Start with about 6 (or more) fairly straight carrots, and cut off the tops. Cut off the bottoms to make them 'bun length'. And by all means, if you have a favorite, healthy, hot dog bun...use it. I used regular, every-day, hot dog buns... because that's all I could find on such short notice (and I got the last package at that!)
Peel your carrots and place them in a pan of water. Bring to a boil and simmer them just until they are fork tender.....about 10-15 minutes. We do NOT want mushy dogs here, just tender enough to push a fork through.
Drain the carrots and rinse really well with cold water (so they'll stop cooking). Drain again and place them in a ziplock freezer bag.
For the marinade, whisk all the marinade ingredients together until well blended and then pour that into the bag with the carrots.
I used soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, veg broth, and liquid smoke - as these seem to be the key ingredients. I also added a teaspoon of minced garlic (fresh, not the powder), a teaspoon of yellow mustard, and a teaspoon of my secret ingredient....pickled jalapeño juice.
All those ingredients are pretty acidic, so to balance that out I wanted to use a little sweetener. I had Maple syrup in my fridge, so that's what I used. You could probably use date syrup too if you choose, or agave - but I can't guarantee the results.
Seal the bag and place it on a plate in your fridge. Let that sit and steep for about 6 hours. Remember to turn the bag over occasionally to keep things mixed up.
Can you bake these? Don't know.Can you pan fry them? Don't know.Can you microwave them? Don't know.
I grilled them and they were awesome.
I also basted them occasionally with my remaining marinade to keep them 'juicy'.....because...well..... they're carrots. There's not going to be any fat sizzling down into the flames. I just grilled them long enough to get some blackened char, those lovely grill marks we love so much on several sides.
Like I said, I had my doubts and I'm sure to my neighbors I looked pretty silly.....grown man, beer in hand, grilling......
¼ cup Soy Sauce (low sodium)
¼ cup Apple Cider Vinegar (Braggs)
¼ cup Vegetable Broth (low sodium)
2 Tbs Maple Syrup
1 Tbs Liquid Smoke
1 tsp Yellow Mustard
1 tsp Fresh Garlic (minced)
1 tsp Pickled Jalapeno Juice
½ tsp Onion Powder
Instructions
Cut and peel carrots to make them "bun length'.
Boil carrots in water until just fork tender. About 10-15 minutes.
Drain carrots, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Place carrots in a ziplock freezer bag.
Whisk all marinade ingredients together and pour into bag with carrots.
Marinate for 4-6 hrs.
Grill carrots on an open grill, basting occasionally.
Grill to heat all the way through and to get some blackened grill marks on each…