Bust open that pack of franks, get the grill going and let the hot dogs cook until they're perfectly plump. Add a bun and a few condiments, and voilà!

It's a no-brainer kind of barbecue.

Just like fireworks, baseball and hometown parades, we're a country that loves its hot dogs. According to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, Americans eat 150 million hot dogs on July 4 alone.

We'll never be mad at the tasty simplicity of a good beef hot dog topped with just some ketchup and mustard. But let's take this opportunity to think of some ways for going beyond the typical tube steak.

Chef Adam Pechal of Tuli Bistro and his recently opened THIR13EN has included hot dogs on both his restaurants' summertime menus. We're talking dogs with relishes of compressed cucumber, roasted peppers and house-made pickles.

Before your next cookout, Pechal suggests taking just a couple of extra steps in the kitchen for big flavor boosts.

"I'm a straight-up mustard-and-onions guy for a regular old dog," said Pechal. "But any sausage, whether it's a hot dog or regular sausage, tastes great when they're slow-simmered in beer. Do that for about a half-hour, nice and slow and low, and maybe smash a couple garlic cloves and throw them in there. This infuses them with great flavor. You can cook them straight like that, or finish them on the grill."

Americans have been wolfing down hot dogs for nearly 150 years. They're believed to have been introduced to the country by German immigrants who were especially adept at making sausages, including the frankfurter, which was native to Frankfurt, Germany.

Nobody's exactly sure how the term "hot dog" was coined – whether it was based on a series of talking sausage cartoons, or that they looked like miniature dachshunds – but the name had entered the American lexicon by the early 20th century.

Either way, the hot dog has become one of the country's signature foods. Kids love them, as do moms and granddads. And even Darrell Corti, the world-renowned gourmet and Sacramento grocer, loves to chomp on a hot dog.

"When I travel, I normally eat a hot dog, just as a totem," said Corti. "If I eat a hot dog that's Chicago-style, I'm thinking one with no onion, fresh tomato wedges, wedges of fresh cucumber rather than pickles, and a little celery salt. That's just nifty."

But for the most part, Corti's a no-frills kind of guy when it comes to hot dogs. He insists the frankfurter should be the star, not smothered in a small ocean of condiments.

"Toppings?" he said when asked about his favorites. "There's only one you can use. When I eat a hot dog, I like to only eat it with ketchup."

Corti favors the frankfurters from Schwarz Sausage Co. in Fairfield, which are longer and leaner than the typical hot dog, and packed with flavor. To his taste buds, the best hot dog bun comes from Village Bakery in Davis, which also supplies the Hot Dogger in Davis.

"The most important thing is the perfect ratio of bun to dog," said Corti. "The Village Bakery buns have a very thin crust, like a half or a third of a baguette, and (the crust) is all the way around, unlike a normal bun."

Part of the beauty of the hot dog, along with being nearly impossible to botch on the grill, is the myriad ways you can dress up that dog.

Steven Raichlen, author of "The Barbecue Bible" and host of PBS' "Primal Grill," was inspired to give the traditional hot dog a spicy twist after visiting Brazil.

"They cut V-shaped notches and put in a stuffing of diced olives, peppers and scallions," said Raichlen. "It gave me an idea to play with hot dogs."

The result is what Raichlen calls "hot" dogs. He stuffs frankfurters or knockwurst with jalapeños and cheese for extra spicy and gooey goodness. (See recipe). Other times, Raichlen might wrap his hot dogs in bacon before placing them over a grill with moderate heat.

"The perfect Raichlen hot dog is much simpler," he said. "I like to cut it in half lengthwise so I expose more meat to the fire and cook until its an eyelash short of being burned. I butter the bun and toast it on the grill, and add Dijon mustard and thinly sliced sweet pickles. But everyone knows how to cook a hot dog well."

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Call The Bee's Chris Macias, (916) 321-1253.

• Read more articles by Chris Macias