Copycat A&W Whistle Dog
This Copycat A&W Whistle Dog post was originally posted on Noshing With The Nolands.
I remember, when I was much younger, going to A&W with my parents. My dad had a 1958 Buick LeSabre, we would pull up to the drive-in and order using the 2-way radio. The car-hop would bring our delicious food out on a tray. You had to roll your window down so the tray would hook over the window. then dad would pass out the food to everyone!
People of my vintage (Ok I’m old but not that old! LOL) remember going out as a family. Getting the chance to go out for dinner was a real treat for me when I was young, even if it was just the local drive-in! Back in the day, it was a real treat to go out and I have great memories of being with the family.
Maybe that’s because today it is sometimes difficult to get the family together for a meal, but it is definitely worth it! The memories you will create for your children are invaluable! Keep it simple though with easy dinner ideas.
Does A&W have whistle dogs?
These are my memories of A&W! Unfortunately, the popular A&W Whistle Dog was discontinued in 2017 here in Canada. Fortunately, however, you can recreate it at home and relive all those wonderful memories!
The simple hot dog is a family staple in most households. It provides a quick, easy lunch or dinner for the parents, kids generally love them, and let’s face it with today’s busy families making sure that everyone gets fed can be a challenge!
The A&W Whistle Dog is relatively easy to make. It takes a little more planning than a plain old hot dog but it is worth it, trust me. Although it is gone from the A&W menu, you can bring it back to your family with this straight forward recipe!
What is on a whistle dog?
A&W did a couple of things to make their Whistle Dog stand out from the crowd! Firstly, they sliced their hot dog down the middle and grilled it face down on a hot grill. This allows the hot dog to cook quickly, but more important evenly. Make sure you get those great grill marks on your dog!
Next, they kept it simple garnishing their dog with only green relish, bacon and cheese, allowing all the tastes to stand out! We added a little bit of finely chopped sweet white onion. Oh and don’t forget to grill the bun.
Here is a link to the best way to cook bacon no muss, no fuss and perfect every time!
Ingredients You Will Need!
- Hot Dogs
- Hot Dog Buns
- Cheddar Cheese
- Bacon
- Green Relish
- Sweet White Onion (optional)
- We like to serve the dogs with fries.
Serving it Up!
Whether it’s lunch, dinner, or a late-night snack the now-retired A&W Whislte dog is sure to hit the mark! Serve it up with some fries and a cold drink, few things are better than that.
If you get a chance head out with the family to a local drive-in. Or better, yet bring the drive-in home with this great Copycat Whistle Dog Recipe!
I hope you enjoy this stroll down memory lane when you are eating this as much as I did!
Copycat A&W Whistle Dog
Ingredients
- 8 Hot dogs all-beef, sliced down the middle but not all the way through
- 8 Hot dog buns toasted
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated
- 8 Slices bacon cooked crisp
- 8 Tbsp sweet green relish
- 8 Tbsp white onion finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Line a cookie sheet with foil and lay out your bacon on the foil.
- Bake the bacon in the oven for 12 minutes, turn and continue to cook for another 5-8 minutes. Careful, it will turn from cooked to overdone very quickly. Remove and set aside.
- While the bacon is cooking heat your grill to medium-hot and grill the hot dogs on both sides until nice grill marks appear.
- Toast the buns on the grill, open side down.
- Place one hot dog in each bun and fill the hot dog with cheese.
- Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted.
- Top with crisp bacon, relish, and onion if desired.
- Serve immediately, with fries on the side if you like.
Oh I remember these! They were SO good!
Please sign my petition to bring back the whistle dog: https://chng.it/yS5vDq8T