Hot Dog

What is in a hot dog, hot dog dog, hot hot dog, la hot dog, dog hot dog, dog hot, hot dog dogs -A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is commonly garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish or sauerkraut. Hot dogs are a processed meat product made by mixing chopped meat with various curing ingredients, flavorings, and colorants. The meat is then stuffed in casings, cooked, removed from the casing, and put in the final package. Although the technology for hot dog making was developed thousands of years ago, these meat products continue to be a popular summertime food. In fact, in America alone over 16 billion hot dogs are consumed each year.

 

The typical raw hot dog is a pink, cylindrical-shaped piece of meat. It is about 1.6 oz (45.36 g) on average and contains anywhere from 0.175-0.245 oz (5-7 g) of protein. It also contains about 0.455 oz (13 g) of fat, 450 mg of sodium and 150 calories. Since hot dogs are meat products, they are an excellent source of nutrients including iron, zinc, niacin, riboflavin, and B vitamins. When hot dogs are made using pork meat, they are good source of thiamin. Since they are a pre-cooked food, they are less prone to spoilage than other types of meat products. This makes them one of the safest meat products available.

Hot dogs are known by many different names including frankfurters, franks, red hots, and wieners. While there are many varieties of hot dogs, one of the most famous is the Kosher hot dog. These hot dogs are prepared in a manner, which follows 3,000 year old traditions that comply with Jewish religious practices. Specially trained Rabbis oversee the entire kosher hot dog making process. Ultimately, the main difference between a kosher and a regular hot dog is that kosher hot dogs do not contain pork.

The primary ingredient in hot dogs is the meat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that meats used for hot dogs must be the same type of quality ground meat sold in supermarkets. While pork is most often used, other types may be used such as beef, chicken or turkey. Sometimes variety meats like livers are used however, the hot dog producers must clearly label the product with the statement "with variety meats" or "with meat by-products." The proteins and fats of which meats are composed are responsible for meat characteristics. For example myofibrillar proteins give meat its texture and structure. Myoglobin and hemoglobin proteins create the natural color of the meat. Fats in the meat give the characteristic flavor.

 

During processing, the meat is mixed with a curing solution to improve the taste and increase the shelf life. A major ingredient in this curing solution is salt. It is used to make the meat easier to work with, improve flavor, and inhibit bacterial growth. Water is another component of the curing solution. It has a variety of functions including helping create the necessary meat emulsion and adding to the meat's juiciness. Sodium nitrite is included in the curing solution to retard the development of rancidity and stabilize the meat color. Curing accelerators such as sodium ascorbate or sodium erythorbate may also be added to preserve the color of the meat during storage.

In addition to the meat and curing ingredients, other ingredients are important in hot dog manufacture. Sugar and corn syrup are used to give hot dogs a sweeter taste. Flavoring is added to give hot dogs their characteristic taste. The flavorants may be natural or artificial, but typically a mixture of the two is used. Natural flavorants include herbs and spices such as pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cumin, and dill. Artificial flavoring compounds include organically synthesized esters, ketone and amino acids. Monosodium glutamate is an artificial flavor that is often used to intensify the flavor of the meat.

Hot dogs may contain units that are the basic ingredients of meat, which will increase the number of hot dogs that you can do a certain amount of meat and improve the nutritional value. Extenders come from plant and animal sources, and include things such as skim milk, cereal, soy protein, and whole milk. In the U.S., all ingredients used in the production of a hot dog should be clearly labeled on the package.