The corn dog — a hot dog impaled on a wooden stick, dipped in cornmeal batter, and deep-fried until golden — is the Texas State Fair's most famous food (it was introduced there in 1942 by Neil Fletcher) and the most consumed food at state fairs and carnivals across America. The corn dog solves a structural problem: the stick makes the hot dog portable with one hand, and the cornmeal batter provides a crispy, sweet, corn-flavoured crust that transforms a simple hot dog into a festival event. Fletcher's Original State Fair Corny Dogs still operates at the Texas State Fair.
An all-beef hot dog (or a jumbo frank) dried thoroughly, impaled on a wooden stick, dipped in a thick cornmeal batter (cornmeal, flour, egg, milk, sugar, baking powder), and deep-fried at 175°C for 3-4 minutes until the batter is puffed, golden, and crispy. The batter should be uniformly golden, slightly sweet from the cornmeal and sugar, and crispy on the outside with a thin, tender layer against the dog.
1) Dry the hot dog thoroughly before dipping — moisture prevents the batter from adhering. Dust with flour first for extra adhesion. 2) The batter must be thick enough to coat heavily — thin batter drips off. 3) The oil must be deep enough to submerge the entire corn dog — partial frying produces uneven cooking. 4) Hold the stick and rotate while lowering into the oil for even coating.
The corn dog with mustard — the only acceptable condiment. Ketchup on a corn dog, like ketchup on a Chicago dog, is controversial. Fletcher's at the Texas State Fair: the annual line stretches across the fairground.
Texas State Fair documentation; James Beard — American Cookery