Bonfire night Lincolnshire sausage hot dogs with apple sauce
Smoky, herby Lincolnshire sausages in toasted baps with a sharp, homemade apple sauce — perfect for chilly bonfire nights.
These are the hot dogs your bonfire party actually deserves: peppery Lincolnshire sausages tucked into toasted baps with a sharp, rustic apple sauce. The sweet-but-tart sauce lifts the fatty sausages and stops the whole thing feeling cloying — proper winter comfort food.
Quick to make for a crowd and brilliant for eating outside, the recipe stretches easily: double the batch and keep sausages warm on a low oven while you finish guests' baps.
Ingredients
- 8 Lincolnshire sausages — use good-quality pork sausages — roughly two per hot dog for a generous portion
- 4 hot dog baps — soft, slightly longer baps
- 500 g Bramley apples — peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 brown onion — finely sliced
- 25 g caster sugar
- 15 ml apple cider vinegar
- 15 ml lemon juice — freshly squeezed if possible
- 50 ml water
- 15 ml sunflower oil
- 15 g butter
- 30 g English mustard — to serve
- sea salt — to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
Equipment
- frying pan
- small saucepan
- baking tray
- potato masher or hand blender
- tongs
Instructions
Make the apple sauce: place the chopped Bramley apples, sliced brown onion, caster sugar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and water in a small saucepan and stir to combine.
Bring the saucepan to a gentle simmer over a medium hob. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very soft and breaking down — about 15 minutes.
Once the apples are soft, mash roughly with a potato masher or pulse briefly in a hand blender if you prefer a smoother sauce. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside to cool slightly — allow 15 minutes cooling time before using in buns.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high hob and add the sunflower oil. When hot, add the Lincolnshire sausages and cook, turning regularly, until evenly browned and cooked through — about 12–14 minutes. Test a thick sausage by cutting in the centre: there should be no pink and the juices should run clear.
While the sausages cook, split the hot dog baps lengthways but not all the way through. Spread the inside lightly with butter.
In the final 2 minutes of the sausages cooking, place the buttered baps cut-side down in a clean frying pan over medium heat and toast for about 1–2 minutes until golden. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.
To assemble: spoon a generous tablespoon of apple sauce into each bap, add two cooked Lincolnshire sausages, a smear of English mustard and a final grind of black pepper. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Make the apple sauce a day ahead — it keeps for 3 days in the fridge and the flavours deepen.
- If you prefer fewer sausages per bap, slice each sausage lengthways after cooking to make them stretch further without losing presentation.
- To reheat cooked sausages, warm in a low oven at 120°C fan/140°C conventional for 10–12 minutes to avoid drying out.
- If serving outdoors, keep apple sauce in a thermos to stay warm and spoonable.
- Don’t overcrowd the frying pan when cooking sausages — they brown best with room to turn.
Substitutions
Lincolnshire sausages → pork sausages with herbs or mild Cumberland-style sausages in the same quantity
Stays closeBramley apples → eating apples such as Gala or Braeburn, but add 10–15 ml more lemon juice to increase sharpness
Noticeably differenthot dog baps → soft white rolls or crusty baps of similar size
Stays closeEnglish mustard → Dijon mustard for a smoother, less sharp flavour
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 870
- Calories
- 30 g
- Protein
- 60 g
- Carbs
- 55 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 18 g
- Sugar
- 1100 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make the apple sauce in advance?
Yes — make up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container. Reheat gently or serve cold at room temperature.
How can I tell the sausages are cooked through?
Cut one in the thickest part: there should be no pink and juices should run clear. Alternatively, use a probe thermometer: 75°C internal temperature is safe for pork.
Can I grill the sausages instead of frying them?
Yes — cook over a medium heat until well browned and cooked through, turning regularly. Watch for flare-ups if using charcoal.
How should leftover hot dogs be stored?
Store components separately: sausages and apple sauce in the fridge for up to 3 days, baps in a sealed bag at room temperature for 24 hours to avoid going stale.
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