To steam or not to steam? That is the question! There are a million different ways to prepare a hot dog on a hot dog cart but there is one thing that divides us slingers into two camps.

Do we steam the buns or not? Some say that steaming the buns is completely unnecessary. Others wouldn’t think of serving a hot dog on a cold bun.

Here are some pros and cons regarding steaming…

Pros of steaming:

  • The bun is softer.
  • A hot bun helps to keep the whole product hotter, especially when adding a lot of cold condiments.
  • Steaming shows the customer that you are giving them something special.

Cons of steaming:

  • Steaming adds a step in the preparation process.
  • It requires a dedicated pan on your hot dog cart which means you can’t use that pan for something else – and pan space is always at a premium.
  • Steaming can slow down your serving time, especially at big events.

Do I steam my hot dog buns? Yes, I do. However I use a special brand of bun, Mary Ann’s by S. Rosen Bakeries. Mary Ann’s are the authentic Chicago Style hot dog bun and they are meant to be steamed. The bread is actually a bit heavier and denser than your standard hot dog bun which allows it to hold up well under steam without getting mushy. They are Dee-licious!

Mary Ann’s come in a cardboard “cake box” which makes them really simple to steam. Just cut some slits in the plastic wrapper and drop it in the steamer. I stack two boxes in my steamer, one on top of the other. The bottom one steams while I serve from the top one. When the top one is empty, I grab another cake box of buns and place it under the now hot and steamy ones. I keep rotating like this all day and it allows me to keep up, even during big rushes.

My Regular Steamer Set Up. This is the set up that I use on my personal E-Z Built Hot Dog Cart for daily street vending. I have a half size pan over one burner on the left which I use for boiling the hot dogs. I have a full size 6″ deep spillage pan over the other burner with two 4″ deep half size perforated pans inside it. I put an inch and a half of water in the spillage pan, just enough so that the water is just below the bottom of the perf pans. I use the left perf pan for hot holding and the right perf pan for bun steaming. A hinged dome lid keeps the steam in.

My Steamer Set Up For Big Events. When I do big events where I know I will have a long line, I set up an auxiliary steamer. I use a two burner camp stove with a 6″ deep full size steam pan. I put about an inch and a half of water in the pan and place a wire rack in the pan which sits just above the water level. I top it off with a hinged dome lid. This set up lets me steam up to 4 boxes of buns at a time if necessary.

I hope these tips help you decide whether you want to steam your hot dog buns or not. For a complete education on making money with mobile food vending please consider joining Hot Dog Profits Premium.

What say you, slinger? Are you a steamer or not? Let us know in the comments and give us any tips that you may have.

Thanks!

-Steve