Good Taste / July 2007
Inside the Bun
Americans are expected to eat 150 million hot dogs over the 4th of July holiday weekend - July is national hot dog month, after all. But, hot dogs aren’t just part of patriotic picnics; they’re part of the American way. Over 16 billion hot dogs are consumed in the US each year.
Their reputation as an assemblage of undesirable meat scraps is actually undeserved. Hot dogs, frankfurters or weiners, are identified by federal standards as cooked or smoked sausage. The primary ingredient is meat and the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that meats for hot dogs be the same quality ground meat sold in supermarkets. There’s no fixed specification for hot dog meat, but pork and beef are most popular Less expensive hot dogs typically contain chicken, due to the low cost and availability of mechanically separated chicken, and some pork. Sometimes variety meats- like livers- are used and the information must be clearly stated on the label.
Most hot dog recipes combine a blend of pork, beef, chicken, or turkey, meat fat, a cereal filler like bread crumbs, flour, or oatmeal, a bit of egg white, and seasonings. Smoking and curing ingredients contribute to flavor, color, and preservation. The finished products must contain no less than 15 % meat, no more than 30% fat or no more than 10% water, or a combination of 40% fat and added water.
During processing, meat is mixed with a curing solution to improve taste and increase shelf life. Salt, a major ingredient in the curing solution, improves flavor and inhibits bacterial growth. Water, another component, helps create the necessary meat emulsion and adds a juicy quality. Sodium nitrite retards rancidity and stabilizes meat color. Curing accelerators, like sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate may be added to preserve meat color during storage. Sugar and corn syrup give hot dogs a sweeter taste.
Natural and artificial flavoring is added, typically a mixture of the two. Herbs and spices including garlic, pepper, ground mustard, nutmeg, onion, ginger, cumin, and dill are combined with artificial flavoring compounds like monosodium glutamate to intensify the meat flavor.
Hot dogs can contain up to 3.5 % extenders, like nonfat dry milk, cereal, or dried whole milk, to increase the number of hot dogs that can be made from a set amount of meat and improve nutritive value. All hot dog ingredients must be listed in the ingredients statement in order of predominance, from highest to lowest amounts. By-products, heart, kidney, or liver, must be named with the derived species in the ingredients statement.
After the meat passes inspection, it’s cut into small pieces and placed in a stainless steel mixing container with high speed choppers. The other ingredients are blended in until a fine emulsion, or batter, is produced. The batter is pumped into an automatic stuffer/linker machine, which stuffs the batter into tube-shaped, cellulose casings, twisted at precise points to produce a long, linked strand of equally sized hot dogs. After being encased, the hot dog links are tossed into boiling water for about 15 minutes and may be later conveyed to a smokehouse for additional flavor. Casings are removed and hot dogs are vacuum-packed to preserve their flavor.
The entire process takes only a few hours.
Kosher hot dogs are prepared with no pork and under the supervision of specially trained rabbis following 3,000 year old traditions.
Hot dogs remain popular because they’re inexpensive, convenient and delicious, whether grilled, boiled, steamed, sauteed, fried, roasted or microwaved. Mustard is the favorite topping for 32 % of Americans, but for many, hot dogs aren’t hot dogs without chili.
Americans aren’t the only ones who love hot dogs. The Spanish call them “perrito caliente,” in Italian, it’s “cane caldo,” in France, they are “chien chaud,” Germans call them “Heisser Hund,” and the Dutch have dubbed them “worstjes.
Germans say the frankfurter was developed in Frankfurt in 1484, five years before Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world. In 1987, the city celebrated the 500th birthday of the hot dog. Even in the 1850s, Germans made thick, soft, fatty sausages called “franks.”
In Vienna, Austria, they say the master sausage maker who made the first wiener got his early training in Frankfurt, Germany. He called his sausage the “wiener-frankfurter” but it was generally known as “wienerwurst,”. Wien is the German name of Vienna and wurst means sausage in German.
Hot dogs tend to have high sodium, fat and nitrate content but due to changing dietary preferences in the U.S., manufacturers have turned to turkey, chicken, or vegetarian meat substitutes as well as lowering the salt content.
The general food safety guidelines that apply to all perishable products also apply to hot dogs. “Keep hot food hot and cold food cold.” Although all hot dogs are fully cooked, they should always be reheated until steamy hot before eating.
People are often passionate about their hot dogs and their toppings, which range from slaw or sauerkraut to avocados, canned corn or tomatoes. Those in the hot dog industry understand that choosing a hot dog is a very personal decision and have learned to respect that for many Americans, dressing it is an art. PL
Hot Dog Tortilla Pie
8-10 hot dogs
1 pkg. corn tortillas
1 (4 oz.) pkg. cheddar cheese
1 can whole kernel corn
2 cans tomato sauce
Slice hot dogs. Combine with chili, corn and 1½ cans tomato sauce in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cut tortilla into quarters. Cover bottom of 1½ quart casserole with tortilla then layer with chili, another tortilla and alternate, ending with chili. Sprinkle with cheese. Add remainder of tomato sauce. Bake uncovered 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
Hot Dog and Chili Casserole
1 lb. box manicotti noodles
8 hot dogs
8 oz. block Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups chili with beans
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and pour into greased 13 x 9 dish. Slit the center of the hot dogs and stuff with chunks of cheese, place inside the bed of noodles. Pour chili over the noodles and top with remaining cheese. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 6.
Hot Dogs and Noodles
1 lb. hot dogs, cut into chunks
4 cans (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
dash hot sauce
1 lb. bow tie noodles
1 8 oz. pkg. 4-cheese shredded Mexican cheese or plain cheddar
Heat hot dogs, tomato sauce, onion flakes and hot sauce. Prepare bow tie noodles.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place noodles in baking pan. Pour sauce mixture over and stir.
Sprinkle cheese over top; place in oven until cheese melts, 5-10 minutes.
San Antonio Spurs Dogs
1 package flour tortillas
1 pound hot dogs
1 (15 ounce) can chili with beans
8 ounces American cheese slices
Use room-temperature tortillas. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Spread 1 heaping teaspoon of chili on each tortilla. Place slice of cheese on top of chili. Set hot dog in center of cheese. Roll up sides of tortilla and fasten with wooden picks. Bake about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and tortilla is crisp. Serves 5-6.
Dogs and Veggie Casserole
1 pkg. hot dogs (sliced crosswise)
1 med. onion
1 pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
2 TBSP. butter
1 1/2 cup minute rice
1 (16 oz.) can stewed tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute onions and hot dogs in butter. While they saute, cook vegetables in 1½ cups of water. Add stewed tomatoes to the onions and hot dogs. Add rice to the hot dogs. Add vegetables and water to the hot dogs. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with biscuits.
Hot Dog Soup
½ lb. hot dogs, cut in rings
2 TBSP butter
1 cup thinly diced celery
½ cup chopped onions
2 cans condensed bean with bacon soup
3½ cans water
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1 medium potato, diced
½ cup ketchup
In a large saucepan, brown hot dogs in butter. Add celery and onion. Cook until tender; stir in soup, water, macaroni, potato and ketchup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until macaroni is done.
Creole Hot Dogs
1 can pinto beans
1 can tomatoes
1 TBSP oil
1 onion, quartered
1 green pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 hot dogs, cut into bite bite-sized pieces
Saute onions and hot dogs in oil. Combine with other ingredients in pot and cook until green pepper is done. Serve in soup bowls over rice or with garlic bread and tossed salad.
Hot Dog Casserole
1 pkg hot dogs
1 large onion
6-7 potatoes
2 cans golden mushroom soup
1 cup milk
In large casserole dish, layer starting with potatoes, onions and hot dogs. Mix soup and milk, pour over mixture. Simmer on low heat until potatoes are tender.
Bourbon Hot Dogs
1 ½ lb. hot dogs, cut in bite-size pieces
Mix in casserole:
1 ½ cup ketchup
½ cup brown sugar
3/4 ccup bourbon
1 tsp grated onion
Pinch of oregano
¼ tsp. rosemary
Add hot dogs and stir. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 ½ hours.
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