In celebration of National Hot Dog Day, Roger Clark learned the proper way to grill one at The Meat Hook in Brooklyn.

After firing up the grill, Brent Young of The Meat Hook butchers in Williamsburg places some of his prized hot dogs over the flame. The eight-year old meat emporium offers quite a variety of the cookout classic. 

"We make a lamb and beef one that's really good. We also make a nacho one that's really fun with jalapeños and cheddar cheese," Young said.

The Meat Hook has become a neighborhood favorite for Wednesday night summer barbecues in its cozy backyard. So Young knows a thing or two about grilling. And this being National Hot Dog Day, I asked for some tips for this lifelong apartment-dweller who is sometimes asked to take over at a grill, mostly resulting in less-than-appetizing fare. 

"A lot of people do burn them because they put them right over the fire. The fire bursts up, and then you have an incinerated hot dog," Young said. "That's pretty much the only hot dog I don't like."

The process of making franks is pretty simple These guys use grass-fed beef and pastured pork, which is put in a grinder, mixed with garlic and spices, stuffed in a lamb casing and smoked. 

"A good hot dog is a lot more than just a regular hot dog," Young said.

Let's face it, not everybody in New York City has access to a grill. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a hot dog in the comfort of your own home.

"I actually don't mind the old boiling water method," Young said. "Just boil a pot of water, turn it off, throw the hot dogs in there, and in five minutes, that's it."

But that might not live up to the taste of a frank cooked on a grill - matter of opinion. 

"You don't get the smoke that you get on a grill. But they are still pretty darn good," Young said.

Can't argue with that, especially on National Hot Dog Day.