Pigs in a blanket for 12: 48 cocktail franks rolled in crescent dough or puff pastry the night before, then baked in foil pans on the grill with the lid down, or in the oven at home. About 25 minutes of work and about 50 minutes in all, and they come off the grill hot to 165°F.
Feeds: 12 (48 pieces) · Hands-on: about 25 min · Total: about 50 min
Home gear: 2 foil pans (9 × 13 in.) with lids or foil, a small jar with a lid, and a pizza cutter or sharp knife
Pack for the lot
- 2 covered pans of pigs in a blanket, in the cooler
- Jar of beaten egg, in the cooler
- Both mustards
- Seasoning, if using
- Pastry brush
- Instant-read thermometer
- Heat-proof gloves or oven mitts
- Toothpicks and napkins
- Charcoal and a chimney starter, or a full propane tank
- Trash bags
Lot notes
- Fuel: charcoal or propane both work, as long as you have a cool side. The pans never go over direct heat.
- Oven instead of the grill: bake the pans uncovered at 375°F for crescent dough (12 to 15 minutes) or 400°F for puff pastry (18 to 20 minutes), until golden and 165°F. Cover, wrap in a towel and carry them in an empty cooler. Serve within 2 hours of coming out of the oven.
- Watch the bottoms: foil pans are thin. If the bottoms brown before the tops, nest each pan in a second one.
- Cold until they bake: the raw dough and the egg ride in the cooler at 40°F or below until they go on the grill.
- Holding them hot: below 140°F, warm them back up to 165°F or put them away. Don't let them sit out past 2 hours, or 1 hour when it's over 90°F.
- Cleanup: let the pans cool, fold them up and toss them.
Can you make pigs in a blanket ahead of time?
Yes. Roll them the night before, cover the pans and refrigerate them up to 24 hours. Brush with egg and bake them straight from the cooler.
Can you cook pigs in a blanket on the grill?
Yes. Bake them in foil pans on the cool side of a grill set up for indirect heat at about 375°F, lid down, for 18 to 25 minutes until golden and 165°F.
How do you keep pigs in a blanket hot at a tailgate?
Leave the pan on the cool side of the grill with the lid down so they hold at 140°F or above. Bake the second pan when the first is half gone, and toss anything out longer than 2 hours.
How many pigs in a blanket do you need for 20 people?
Plan on 4 each, so about 80. Double the recipe: 4 cans of crescent dough (or 2 boxes of puff pastry) and 96 franks in 4 pans makes 96 pieces. Bake 2 pans at a time.