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July is National Hot Dog Month. Americans will consume an estimated
seven billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day. However, the biggest
hot dog day of the year is the fourth of July, when a reported 155 million of
the franks are eaten. On average, one person alone devours up to sixty hot dogs
per year. In 2010, Americans spent more than $1.6 billion on hot dogs in grocery
stores.
The United States Chamber of Commerce officially designated July as
National Hot Dog Month in 1957, and the tradition has been going strong ever
since.

Hot dogs are vastly underrated. There are so many ways in which to prepare
dogs, and nowadays they are also made with different variations of meat - beef,
and mixes of pork, chicken and turkey. Depending on your degree of
hot-dog-expertise, this universal bite also comes as wieners, dogs, red hots,
franks or frankfurters.
I like a plain hot dog, preferably made with pork
and chicken, on a bun
with little or no ketchup. On the other hand, some people like their dogs loaded
with a variety of condiments. Depending on where you live, there are also a
variety of "specialty" dogs.
Article Contents:
A
Bit of History
How Are Hot Dogs Made?
Types of Dogs, Cooking & Condiments
Hot Dogs & Health
Hot Dogs Around the World
Hot Dog Etiquette
Recipes
Hot Dog Links
Credits & Terms of Use
A
Bit of History
There is a bit of disagreement in
history as to where and when hot dogs originated. Natives in Frankfurtum-Main,
Germany, claim they discovered the hot dog in 1487. Then again, others argue it
was created in the late 1600's by Johann Georghehner, a butcher from Coburg who
is said to have traveled to Frankfurt to promote his new product known as a
"little dog" sausage. The town of Vienna, Austria also claims to have invented
the hot dog.
Weinerwurst was the original
name of the "wiener" (which translates from German into Vienna sausage),
and came to America from the Germany. Another German reference to the food was
bundewurst, which was dog sausage, or smoked sausage). By the 1920's,
weenie roasts had become a favorite pastime, with guests often bringing their
own hot dogs to roast over an open fire. Oscar Mayer had the first portable hot
dog cart in 1936, calling it the Wienermobile.
Eating the hot dog in a warmed bread
bun with various condiments is credited to Charles Feltman of Feltman's Gardens
in the Coney Island amusement park. He opened the first "hot dog" stand in 1871,
which were known as "dachshunds" at the time, and sold 3,684 of the dogs wrapped
in a milk bun his first year. Corn dogs were introduced in 1942 at the Texas
State Fair by Texan native Neil Fletcher.
The actual term hot dog is
attributed to sports cartoonist T.A. Dorgan. He was present at the Polo Grounds
in New York during a 1901 baseball game and heard vendors yelling "Get your
dachshund dogs while they're red hot!" Dorgan sketched a cartoon depicting the
scene, but was unsure how to spell "dachshund." Instead, he simply used the term
"hot dogs." Later, Dorgan's "sausage" cartoons maligned the inexpensive wieners
sold at Coney Island, hinting they contained dog meat. The publicity was so
ferocious in 1913 the Chamber of Commerce banned the use of the term hot dog
from signs at Coney Island. The term first appeared on the pages of the Oxford
English Dictionary in the year 1900.
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How
Are Hot Dogs Made? (Or Do You Really Want To Know?)
There have been many stories about
the meat origins of hot dogs, some of them none-too-appetizing. Years ago
someone told me hot dogs and bologna were made with various body parts from
horses, and this naturally turned my stomach. In reality, selected meat
trimmings of beef and/or pork are cut and ground into small pieces and placed
into a mixer. In the event "chicken" hot dogs are being made, poultry trimmings
are used.
Stainless steel choppers blend the
meat, spices, ice chips and curing ingredients at a high speed, until they are
emulsified, or the consistency of batter. The mixture is weighed constantly to
ensure a proper balance of all ingredients, and is then pumped into an automatic
linker machine, where it flows into casings. Most hot dogs are made using
cellulose casings which are later removed, while others use natural casings made
from animal intestines, which remain on the hot dog when it is finally eaten.
Once the casings are filled, they are linked into long strands of hot dogs and
fully cooked in a smokehouse. After the cooking process, the hot dogs are
sprayed with cool water. If made with the cellulose casing, the hot dogs are
then placed on an automatic peeler, where the skin is stripped away.
Individual links are then
vacuum-packed in plastic films to protect freshness and flavor. Each package
will contain and "ingredient" statement, which lists the contents in the
product. It is now less common to use "variety" meats such as beef and pork
hearts in hot dogs, but if they are used, the label should be clearly marked
with the term "made using variety meats" or a similar statement. The
manufacturing of hot dogs is also closely regulated and inspected for
wholesomeness by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
-
Beef (contains only beef with no
soybean or dry milk fillers)
-
Kosher (all-beef, seasoned with
garlic)
-
Meat (a mix of pork and beef, no
fillers)
-
Frankfurter (can contain a percent of
fillers made form a combination of meats)
Types of Dogs, Cooking & Condiments
-
Chicago Dogs (with yellow mustard,
dark green relish, chopped raw onions, tomato slices, celery salt and a
poppy-seed bun)
-
Kansas City Dogs (with sauerkraut and
melted Swiss cheese on a sesame seed bun)
-
New York City Dogs (with steamed
onions and a pale yellow mustard sauce)
-
Coney Island Dogs (topped with a
spicy meat mixture)
-
Southern Slaw Dogs (with coleslaw)
-
Corn Dogs (hot dogs on a stick dipped
in corn batter and deep fried)
-
Tex-Mex Dogs (with salsa, Monterey
Jack cheese and chopped jalapeno's)
-
Pigs-in-a-Blanket (wrapped in pastry
and baked)
-
Baltimore Frizzled (split and deep
fried)
-
Chili Dogs (cooked hot dogs smothered
with chili and onions)
-
Lillies (cocktail-sized wieners
served with a sauce)
-
Vienna Sausage (mini-hot dogs in a
flavored juice)
Hot dogs are typically fully cooked
when packaged, but in America it is customary to warm them first before eating.
The flavor of the dogs improves a great deal upon "warming," and favorite
cooking methods include boiled, broiled, braised, baked, grilled, fried, and
steamed in beer or other liquids.
Anyone who likes hot dogs has a
preference of condiments. "Dressing" the dog is solely up to the individual, but
the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council recommends the following order for
condiment "application": first wet (mustard or ketchup); then chunky (relish,
onions or salsa); then cheese, with spices if desired. Some kids like chocolate
on their dogs as well.
And remember: Dress the dog and not
the bun! This is firmly reiterated in the section below called Hot Dog
Etiquette.
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Hot
Dogs and Health
The majority of hot dogs are high in
fat, and almost all of them also contain sodium nitrite, which is a chemical salt used as
a preservative and flavor enhancer, which some researchers claim are
carcinogens. Some consumers allege other health problems, such as sudden drops
in blood pressure. However, those who are serious about their fat intake can
select from a variety of low-fat and fat-free wieners, or switch to vegetarian
tofu franks.
Chicken or turkey dogs are not always
lower in fat, so be sure to check the nutritional information on the package.
Surprisingly, however, hot dogs can also be good sources of vitamins, minerals
and protein including iron, zinc, niacin, riboflavin and B vitamins.
Hot
Dogs Around the World
The American hot dog now enjoys a
worldwide popularity. In Russia, hot dogs are known as sosiska. Just a
few years ago, hot dog sales in Russia totaled more than $70 million. Russians prefer spicy dogs, and they are often
made with large amounts of garlic. In China, hot dogs are called Rouchang, and
are served fully cooked although cold, wrapped in red plastic. The Chinese
dogs are eaten like a popsicle, the red wrapping slowly peeled away as the dog
is consumed.
In other countries, the hot dog is
also known as:
-
Perrito Caliente (Spain)
-
Caldo Cane (Italian)*
-
Chien Chaud (France)
-
Heisser Hund or Wurst (Germany)
-
Cachorro Quento (Portugal)
-
Korv or Varmkorv (Sweden)
-
Grillpolser (Norway and Denmark)
-
Park v Rohliku (Czechoslovakia)
-
Worstjes (Dutch)
-
Makkarat (Finland)
*Note: According to the
National Hot
Dog Council, the Italian name for hot dog is "caldo cane" - however, I recently
received a message from a reader who stated no one in Italy says "caldo cane" as
it is only a word for word translation and in literal terms would mean
something similar to a "warm pet." Italians do not translate this word, and it
is merely said as "hot dog" (in the plural and the singular; it is an invariable
word); or "otdog" because the "H" pronunciation is silent. Thanks to Marco for
the information and the direct quote.
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Hot
Dog Etiquette
The following etiquette applies to the "art" of eating a hot
dog per the National Hot
Dog Council:
-
Condiments remaining on the fingers
after eating a hot dog should be licked away, not washed. Eat hot dogs on buns
with your hands. Utensils should never touch hot dog buns.
-
Use paper plates to
serve hot dogs - china plates are forbidden.
-
Do not leave bits of bun on your
paper plate - eat it all!
-
Do not use a cloth napkin to wipe your mouth when
eating a hot dog. Paper napkins are always preferred.
-
Do not place hot dog
toppings between the hot dog and the bun. Always "dress the dog," not the bun.
FOOD FARE RECIPES:
Baguette Franks
Coney Island Hot Dog Sauce
Corn Dogs
Homemade Frankfurters
Pigs-in-a-Blanket
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Hot
Dog Links
Hot Dog Cart
Hot Dog Month at
Holiday Spot
Hot Dog on a Stick
Hot Dog Recipes (and Condiments)
Mobile Food Vendors Association
National Hot Dog & Sausage Council
Oz Dogs
Credit & Terms of Use
(C)2003-2013
Shenanchie
Reprinted exclusively for Food Fare
"Hot Diggity Dog"
was written for entertainment purposes only and expresses the sole opinions of
the author. This article is not meant to be a professional chef's essay about
hot dogs, but rather an observation about the generalities of frankfurters from
a home kitchen.
You are free to use the material in this article as reference, but if you
happen to use direct wording from this piece, we would appreciate the credit.
Thank you.
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send Shenanchie a comment about this article, click here.
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