Beer-brined Chili Dogs

So you've thrown a successful Chili Cook-off . . . and now your fridge is crammed with leftovers. What to do??

If you're a genius like Joey Arbeely, then naturally you will make some day-after chili dogs that will have your neighbors gnashing their teeth in envy. Just follow this simple recipe - all you need is a crockpot, and you will be able to brine your dogs in beer. Oh yeah.

Ingredients:
One package quality hot dogs
3 bottles of your favorite beer (alternatively, hard or soft apple cider works really well)
One cup brown sugar
One vidalia onion
One block of cheddar, shredded
Leftover chili (better if it's a little more juicy than stewey)
One package hot dog buns

Here's what you do:
Get out your crockpot and use a nifty slow-cooker liner for it. Pour beer into the crockpot, add the brown sugar, and stir until dissolved. Add hot dogs and make sure they're covered with the fluid mixture (thankfully beer comes in six-packs, so you can add more if necessary). Cook your dogs on low for 2-3 hours, giving them a quick stir every 30 minutes or so.

In the meantime, dice up a vidalia onion and shred your cheese. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Right before it's time to start serving up your dogs, heat up the chili in a saucepan, and warm the buns in the oven, being careful not to toast them.

Set out the onion, the cheddar, the dogs, the buns and the chili, and people can assemble their own masterpieces. I recommend putting the cheese UNDER the piping-hot chili so it melts, and then top with some nice crunchy onions.