. Spice things up with flavor infusions like Thai, Southern comfort, Teriyaki, Cajun, and Bánh Mì. Go extra all-American with additions like blue cheese and buffalo chicken, nacho fixings, ground beef toppings, or mac and cheese. Or find unexpected delights in fusions like Cordon Bleu dogs or croissant buns. After a day's worth of snacking on dogs, keep things a tad healthier with summer squash and cool garden veggies with herbs. Top off your creations with cheddar beer sauce, spicy slaw, lime relish, or mango salsa.

However you prefer the American barbecue staple, venture outside of the box to celebrate this year for one super satisfactory holiday your stomach will be thanking you for.

1. Bánh Mì Hot Dogs

Recipe creator My Name Is Yeh says this is "basically what would happen if your beloved hot dog got the prettiest, most colorful makeover in all the land." Perfect for infusing new flavors into your barbecue favorites, this concoction finds "snappy wieners basking in squishy soft buns, topped with heaps of crunchy veggies." Hard to say no to that.

2. Detroit-Style Coney Dogs

Follow Simply Scratch's lead to conjure up these Detroit-style dogs straight from Michigan (where the Coney dogs actually originated). The dogs are topped with a creamy tomato-based no-bean chili, mustard, and finely minced onions, accompanied of course by a side of chili cheese fries.

3. Loaded Cheddar and Blue Cheese Buffalo Chicken Dogs

These loaded dogs by Half Baked Harvest bring full buffalo chicken and blue cheese flavor to every bite.

4. Jalapeño Pretzel Dogs with Cheddar Beer Sauce

Combine hot jalapeño pretzel dogs by How Sweet It Is with creamy cheddar beer sauce for a delicious pairing with a spicy kick.

5. Southern Comfort Dogs

Indulge in some hearty Southern fare with this loaded hot dog by A Spicy Perspective. The buns are packed with sweet and spicy baked beans, a strip of crispy bacon, tangy pickled okra, and cool southern slaw.

6. Cordon Bleu Dogs

Elevate your hot dog intake with these Cordon Bleu variations by Taste And Tell that wrap the dogs in ham, then top them in a creamy Dijon cheese sauce.

7. Hawaiian Hot Dogs with Mango Salsa

Heat things up on this hot summer day with refreshingly ripe mango salsa and slices of fresh avocado on these Hawaiian-style hot dogs by Damn Delicious.

8. French Croissant Hot Dogs with Crispy Bacon

What else could so easily take your hot dog experience to next level delicious than flaky croissant buns and crispy bacon pieces? Recreate this dream-worthy combo by following the recipe by Climbing Grier Mountain.

9. Hawaiian BBQ Dog with Mango, Chili, Pineapple, and Lime Relish

Half Baked Harvest does another take on the Hawaiian dog, this time topped with chile, pineapple, lime relish, and jalapeños to complement the mango.

10. Thai-Style Hot Dogs

Who knew that chopped peanuts and peanut sauce could pair so well with hot dogs? Taste And Tell creates the magic with this daring Thai-inspired recipe and finds delicious results.

11. Summer Squash Hot Dog

Lighten things up with this vegetarian recipe by The Kitchn that switches out the frankfurter with refreshing grilled summer squash.

12. Cajun BLT Hot Dogs with Spicy Slaw

Climbing Grier Mountain adds a cajun kick to the classic hot dog with this recipe that brings bacon, spicy slaw, and tomatoes into the picture for "finger-licking good" results.

13. Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Hot Dogs with Pineapple Salsa

These dogs are wrapped in bacon, then doused in a sweet Teriyaki drizzle. The recipe, by Damn Delicious, then calls for topping off the decadent combo with the refreshing burst of pineapple salsa and a spicy kick of jalapeño.

14. Nacho Hot Dogs

Combine two American favorites with this inventive recipe by A Spicy Perspective. The zesty, cheesy, flavorful dogs "pack a crunch" and are the perfect answer to summer.

15. Loaded Cheddar Hot Dogs with Honey Caramelized Onions

How Sweet It Is declares, "Never underestimate the power of a good hot dog." This recipe proves that "the high maintenance dog is worth it," with its layers of honey caramelized onions, juicy garlic mushrooms, crispy fried bacon, and white cheddar cheese for "a two inch pile of deliciousness."

16. Mac and Cheese Dogs

You'll have to keep an open mind when it comes to this recipe by Taste And Tell that brings together two of your childhood favorites with surprising success. "Decadent and over the top," these bad boys promise to take you right back to good old days, if you're brave enough to try them.

17. Sriracha Guacamole Hot Dogs

Not only are these hot dogs smothered in guacamole, they're smothered in Sriracha guacamole. Inventor Damn Delicious advises having a bag of tortilla chips on hand when devouring this masterpiece.

18. Garden Dogs

These "garden dogs" by A Spicy Perspective are smeared with cream cheese and topped with a beautiful bounty of fresh summer veggies and herbs for delicious way to cool off this season.

19. Crunchy Nacho Dogs

Another way to get your simultaneous nacho-hot dog fix is with these little guys by Dessert Now Dinner Later. Upgrading the classic pigs in a blanket snack, this recipe marries gooey cheese on the inside with crunchy nacho cheese tortilla chips on the outside.

20. Mini Pretzel Dogs

For some salty goodness, get your fix with these little golden nuggets by Joy The Baker. They're surprisingly simple to make and their twisted crisp doughy goodness promises to satisfy.

Images: Half Baked Harvest (3), My Name Is Yeh, Simply Scratch, How Sweet It Is (2), A Spicy Perspective (3), Taste And Tell (3), Damn Delicious (3), Climbing Grier Mountain (2), The Kitchn, Dessert Now Dinner Later, Joy The Baker