brats vs hot dogs

dalton · Aug 18, 2011

ok thinking about making my first attempt at brats and wondering what is really the differnce between brats and hot dogs. what makes a brat a brat and not a hot dog? (or sausage for that matter)

is it that hot dogs are made of meat that is gound much finer?

is it that hot dogs are pre-cooked and brats are not?

it it a type of spice package that makes them brats?

hopefully some of you more expereinced folks can tell me...

thanks

dalton

mdboatbum · Aug 18, 2011

You pretty much nailed it. Brats (Wisconsin style) are made from pork and veal I believe (or just pork shoulder) and are emulsified. Marjoram and nutmeg, among other spices are added to give a distinct flavor profile. German bratwurst from what I understand are less finely ground. Either can be steamed, poached, smoked or grilled depending on what you're going for. I've seen them in stores either fresh or cooked. Hot dogs are pretty much dealer's choice. Any meat can be used, though it's usually emulsified and the resulting sausages are smoked or par cooked in some fashion. I've made Bratwurst (albeit somewhat badly) and various other sausages, but never tried hot dogs.

All are sausages. Brats are a type of Bratwurst and hotdogs are another type of sausage.

Those more in the know may prove me completely wrong, but this is my understanding.

boykjo · Aug 18, 2011

hey dalton...... slow down ,step back and take a breath........ hot dogs and brats r two totally different types of sausages..... Its like whats the difference in kielbasa and italian sausage........... a hot dog is not a brat and a brat is not a hot dog..... if you had some that tasted the same then you either havent had a good hot dog or a good brat......... do a search on brat recipes and hot dog recipes and you'll find some awesome ones and make them and you'll know what the difference is.......................and dont forget the q-veiw.......

Joe

venture · Aug 18, 2011

All of the above. Yes, it is all sausage, but the term sausage covers a heckuva lot of ground.

A good place to browse:

http://lpoli.50webs.com/Sausage recipes.htm

Good luck and good smoking.

DanMcG · Aug 18, 2011

dalton said:
what makes a brat a brat and not a hot dog? (or sausage for that matter)

They are both sausages, anything stuffed in a tube is a sausage for me

is it that hot dogs are made of meat that is gound much finer?

A hot dog is emulsified to a paste and brats are ground meat. So yes.

is it that hot dogs are pre-cooked and brats are not?

Well yes and no. you can have pre cooked dogs and precooked brats, and vise versa.

but the main difference is dogs are always cured with nitrite and brats are always a fresh sausage

it it a type of spice package that makes them brats?

The spices always makes the sausage what it is....there are hundreds of different sausages out there with hundreds of variations of spices for each named sausage. it all comes down to what you like.

That being said each sausage has a basic recipe that needs to be followed to make it what it is. then You tweak it from there.

hopefully some of you more expereinced folks can tell me...

thanks

dalton

I hope this helps answer some questions you had, feel free to ask when ever you want.

boykjo · Aug 18, 2011

DanMcG said:
I hope this helps answer some questions you had, feel free to ask when ever you want.

well answered again Dan..... I'm not good with words......... but everything you say, I am in awe..........................

chefrob · Aug 19, 2011

dan the man to the rescue..........again.

scarbelly · Aug 19, 2011

chefrob said:
dan the man to the rescue..........again.

That is why I love this place

SmokinAl · Aug 19, 2011

Dan said it all!

nwdave · Aug 19, 2011

Or, in my book.....(few pages I know, but thanks to this site....more are always being added) Brats rule the roost. Maybe it was the 3 years of eating education I got in Germany, in the 70's, while working for Uncle Sam's Flying Club that caused me to gain so much weight, but dang, the Germans know how to make and cook Brats. Dang, now you've made go and get hungry for some Brats on the Grill for lunch today, if not for breakfast.......let's see, bacon and brats, couple of eggs on the side........oh, and some of those hash browns........

dalton · Aug 19, 2011

since I have not done any hot dogs or brats yet the brats seem a little easier because you don't have to grind it into a paste!!

I will give it a try this weekend and try and post my results...

thanks for all the input!!! I love this place!!!

DanMcG · Aug 20, 2011

Good luck with the brats and don't forget to post some pic's.!

And hot dogs can be made without turning the meat to paste, just run them through the smallest plate ya got 2 or 3 times. It'll be real close to a emulsified one. That's what I do most of the time.

For comparison here's my emulsified meat;

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/105244/wiener-makin

and here is the double grind;

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/103383/hot-dogs/20

shooterrick · Aug 20, 2011

Well Dan got it covered so

. Just an confession: I have made lots of Brats but never dogs. It is a mental thing and the wife just dosnt like dogs anyway. Ya I know I can make a better dog than the commercial store bought but with the effort it takes to make sausage of any kind I just cant bring myself to do it. OK I feel better for clearing my sausage soul!

Bearcarver · Aug 20, 2011

Looks like Dan covered all you wanted to know.

Don't forget the qview!

Bear

dalton · Aug 23, 2011

thanks all!!

I appreciate the input

red dog · Oct 24, 2014

There's hot dogs and then there's hot dogs.I still remember the dogs we used to get at the local butcher when I was a kid. They were still all linked together in the meat counter and he would cut off whatever you wanted and wrap in butcher paper. They had a nice juicy pop when you bit them and the flavor of pimento or something. I would love to have the recipe they used. Personally I prefer a finer grind in brats. By that I mean finer than you get with the pre-packaged brats like Johnsonville.

brats vs hot dogs

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