DIY Hot Pockets: The Perfect Make-Ahead Meal for Busy Days

This is how god always intended hot pockets should be made.
Short Crust Pastry:
3 1/2 cups (500g) + 3 tbsp ( all-purpose flour
big pinch of white or caster sugar
1 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 sticks which are 5 1/2 oz (310 g) unsalted butter
2 whole eggs
2 tbsp whole milk
Bechamel sauce base mix: (this was a lot and you can certainly half the recipe)
8 oz (226 grams) butter
14 oz (386 grams) all-purpose flour
3 quarts (2.83 liters or 6 pints) of whole milk
Chicken Bacon Ranch Hot pocket mix: (1/2 of bechamel sauce)
4 oz (113 grams) mozzarella cheese
5 oz (141 grams) Asiago cheese
5 oz (141 grams) parmesan cheese
1 packet of buttermilk ranch seasoning
1 whole roasted chicken with the meat picked off
1 whole pack of cooked bacon cut into squares
salt and pepper to taste
Philly Cheese Steak Hot pocket mix: (1/2 of bechamel sauce, I would recommend using 1/4 of the mix for a more meaty experience)
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 medium onions or 1 large onion diced
2 lbs (0.9 kg) steak of choice cut into thin strips
2 roasted and peeled red bell peppers
20 slices Velveeta cheese
5 oz (141 grams) mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste
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[@thatdudecancook]

HHHHHOOOOOOTTTTTTT POOOOCCCCKKKKKEEETTTTTSSSSSS.......

[@danielgrassman2175]

You get it!

[@bierbrauer11]

What’re you gonna pick‽

[@themusicthrills9282]

Pepperoni ans meatball

[@spaceboypoogie]

*Diarrhea Pockets

[@Torta--is--PLUR]

Make BBQ BEEF hot pockets I miss them so much

[@USMCRonin]

I finally know. Made rosemary salt last night to use with your whole chicken recipe. Punched my fridge.

[@thatdudecancook]

I'm proud of you

[@joshkendrick4728]

Lmmfao

[@andrewknaff9220]

I’m renting my current house from my ex-wife so I can’t punch the fridge. I’m kinda jealous.

[@constupatedtomuch]

@@andrewknaff9220 its alright man you will soon be able to punch a fridge

[@salarycapo]

@@andrewknaff9220 all the more reason to punch the fridge

[@fheering]

That's it, chef! This video has so much of everything I enjoy on your channel. It has more than one great recipe and all of them can be used in various situations. It has great tips on different cooking techniques. It was spiced with humor and laughter, inspired by food where "sadness and depression" reigned as flavors. Great job, Sonny! Thanks! I'll be using your pastry recipe today, with a creamy pancetta and mushroom filling, that the kids have been obsessed about lately. But I'll surely try everything you've presented here, in no time! Thanks again!

[@thatdudecancook]

Thanks for the kind words and happy cooking with the family!

[@fheering]

@@thatdudecancook Thanks, chef!

[@paulbush8747]

I know the feeling of making so much food for a few people. It's hard to recondition your brain. I was in the Navy and while I was on board the Aircraft Carrier, I was making 15,000 meals a day. 5,000 portions of food 3 times day. Now that I'm retired; I'm making meals at home and have to remember that I'm only cooking for 2-5 family members.

[@kaylabryson1932]

Amazing you could serve that many daily !! Very impressive

[@seandupuie3552]

Could totally make pot pies with that extra filling. Pie crust bottom and puff pastry top!

[@BlackJesus8463]

Pot pies are probably a better formfactor than pockets TBF.

[@UBADD2]

Sounds awesome!

[@scrat9870]

for me the go to hot pocket was always pepperoni pizza. they usually had a good amount of ronis in there, so there wouldn't look quite as sad as the other flavors

[@orenji1625]

fax

[@Anthony-eb8et]

Chicken broccoli and cheddar was my go to. The real GOAT is meatballs and mozzarella

[@alejandroberrios4756]

Yeah the only hot pockets I can remember eating growing up were the pepperoni pizza and the ham and a cheese, had no idea there were as many other flavors as the comments suggest.

[@familylivesmatters]

Great vid per usual dude. I’d like to hear you include some stories from your career as a chef.

[@Captain_Dark]

Second this

[@thatdudecancook]

noted!

[@christophersampson1982]

@@thatdudecancook I totally expected you to say "heard"..I occasionally say "noted" to my Chef which summons a stare so cold it makes Polar Bears whimper!! Love your content Chef, I use your recipes as my go to when I have a brain fart and forget a step or ingredient..

[@familylivesmatters]

@@christophersampson1982 I’ve been saying “please watch out for me because I’m carrying a pan full of hot food and I’ll be walking behind you”. It hasn’t been well received

[@warrenpenner2315]

Throw a 2.0 video out there for air-fryer folks (if possible). Not important for me to see but could be good for those that don't have space. My 5 year old has dented my fridge after watching a few of your videos. A champ and hero to good eats. Thanks.

[@paulmalcolm342]

I’m so happy for you After working 18 yrs in a challenging industry And now you are doing your own thing I salute you sir

[@duckyputter]

Yes! I will be making these.

[@catmandude2357]

From one dude to another, I really enjoy your channel, especially the fridge violence.

[@catmandude2357]

@@kernow9324 Lol

[@catmandude2357]

@@kernow9324 That's cool, a couple of handsome fellas they are. Give the elderly guy some love from the US.

[@zachsdickDOTmpg]

This isn’t a knock on you, just an observation/wish. When people make things that are easily frozen for the future I wish they’d give us a little direction on how to heat them from frozen. Just time and temp. I hate guessing at that kind of thing and I’m not good at it yet. Still an awesome video and recipe! I’ve never made a bechamel before because I thought it was something complicated but now I know I can do it. Milk and roux. Ezpz.

[@thatdudecancook]

Gotcha! I wasn’t planning on making a bunch and freezing them but I don’t see why you couldn’t do that. I’m guessing they would just take 15 minutes more or so in the oven if that helps.

[@F.Andre1377]

@@thatdudecancook Buttermilk ranch seasoning substitute please??

[@BlackJesus8463]

@@F.Andre1377 The salad dressing.

[@chaiherobay9932]

@@thatdudecancook Could be a perfect thing to focus on for a future short/video. You have all that extra filling so it would be best if you can make sure it doesn't get wasted. Would be ideal if these could be microwaved since hot pockets are intended to be convenience food. Maybe try a few different methods of re-heating from frozen to see what works best.

[@grizzlyaddams3606]

@@chaiherobay9932 guys guys... He only has so many fridges...

[@burnttavernnj]

New favorite part of these vids is seeing Marcus get to try the food.

[@lambbonesdev]

Next Marcus is gonna punch the fridge

[@burnttavernnj]

@@lambbonesdev Marcus gets down on all fours behind the fridge while Sonny pushes it over

[@MacMcCaskill]

There's no way I'm ever going to make these, but it was fun watching Sonny do it. 😂

[@BlackJesus8463]

If I ever did I'd make a bunch and freeze them. Seems like a small amount of additional time to make a lot more.

[@ssl33p]

I dont even know why I watch cooking shows Basically anything that isnt stir frying everything in one pan, I'm not doing it.

[@nightmode5000]

i'd use premade dough and just make the filling

[@Kurtwuckertjr]

I watch your videos with my three year old son, and he hits the fridge now when we’re cooking together. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@70smusicfanatic34]

Sonny, when you likened the stuffing of the hot pocket to that of a beef Wellington, you created a moment of serendipity - Beef Wellington hot pocket! Gonna try that along with your techniques presented here, and Gordon Ramsay can eat his heart out!

[@grizzlyaddams3606]

Giga can make one out of a $1 steak.

[@andrewknaff9220]

My favorite Hot Pocket from my teenage/college years was the ham and cheddar.

[@thatdudecancook]

a classic indeed

[@leonasty69]

💀

[@leonasty69]

ham and cheese hot pockets are not good

[@grizzlyaddams3606]

Nobody even mentions the pepperoni...

[@leonasty69]

@@grizzlyaddams3606 I like pep pizza and meatballs and mozzarella hot pockets

[@dmrapoport]

I loved you before, but making a point of peppers NOT being authentic to a Philly Cheesesteak is frickin EPIC! You may be one of the only, if not the only, chef on social media that understan that. I cant tell you how many "Philly cheesesteaks" I've seen with peppers in them. NO!! Thank you, Sonny. I bow to you.

[@salarycapo]

Sweet pepper, jalapeño, mushrooms and onions

[@dmrapoport]

@@salarycapo Heathen!!!!

[@kencult]

Hey Sonny! For future videos, I would LOVE if you could talk about freezing and re-heating things. These pockets seem like the perfect thing to make in large batches and freeze. I make batch breakfast burritos and Gyoza that I love to reheat for a quick snack/lunch. Would these work if you baked them from frozen? Thanks!

[@davidbuben3262]

Yes! I do the same. I cook a 3-5 lb. Boston butt or whole pork loin, low and slow, for chimichangas, and they freeze really well. Nothing but the meat filling for half, and the other half is the the meat and shredded cheddar. So freaking good.

[@kevincrossgrove1802]

For some reason I remember meatballs and mozzarella as a fave. Great vid as always! Now let’s go!

[@leonasty69]

oh hell yeah those slap

[@james.randorff]

This is sooooo extra, and I absolutely love it! I don’t know if I will ever go down this exact rabbit hole of perfecting something that never should have been allowed to exist in the first place, but you nailed this!

[@farisidean2414]

Sonny I just love you and your videos. You make everything so easy for me to follow. Thanks for being you.🥰❤

[@joshkolchins7753]

Sonny, one of my best college buddies is still a Hot Pocket fanatic. How he's alive after all these years and all those microwaved pastries of gastric destruction, I don't know, but I'm making these for him to try to get him off the junk. Love your channel, man!

[@Chong1975]

NOW LET'S GOOOO!!!!!

[@domenicpolsoni8370]

"This one sucks and I remember it wrong." ~ Marcus lol

[@stephaniemiller4105]

So, this is a pastry hack I picked up off the interweb. I think it's brilliant, but tbh I haven't actually tried this yet; but I totally will when I make this short crust pastry! Hack is this: Freeze your butter and grate it into the flour. Saves you from having to freeze your cutter and the time & effort of cutting the butter in (which always feels like it takes forever to me!).

[@kikobbell]

the boyish wonder in Marcus’s voice when he whispers “chicken bacon ranch” is how I knew you really cracked the code on this one

[@thegodofpez]

If you haven’t seen the Jim Gaffigan comedy bit about Hot Pockets, I highly recommend it. (:

[@lostboi3974]

Yes. It one of the best!

[@thatdudecancook]

The best!

[@danielgrassman2175]

Seen it and agree!

[@heavyq]

I loved the ham and cheese and BBQ hot pockets. Those are my favorites.

[@guachatierna]

great! Im going to make them. So, Let's go! Thank you Soni.

[@betterwithrum]

omg, top NY prime strip?! These are going to be 10-12 dollar hot pockets each!!! This man made philly steak from NY strip with valedia cheese! You're a mad man!

[@river7874]

I don't have a pastry cutter, so I grate my butter with a box grater. It works wonders.

[@jbryan8864]

My favorite was always the pepperoni pizza or ham and cheese! Honestly don't think I had any other than those two.

[@7eIla]

I don't usually comment but that phily feeling looks delicious, gonna do some pies with it

[@Ishimarisan]

“Tastes like peppers and sadness…” now that’s a promo Hot Pockets should use on the box!

[@grizzlyaddams3606]

Or, "we removed 90% of the filling and lined our pockets with your money."

[@james.randorff]

I also learned more about Béchamel sauce today, and will be adjusting my baked mac & cheese recipe to use almost double the flour of my butter. Thanks for that!

[@websterforrest]

This looks so good. I hope you made a few hundred pockets and gave them out to people. And I am loving the new epic fridge segments! You should collab with the slow mo guys and detonate the fridge eventually.

[@BurntBits]

Growl with fridge knock down. These must be epic.

[@JakeStewart1343]

I wish I had his growl! Indeed a great panty dropper! 👙👍

[@briandelanis7348]

Best cooking shows I've ever seen!!!! Thanks for making it fun dude.

[@dianac52176]

A quick help for cleaning the burned peppers. Slice them open, remove the top, seeds, and veins, then roast, or broil them until they’re black. Peel, and use. It saves so much time, and effort cleaning the sticky, slimy yuck when they’re done. Watching you from Mexico City. Love your channel. ❤

[@xedjflowx]

I forget where I saw it but Chefs in Italy (or was it France?) will use either a cold roux and hot milk or vice versa. Chef John also uses this - it won't clump, dirties one less thing, and takes less work AND time.

[@sniffableandirresistble]

Mini beef wellington... lol 🤣

[@billbush1270]

Velveeta melts so well! It is the taste of my childhood, and is great as part of Mac and cheese in the cheese mix. It was the cheese on our cheese toast, and leftover biscuit halves toasted with a little Velveeta on them are not a bad breakfast item.

[@gimme0dis0junk0mail]

Is that Marcus Spielberg? Because the production quality is just through the roof!

[@alexedwards8485]

Love you two! Thanks for the videos!

[@LordWaterFarts]

Probably the best cooking video I've seen. And I've seen quite a bit lol

[@chriscrew4478]

Reminds me of pasties they have in england

[@ChefboiRed]

The beauty of a hot pocket is to just throw it in the microwave for 3 min and go

[@HOCUS-POCUS.]

The Marcus addition is top notch.

[@-Jacco-]

Sonny! Considering your time in the Netherlands.... Teach the world how to make Kroketten. I'm sure you've dented your fair share of fridges in our little country after eating those. Thanks for your great content!

[@thatdudecancook]

great idea!!

[@grizzlyaddams3606]

Isn't denting a fridge a capital offense in the Netherlands?

[@janitarjanitar]

Dude... ham and cheese Hot Pockets were my go to.

[@mmgbtv]

When I saw how much butter you started with I thought, maybe he’s food prepping for the next 2 months! Good idea with the béchame, gonna try it with ham, swiss, snd broccoli

[@aaronbailey23]

When I was a kid, I loved the pepperoni hot pockets. Haven’t had them in at least a decade though because I want to stay alive 😂.

[@grizzlyaddams3606]

FINALLY SOME ONE MENTIONS THE PEPPERONI ONES!!! The only ones I really ever ate. Like Totinos though, they lack any filling nowdays. Definitely NOT the same.

[@aaronbailey23]

@@grizzlyaddams3606 I was thinking the same thing! I thought the pepperoni were the most popular but apparently not lol.

[@ryancrowe7604]

I love the pepperoni pizza hot pockets. They're my little guilty pleasure

[@SamSolasdonSaol]

Mmmm. I'm going to make the chicken bacon ranch, with a few changes, tonight. I'm going to add mushrooms and onions, roll it inside a crepe and top with breadcrumbs mixed with Swiss cheese on top. Ohhh yeah!!! Thanks for the inspiration Sonny!

[@andy175a5]

These look amazing, because the idea of hot pockets is great, but as you said the filling is usually sad, and the crust is tough, so this knocks it out like that damn fridge

[@knightsofneeech]

I made your rosemary salt cured brisket. Tallow covered butcher paper and all!

[@MrJhchrist]

these looked so good I went and bought some hot pockets.

[@kylemain4314]

Dude! You and Marcus rock!!!

[@rebeccavalicoff1581]

You could make a casserole with biscuits with extras

[@phothewin6019]

Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets are still elite, my guy. Along with Dino Chicken Nuggets. Stop the cap.

[@tushfinger]

14:50 thatdudecan... make me laugh every time

[@chrisaitchison8282]

Nice pasty.

[@albimazzone2347]

Today the fridge attack went so brutal ahahahah

[@SelfMadeHundredaire]

You gotta do a sequel video with Jim Gaffigan :) God bless you, brother. You're my favorite cooking channel.

[@nightwing321]

The Philly cheese + Ham and cheese were my favorite growing up. I’m surprised you landed on chicken and bacon was a top favorite. I don’t think I’ve ever tried or seen it in store. Typically it’s ham/cheese and pepperoni in most places. Thanks for the recipe. I’m excited to give these a go!

[@thatdudecancook]

I liked the grossest one of all....cheeseburger

[@johnathanryder3233]

Rhett and Link recently did a Good Mythical Morning episode tasting all the hot pocket flavors. They decided Chicken Bacon Ranch was one of the top flavors so that was probably the inspiration for deciding to use that flavor in this video :)

[@evalandolt7547]

Just thinking about your neighbors watching you beat that fridge. They're probably like who is this crazy guy hahaha.

[@buzz6283]

The best thing I've seen made on yt.

[@theofficialvayne0420]

I always loved the ham and cheese one

[@PacoRobbins]

Philly Cheese Steak was always my favorite.

[@kaylabryson1932]

Absolutely love this video!! Would love some guide lines on freezing and cooking times. Chefs don’t realize how regular home cooks do not have judgment …even though I’ve cooked for 35 yrs… still need direction for everything, since I’m always trying new things and have zero Cheffy talent.

[@larsw3967]

That was satisfying

[@Whiteanglestar999]

Mmmmmm! Looks amazing!! 👉🙏

[@sakuralove606]

those hot pockets looked so good!

[@joeblack4436]

A filling I love for this type of thing is a chicken, shallot with white wine and herbs of choice, but yeah... Thyme. Realistically speaking though - The sky's the limit. There are relatively few dishes which are not great in a crust. I think a good rule of thumb is - If it's good in a sandwich, then it's probably great in a pie. I mean even PB & J will probably rock.

[@JokrMetaa]

Yup jealous af of Marcus getting to be your cameraman/taste tester lol

[@chasingcloudsandflavorrevi9817]

Philly Cheesesteak is my legit favorite 😍 but I have always wanted to make my own Hot Pockets! I might have to give your recipe a try 😊

[@proudamerican4050]

Hahahaha the ROAR 😂 🦁 You're the best 👍

[@benjaminbrand9550]

Hot roux + cold milk= no lumps. Thanks chef john.

[@jasonelimon9664]

That looks amazing! I wish I could make that tonight but I am committed to making your herb chicken recipe. Unfortunately I cannot punch my refrigerator or my wife will punch me!

[@tomblackburn6781]

Bro I've been following your channel forever it's awesome. Me and my girlfriend were just talking about recreating this or the bistros... Thanks for doing the hard work can't wait to try it out myself.

[@piyushdwivedi7195]

I'm pretty sure you've got the most experience fighting a fridge.

[@randyshifter]

You nailed it, "hot pockets".. is it time to say you can call it a Texas style hot pocket yet...😂, great video sonny....

[@JPShadow]

My favorite one is the classic pepperoni and mozzarella cheese one.

[@GotEmAll1337]

Looks good, though I do feel like you could have made the filling a lot more meaty by halving the entire bechamel recipe... and then after cooling the two fillings, form into rough logs, toss in the freezer for a bit. Then be able to really tightly wrap the dough around the filling in order to get a much higher filling:dough ratio in the final product

[@alexrivera8239]

How would you recommend we change the recipe if we want to food prep and freeze these?

[@fylo45]

Awesome video, send some leftovers my way ......😉😁

[@snakehead5444]

My favorite flavor was always ham and cheese. In fact if I see a 24 pack at Costco, I’m totally buying it lol

[@mendisuarez1595]

I had a large family growing up so cooking for 2 now is hard lol. I freeze alot!

[@joncarroll2040]

I always thought Hot Pockets were disgusting... But yours look great.

[@janem3575]

you had me convinced to try making the pockets, coz it was easy to get the dough made. And then recruited help to stir the rue. 🥵

[@meriahaiello]

On look at you!! Skills😎

[@ryananthony3104]

I liked the Italian meatball one growing up.

[@monkeygraborange]

I actually made a butt-load of chicken pot pie hot pockets for New Year’s and my friends were amazed and impressed!

[@illsologamer]

Broccoli and cheddar was the absolute best. Wish someone would make it.

[@jonetxaniz783]

Honestly, it might have been the peppers that did it. I know you wouldn’t add those to an actual cheesesteak but they work unbelievably well with bechamel and they’ve always paired well with beef too. Both look fantastic though.

[@grizzlyaddams3606]

A local pub here in Fairbanks does their P.C. with a LOT of peppers. It's really good. Didn't even know they were originally made without them. Alaskans... Smh... 😄

[@marknorman1273]

These look familiar, Alot like what we would call "pasties" in the UK. Keep up the good work Sonny

[@gailwood6791]

Epic Music for an Epic Upgrade!

[@ronsmith3905]

Ok, so I recently subbed to your channel and really love it. I totally agree with everything you said about the hot pockets (Pepperoni Pizza and Ham & cheese here). I'm definitely going to try these, and I'm thinking maybe make a whole bunch of them and freezing them. To be fair to hot pockets, you critiqued their amount of filling, and I agree, however, once yours cooked up, they sorta looked shy too....just saying. And your ingredients to theirs...it wasn't even a contest...UNTIL...you added velveeta cheese. I was crushed, I couldn't believe you did that. I mean provolone, gruyere, cheddar, for the love of God, American slices. Ok, so I just had to get that off my chest. Still can't believe you did that. Love the channel Sonny, I've been binge watching alot of your stuff...it's all great. Still haven't figured out why you beat up your fridge....but it's funny. Any hey, you even got Gordon Ramsey to watch. You the man. Will look forward to the next video. Cheers!!

[@jasonm4480]

I hear you on the cheese but remember it’s Philly cheesesteaks, which a LOT of traditionalists would insist it be cheez whiz, so velveeta is about on par with that.

[@gat2asp919]

I always liked and still like the breakfast hot pockets. Egg ham and cheese or the sausage egg and cheese.