Hot Dog Question

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stanjk

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Nov 13, 2007
103
13
lake worth, fl
Took me first shot a making dogs because I was making sausage and had some leftover beef.

Long story short; They came out dry and firm. More like Summer Sausage than hot dogs.
I used top round beef, which was pretty lean.
Taste good, pretty to look at. But mouthfeel was bad for me.

Question:
Too little fat?
Too long cooking (pulled them at 160°)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds beef
1/2 cup ice water
22 grams (1 Tbs.) salt
20 gram (1/4 cup) skim dry milk
7 1/2 gram (2 1/2 tsp.) garlic powder
5 gram (2 tsp.) paprika, mild
3 gram (1/2 tsp) cure #1
1 1/4 gram (1tsp.) white pepper
1 gram (1/2 tsp.) coriander
1 gram (1 tsp.) mace
3/4 gram (1/2 tsp.) ginger

Any suggestions appreciated.
Thanks!
 
I have only eaten commercial hotdogs ... having said that, also I have never eaten an all beef hotdog that I liked either.
I don't think you can make a decent hotdog without pork fat.
I'm sure others will check in with more info soon.
Good luck!
 
Hmm well, I guess to me- back when I brewed alot, I'd never considered brewing a Bud copy, even if I LIKED it. I'd just go buy a case. Same with hotdogs.
 
I tried hot dogs once. They felt like i was eating straw. I really would like to make some but the experience turned me off. Ill stick to sausage.


In researching, I thimk the secret is some sort of emulsifuing product and filler product.
I just searched a bit but cann't seem to find the info again.


I also think that using good quality meat is not what makes hot dogs taste like hot dogs.
This is something like trying to duplicate scrapple

Just my thoughts on hot dogs
 
Did a little research ...

The weiner comes from Germany and was derived from the Vienna sausage that we find in cans by several brands packed in water.

I found the following recipe for this and as you will see, it isn't smoked although you can certainly do so after it is made. I have smoked commercial weiners for about an hour and they come out plump, juicy and a nice mahogany color!
The part I highlighted explains the texture of a hot dog, I believe.

Vienna Sausage (Weiner)


Ingredients and Directions

4 lb Lean beef
4 lb Lean veal
2 lb Lean pork
1 pt Ice water
2 ts Prague powder #1 *
1 oz Powdered dextrose **
2 3/4 oz Wheat flour **
3 1/2 oz Salt **
1 tb Ground nutmeg
1 ts Ground coriander
1/2 ts Ground cardamom
1/2 ts Ground cloves
* Prague Powder #1 is a 6% mixture of Sodium Nitrite. It is used for curing meat and is available from: The Sausage Maker 26 Military Rd.
Buffalo, NY 14207-2875 716 876-5521
** The reference to ounces for the dextrose, flour, and salt is ounces of weight, not volume. Grind the meat through a 1/8" grinder plate. Add the remaining ingredients, expect water, mixing thoroughly. Place the meat in a meat processor and emulsify it, adding the water as you go along. Then stuff the mixture into 24-26mm sheep casings. Hang at room temperature for 30-40 minutes until
dry. Place in a preheated smokehouse at 150 degrees F. and hold there for 1 hour. Raise the temperature to 165 degrees F., holding until internal temperature reaches 152 degrees F. Vienna sausage is not smoked
 
Thanks for the input all. I think the general feeling about buying the dogs you like is the way to go. I'll just stick with the sausage making.
Stan
 
I have a frankfurter recipe, but it requires a chopper bowl for proccessing the meat and fat to create an the emulsion. Does anybody want it? If yes I will type it in here.

I have made them only once, but they are good espescially with some homemade saurkraut.
 
12.5 pounds bulk/80 links 2.5 ounces each

5# beef shoulder
4# jowl fat partly froze
3 # crushed ice

Cure Mix
3.25 oz/wt salt
2 tsp TCM
.75 oz/wt dextrose

Spices
.5 oz/wt onion powder
.25 oz/wt white pepper
.25 oz/wt coriander
.25 oz/wt nutmeg
.5 tsp garlic powder

5.5 oz/wt nonfat dry milk powder
50 feet rinsed sheep casings

1- toss beef and cure mix, then grind through 1/8" plate.
2- seperately grind the jowl fat through a 1/8" plate. reserve from the beef.
3- Put the beef into a chilled chopper bowl, add spices and beef on top of the beef. Process until the temperature drops to 30F, and then rises back to 40F.
4- add the jowl fat and process until the mixture reaches 45F, and milk powder and mix until it reaches 58F.
5- Now make a test...wrapped in plastic wrap then poached...to adjust seasoning.
6- stuff and twist to desired length
7- refrigerate them overnight on towls to for the pellicle
8- Hot smoke at 160F until desired color, then poach to internal 150F, shock into ice water and dry.
9- hold approx 7 days refrigerated.

From "Garde Manger - The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen"
 
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