Hot dogs contain mostly water and fat and have a soft, even texture and flavor.
Most hot dogs are made from emulsified or finely chopped skeletal meats. But some contain meat by products from other organs. These by products can come from different parts of the animals such as muscle, heart, kidney or liver.
A hot dog can also contain meat from different animals combined (such as beef and pork), unless the labels says ‘all beef’ or ‘all pork’.
Several in ingredients are often added during commercial sausage productions that are referred to as extenders. Extenders often include non-fat dry milk and similar dried products of milk origin including dried whey.
Manufacturers also add cereal-filler ingredients such as breadcrumbs, oat meal, or flour which help bind the meat together and add more weight to the product. Binders are used to help the particles adhere to each other or to prevent them from separating during the production process.
The most common seasonings in hot dogs are garlic, pepper, paprika, nutmeg and mace. Specialized ones might also contain cloves, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, chili powder, coriander seed, cumin and pimento. Smoke also a flavor.
Salt is added and it serves three functions in the meat: preservation, flavor enhancement and draws out protein to help bind the mixture.
Sugar is used for flavor and to counter the bitter taste of salt.
Cooked sausages are cured during processing, fully cooked and smokes.
Cooked sausages should be refrigerated until eaten. It can be made in natural gut casings, but most are skinless, stuffed in a cellulose wrapper that is stripped off after cooking.
What are the ingredients in hot dog sausages?
