Meat on a stick? Well, yes. But the Carrigan’s Corn Dog is much more than that.

It’s a marquee item at Carrigan’s Public House in Birmingham, elevating the humble hot dog to gourmet status. It’s extravagant and savory, fun and filling.

The gastropub at 2430 Morris Ave. has been serving its “street style” corn dog for about a decade, drawing raves from folks who gasp when servers approach their tables with the show-stopping dish. All thoughts of frozen corn dogs vanish, and fair food aficionados may find themselves raising the bar for what a corn dog can be.

“Birmingham is kind of a hot dog city,” Jason Acreman, general manager at Carrigan’s, said in an interview with AL.com. “A corn dog is a variation of the hot dog, and I think that’s why it took off. There’s a nice presentation, and obviously there’s a lot of food. It’s been a good seller since the beginning. People say, ‘If you go to Carrigan’s, you’ve got to have the corn dog.’”

Birmingham Magazine agreed, placing the Carrigan’s Corn Dog atop a 2015 list for the best hot dogs in the city. The magazine also named it as one of “the top 55 dishes you must eat in Birmingham” in 2017. According to the food and lifestyle blog My Pretty Brown Eats: “This corn dog is everyTHANG and then some!”

Um, calories? It’s probably best not to get into that. The substantial corn dog, which sits atop a heap of fries, is more of an indulgence or guilty pleasure. It’s also a perfect example of late-night eats — “when you’ve been out having some cocktails, and you want something on your stomach,” Acreman said.

Let’s take a closer look.

WHAT’S ON THE TRAY?

“It’s an all-beef frank, so we’re using the best hot dog we can find, and we make the batter in house,” Acreman said. “It goes on a bed of fries, which we also cut and blanch and double fry ourselves. It’s dressed with a house ketchup, guajillo ketchup. It has our house ranch, and is topped with Cotija cheese and cilantro.”

Never heard of guajillo? It’s a dried chile pepper typically used in Mexican cuisine. “It’s not spicy, but it does have a little bit of a bite to it,” Acreman said. Cotija is an aged Mexican cheese made from cow’s milk, used in dishes such as tacos, enchiladas and tostados.

WHO BRAINSTORMED THE RECIPE?

The mastermind of Carrigan’s Corn Dog is Wil Drake, a Birmingham chef who’s best known as the co-founder of Hero Doughnuts & Buns. Drake created the recipe for Carrigan’s, Acreman said.

WHAT DOES THE CORN DOG TASTE LIKE?

“It’s got a nice batter to it, so it’s got that crisp crunch when you bite into it,” Acreman said. “With the house ketchup and the house ranch, that adds more flavor to it. It’s an upscale corn dog. It’s nice. It’s flavorful.” Price for the dish: $15.

HOW POPULAR IS IT?

Carrigan’s typically sells about 250-300 corn dogs per month, “depending on how busy we are,” Acreman said.

Just in case you’re wondering, a few folks have actually shunned the yummy trimmings and ordered their corn dogs plain. “We say, ‘Do whatever you want, but we’d like to dress it up for you,’” Acreman said. “If someone wants a plain corn dog, we’ll make it, and that’s fine.” Also, most people at Carrigan’s go for the gusto and eat their corn dogs off the stick. However, Acreman said it’s not unheard of for diners to use a knife and fork.

WHAT SHOULD WE DRINK WITH THE CORN DOG?

“Obviously, we’re very proud of our cocktails, that’s kind of what we made our name on at Carrigan’s, but I like it with a beer,” Acreman said. “It just seems like those two things go well together. I’m always going to suggest one of our local beers. I think I’d do it with a light beer. We have a lot of good options with TrimTab and Good People and Avondale, and we have a lot of new ones popping up every day. We have a large community of IPA drinkers here, and we have lots of those to offer, as well.”

HOW LATE CAN YOU ORDER IT?

Carrigan’s is open 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The kitchen stays open until 10 p.m. weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends, Acreman said.

WHAT ELSE DO THEY SERVE?

The menu at Carrigan’s includes a double burger, loaded fries, chili wings, chicken tenders and a fried chicken sandwich. There’s a salmon salad and a kale Caesar salad, as well.

“We like to think that we basically have elevated pub food,” Acreman said. “We’re not doing anything overly complicated or sophisticated. We want to keep it simple and affordable and delicious. We want people to come back for things they love, and then try something new.”

ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW?

Carrigan’s is now a philanthropub, the name given to a restaurant or pub that donates its proceeds to charitable organizations. The change was announced in August 2023 by owner David Carrigan, as the pub celebrated its 10-year anniversary in Birmingham.

According to Acreman, Carrigan’s was inspired by The Oregon Public House, a philanthropub in Portland, and the success of its own Big Birmingham Burger & Bourbon Bash earlier this year. That event raised money for Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.

“Every penny of profit we make, after bills are paid, goes back to the community,” Acreman said. “We’re partnering with different organizations throughout (2024) to do that. Basically, the community has supported us for 10 years, and we’re now giving back. We’re trying to do whatever we can to give back to Birmingham charities and nonprofits, in whatever way we can. … Our goal is to pick a certain number per year and partner with them for a certain amount of time, and take the profits from that time and give it back to them.”