Take the hot dogs out of the fridge to get the chill off of them before using.
Stir together 1 cup flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in buttermilk and slightly beaten egg until just mixed (don’t overmix). Refrigerate the batter for at least 15 minutes to allow it to thicken up.
Pat the hot dogs dry and cut each one in half.
Skewer the hot dogs with candy sticks or skewers about ¾ of the way through the halved hot dogs.
Use the remaining ¼ cup of flour to lightly coat the hot dogs. This helps the batter to stick to them.
Place the batter into a tall glass. (you will have to refill it a few times as needed)
Dip each hot dog into the batter to cover completely. You may need to dip repeatedly in order to cover the hot dogs completely. If the batter has thickened too much, you may want to add an additional Tablespoon or 2 of milk or buttermilk.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan to approximately 350°F. (To test, drop a teaspoon of batter into the oil. If it comes back up to the top lightly browned, the oil should be ready). Fry one corn dog first as a test to be sure the oil is at the right temperature. It will take 1-2 minutes to brown and cook the hot dog internally. The corn dogs will float upwards, so hold it by the stick and rotate it as it cooks.
Deep fry the rest, a few at a time, try not to crowd the pot.
Place the cooked corn dogs on paper towels to soak up the excess oil.