Pigs in a blanket are a delicious and mouthwatering All-American classic. The sky is the limit as to what you can do to spice up, embolden, or take your pigs in a blanket to a more flavorful dimension. This dish is extremely customizable, whether it be adding cheese, chili, herbs, seasonings, or other garnishes. Elevate your pigs in the blanket with the suggestions below.
Sausages, Hotdogs, or Mini Cocktail Franks?
One of the main questions that every pig in a blanket connoisseur tends to wrestle with, is should they use sausages, hotdogs, or mini cocktail franks as their staple meat ingredient for their pigs in a blanket. The correct answer is, of course, all three are absolutely acceptable and provide a uniquely different flavor for the dish. You can make your pigs in a blanket with one exclusive meat selection, or you can mix it up and create a mixed batch of pigs in a blanket that contains each of the three types of meat. While hotdogs are likely to be the most commonly used meat choice for pigs in a blanket, they are by no means the most delicious option, as we feel that all three are worth using.
Pork, Beef, Chicken, or Turkey?
The most common type of meat used in any pigs in a blanket recipe is pork, followed by beef, chicken, and then turkey. In some cases, the selected hotdogs of choice might even contain meat mixtures such as beef and pork. We feel that most types of meat are perfect to use in any pigs in a blanket recipe. You can even use off the beaten path meat varieties such as venison, elk, bison, or duck. While most people don’t use game meat in their pigs in a blanket recipe, it should be noted that these unique dish varieties can taste absolutely delicious. So don’t knock it until you try, should be the motto in this regard. Regardless of your meat selection, pigs in a blanket should always be seen a staple of do-it-yourself cuisine. You can make venison sausage pigs in a blanket for yourself while baking beef hotdog-based pigs in a blanket in the same batch for the kids.
The Most Common Ingredient Additions
There is nearly an unlimited number of ingredient additions that you can incorporate into any pigs in a blanket recipe. By far the most commonly used ingredient added to the recipe is cheddar cheese. Cheddar cheese in pigs in a blanket can add an extra layer of melted creamy deliciousness. Other commonly used ingredient additions include sesame seeds, poppy seeds, Dijon mustard, bacon, diced jalapenos, chili, and fresh herbs. The general rule of thumb is if the ingredient can bake in the oven and sounds like it would accent the flavor of pigs in a blanket, then don’t be afraid to give it a try. If you are not sure whether or not a test ingredient would taste good, then experiment on one or two pigs in a blanket rather than the whole batch.
To Dip or Not to Dip, That is The Question
I think we can all agree that most people opt to dip when eating pigs in a blanket. The most common dips for the dish include ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, ranch dressing, and BBQ sauce. We feel, however, that the best dip options are the do it yourself dips that you can make in a matter of several minutes. Pigs in a blanket go great with dipping sauces comprised of mayonnaise, diced jalapenos, sour cream, mustard, ketchup, freshly ground pepper, pickle relish, vinegar, honey, BBQ sauce, and other dipping sauce combos. Spicy dip, tangy dip, creamy dip, and vegetable dip all go great with pigs in a blanket.
Is Baking The Only Cooking Option
While pigs in a blanket or almost exclusively baked, there are other off the beaten path cooking options that you can use. One way you can cook them is to use a deep fryer. Deep fried pigs in a blanket are absolutely heavenly. Any traditional home-based deep fryer device or set up will work. Pan fried pigs in a blanket is another option to consider, however, you will have to use thin or pancake-like dough for the wrapping in this case. Another great cooking method is to heat the pigs in a blanket over an open campfire on a stick, however, you will also need to make sure that you use extra thick and sticky dough for the wraps, otherwise, it will come off and fall into the fire, ruining the dish.
Classic Elevated Pigs in a Blanket Recipe
Pigs in a Blanket Ingredients
• 8-Ounce Can of Butter Blend Crescent Dough
• 20 Mini Cocktail Franks
• 1 Large Egg
• 2 Tablespoons of Poppy Seeds
• 2 Tablespoons of Sesame Seeds
• 1/4 Cup of Honey Flavored Dijon Mustard
Dipping Sauce Ingredients
• 1/2 Cup of Real Mayonnaise
• 3 Tablespoons of Honey Flavored Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 Cup of Sour Cream
Pigs in a Blanket Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius.
2. Take out the butter blend crescent dough and unroll it completely on a flat and clean kitchen surface. For the best results, cut each crescent roll triangle into 3 equally sized strips. Cut each strip lengthwise so that it can be wrapped around each mini cocktail frank.
3. Take out a pastry brush and dip it into the honey flavored Dijon mustard. Lightly brush the mustard on to the cut crescent roll strips. Make sure the surface area of is evenly covered with the mustard.
4. Place each of the mini cocktail franks at the end of the cut dough strip and then roll it up completely, using one whole strip or more per cocktail frank.
5. Take out a baking sheet and lightly grease it. Arrange all of the wrapped mini cocktail franks with the seam of the crescent roll facing downward.
6. Using a pastry brush, brush each wrapped mini cocktail frank with a lightly beaten egg wash. Once the egg wash has been applied, sprinkle the poppy seeds and sesame seeds on to alternating pigs in a blanket. You can also opt to mix the poppy and sesame seeds and then apply them together.
7. Bake the pigs in a blanket for approximately 12 to 15minutes or until the crescent dough is a golden brown color. Serve the pigs in a blanket warm and dip them in the homemade sauce. See the homemade dipping sauce recipe below.
Dipping Sauce Instructions
1. Take out a small glass bowl. Add into the bowl the real mayonnaise, honey flavored Dijon mustard, and sour cream.
2. Using a metal whisk, rapidly stir the dipping sauce ingredients together until they form an even and consistent mixture.
3. Refrigerate the dipping sauce for 30 minutes to an hour before serving it alongside the freshly baked and warm pigs in a blanket.
