Hot dogs are truly an American Cuisine. The average American eats 70 hot dogs each year. In this article, you will find the answers to all your dog-gone questions!
Hot dogs are a favorite All American fare for picnics. They are a true summertime fun food. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans will eat nine billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day. On July 4, Independence Day, over 150 million hot dogs will be consumed. The average American will eat 70 of these delicious dogs each year. Whether you call them hot dogs, wieners, frankfurters, franks, or sausages, Americans are crazy for this specialty.
What is it about the hot dog that makes it so popular? Besides the taste, hot dogs are generally inexpensive, easily to eat, and can be served with a variety of sides.
Hot Dog Ingredients and Nutritional Facts
Contrary to some wild rumors about what is in a hot dog, there are strict government standards regulating what a hot dog can contain. All hot dogs include a mix of pork, beef, chicken and turkey or a combination of meat and poultry. The meat is from the muscle of the animal. Other ingredients are water, curing agents, spices such as garlic, salt, sugar, mustard, white pepper, and coriander. The US requires ingredients to be listed in order of the amount with the main ingredient first. The general percents are 85% meat and 15% added ingredients. If the hot dog contains variety meat or by-products it must be labeled as such.
Nutritional facts: Generally: calories 150, 13 grams of fat, and 5-7 grams of protein. There are low-salt, low fat and fat free varieties as well. You can check the back of the package to be certain of the calories and fat grams as well as the ingredients
How are Hot Dogs Made?
Meat and meat trimmings of beef and /or pork, or chicken, or turkey are cut or ground into small pieces and placed in a mixer.
Very high-speed stainless steel choppers mix the meat with the added ingredients of water and spices to create a batter.
The mixture is then pushed into an automatic stuffer/linker machine where it flows into a casing. The popular brands of hot dogs use cellulose casing which is later removed. Some are made with a “natural” casing which is made from cleaned and processed intestines. These remain on the hot dog and give them a “snap” when you bite into it.
Once casings are filled, they are linked into long strands and then cooked under restricted conditions.