Hot dogs: nitrate-laden poison or ass-widening deathsticks?
 

What is in a hot dog?

What is "variety meats"? Why that's a response to the DoA's requirement that ingredients be disclosed on the label of food products, of course. The reality is probably not a mystery: everything from choice meat that didn't make the cut to things that one would not even want to be in the same room with normally. And then there's sodium nitrate. That wonderful preservative that's been linked to cancer. Oh, and don't forget MSG.

Do you eat hot dogs? Why? Why not?

Edit: the name of the thread is a bit of a joke. Obviously an exaggeration.

I eat hot dogs because I go to a lot of baseball games. And they're yummy.

I've never minded lips and assholes. If I did, would I have ever started posting on TFP?

I was talking about fecal matter.

I know whats in a hotdog. I eat 'em at times. Good and cheap. Got a problem with that?

Nutrition is a myth.

there's no disclosure on the amount of bugs per pound that are allowed for grains... why is it any different for meat?

I love hot dogs... red hots, white hots, brats, wursts... there excellent.

Hot dogs on the West Coast suck... Der Weinerschnitzel???? Dodger Dogs??? No diss meant to Dodgers, but Farmer John's suck compared to Sabrett's. And Hoffy? That's an okay dog... but not that great.

I keep forgetting to have a Vienna beef when in Chicago.

Yes, I'll have to take you to Wolfies or Superdawg. Abaya and kstp passed on Superdawg when they came through town in the spring. Big mistake, IMO.

Now sausage, that's different. The Paulina Meat Market makes a turducken brat that's fantastic, and their Sheboygan is awesome as well. And their franks are great, too. Next time you're in town, I'll try to convince you to take some home with you somehow.

Nothing better than an all-dressed Montreal steamie!

oh how i miss wisconsin white brats...

shoot, i wouldn't eat a raw tube steak, but if it's cooked, it's fair game...

there's been a lot of improvement since upton sinclair's day...

All I know if that if anyone wants to serve me a hotdog it god damn better be a German hodog, not the crap they serve and call hotdogs in England which is actually just a bigger than fucking average sausage

Fecal matter would probably contain E. coli and a bunch of other nasties the FDA doesn't allow in foods (and will recall it for if found). You don't find shit in a hot dog - if sausage is cased in intestine it is rinsed thorougly, and the first thing you do when butchering an animal is remove the stomach and guts because of the fecal matter's ability to contaminate meat.

If you were eating shit, it would taste horrible.

As for me.. I only have hot dogs at parties and grill-outs and things like football games. Never at home - if I want sausage at home, I get "real" sausage or some bratwurst. All-beef hot dogs are pretty darn tasty if you've been in the sun or have been drinking beer. :thumbsup:

Yes, I eat hot dogs. Not often, though, and I usually buy Hebrew National kosher all beef hot dogs or Sinai kosher hot dogs from Costco. I love a Sinai hot dog or Polish sausage grilled until the skin is a little crispy. The first bite is the best; the juice almost explodes from the hot dog or sausage. Yum yum. I also like to get Aidells sausages from Costco from time to time, especially the habenero and green chile sausages.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying a well-made hot dog in moderation. Makes that first bite all the better!

i wouldn't have posted the following except that i ran across a notion of official "Food Identity Standards" which help all of us rest easier in the knowledge that food object A will not mutate into food object B while we are not paying attention. so these are the Official Predicates that delimit the Hot Dog from it's nearest confusion-source, the Sausage, and from other things edible, like the Tomato, and inedible, like the Chair.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Hot_Dogs/index.asp

there are things that seem a bit--um--gross to me, but maybe that's because i don't eat processed foods and so most things about food processing seem a little gross when i find out about them.

on the other hand, i eat cheese steaks when the opportunity presents itself and there is some hope that the place from which i am getting one understands What Is At Stake in a proper cheesesteak.

but i digress.

I love hot dogs! Which is one of the many reasons I'm glad to be back in Chicago. Hot dogs everywhere with neon green relish.

There are many gross things people eat, like monkey brains and liver. The scary hot dogs are the ones that are already filled with cheese. Those are the ones to be worried about.

I enjoy brats, but I don't put them in the same category. They are the snooty version of hot dogs. Shaped the same, but better quality.

Jazz, I have never made it to Superdawg. It's on my list of things to do. Maybe we'll have to have a mini meet-up there. :)

How it's made I love this show!!!!!!

I don't eat hotdogs very often, but I do like them. I've tried different brands of veggie dogs. They just don't compare to a proper hot dog.

That "fine emulsion" in your video looks mighty tasty!

I love hot dogs! Oh so tasty and easy to make but I try and limit my intake because regardless of whatever is posted or not posted they can't be good for you....and really what is good for you nowadays.

Nothing better than a ballgame and a dog....mmmm tasty. Well except if your in Boston, worst hot dogs ever!!!

I'll click that link cyn after i eat!!! (salmon that is).

I adore hot dogs, in fact thats what we are having for my bday dinner tonite. Chili cheese dogs with onions.....Dave is in the kitchen making them as we speak yum!!

100% beef and I'm there. Full of cholesterol, fat, and carcinogenic nitrites is how I roll.

I also love a good hotdog, as well as almost every other type of sausage. I'm sure there are some hotdogs that are barely worth eating, but I know which ones I like and get those. So now I can't resist either...I'll go to Johnnie's Dog House in Wayne and get a couple dogs with the works...at certain times of the day they give you a free Rolling Rock beer with your dogs if you're over 21yo.

Awesome idea. Let's recruit a few more and make it happen.

We're talking about penises, right?

shesus gets the sausagefest!

is this the wrong thread to express my love of hot dogs sold from bæjarins beztu?

The best way, IMO, to enjoy a hotdog is cooked over an open fire while camping. I'm not a huge fan of them, but every once in awhile I get a craving.

I try my hardest to avoid hotdogs. They taste okay, but the smell makes me want to throw up. If I smell a dog I want to hurl.

This was a serious problem for me at school because most of the buildings only sold fries and dogs, even walking through the building made me want to throw up. I had to run through it with my sleeve over my nose. This was especially trying as the computer labs were housed in the worst of these buildings (thankfully they were upstairs, through some hallways away from the smell).

I also try to avoid them because I don't trust what is in them. I would say I probably consume about 2-10 hotdogs per year.

http://www.ronsaari.com/stockImages/...37thStreet.jpg

I avoid them and all types of mystery meat (especially bologna) but I indulge in Gray's Papaya at least twice a year. They only serve the all beef dogs and they're damn tasty.

What's worst about those mystery meat dogs isn't so much the taste or the fact that one has to wonder which non-choice aspects of the animal you're consuming but the after taste. Disgusting.

someone wise and famous (Ben Franklin? Mark Twain?) once said: "Those who love sausage and respect the law should never watch either being made."*


* as near as I can remember

All beef hot dogs unless I'm in Manhattan.

I do love grilled or sauteed Polish and Colombian sausage, though.

Is that anything like a Colombian Necktie?

Same with me, they make me gag. I haven't eaten a hotdog since about 1968 and never will.

Those nitrates in hotdogs and othe processed meats gave my son a behavorial allergy that turned him into an ADHD rambling, belligerent, tantrum-throwing handful. We found this out when I was discussing my frustrations with a friend who was into holistics and then her suspicions were confirmed when we ran out of the pepperoni he'd been consuming and reverted back to my good natured son.
Even the so-called "healthy" processed meats have nitrates, so he couldn't eat anything like hotdogs, lunchmeats or bacon.

I love a good hot dog. In Toronto we call them "Street Meet" and if you ask anyone who frequents the downtown core, they'll tell you their favourite vendor. Mine is at the SW corner of Gerrard. E. and Yonge. He's got lots of toppings and beverages and he has high turnover so the meat isn't dried out from overgrilling.

At the risk of starting a flame (grilled) war, on my trip to Manhattan I was disappointed by the street vendor dogs. They tasted fine, but are so small. Weenie even. I never did make it to Papaya dogs though.

I'm curious about the Chicago dog. I've heard that Chicagoans are Mustard purists and Ketchup is striclty verboten. Interesting.

Besides the long term health ramifications, an immediate major negative is the deep bellied hot dog burps that come later on.

More like the beenie weenie fest!

Oh, yeah!

Yeah, you could say that ...

Chorizo

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/3...192f21d66c.jpg

I'd love one for breakfast with a bunuelo.

The wonderful thing about hotdogs is hotdogs are wonderful things....

I love 'em and really don't care what's in them unless I notice that they are doing harm to my body.

Hebrew Nationals, regular size and original. No weird junk, and theyre kosher.

A little water in a fry pan with dogs until heated. Pour water out and let the dogs crisp just a bit in the pan over heat while shakin around (youre lookin for that slight skin for that little burst and pop at first bite). Best with tomato, cuke, and just a tad sprinkle of celery salt on a toasted bun. But Ive been known to forego all the dressings and just eat a warm one plain. Yep, thats a good dog, the only kind Ill eat.

Hot dogs are like new years- they're both full of things you don't want to think about, but you look forward to the next one anyway!

beaks and feet, man, beaks and feet

I only do the beef, as well. I probably eat a hot dog every other day because of the convenience, so easy to prepare. Some times, when im feeling not so lazy, i'll slap some chili onto my dogs and start scarfing down delicious chili dogs.

Usually i get MSG free hot hogs, as well. But most of the time, its just plain ole' beef hot dogs.

This, I either eat mine plain or with Sauerkraut and some spicy mustard.

I've never really liked hotdog buns.

I avoid all the problems by eating soy wieners and sausages. Once you dress them up, they're quite enjoyable.

MSG has a lot of relatives, and food manufacturers love them too, because they're responsible for the so-called "fifth taste", umami: Glutamic acid, glutamates, hydrolyzed protein, hydrolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, etc etc. Some of these are naturally occurring, and not additives. Regardless, they're definitely in a lot more than hot dogs; free glutamate is common in all kinds of Asian foods, such as soy sauce. The body of evidence against MSG is slim at best; the paper that originally started the MSG scare is more of an opinion piece than an actual scientific study; it was based on a single man's observations. Most scientific studies regarding the effects of glutamates deal with megadoses in lab animals, which doesn't exactly help us any.

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/...614469,00.html

Give me an Esskay Oriole Beef Frank (yep, same ones they serve proudly at Camden Yards, and you can even make them at home and bring them with you!), or a Hebrew National.

(Quick story: I was leading a tour of Oriole Park at Camden Yards [my second job] for a group from a Jewish school in New York. As we were walking through the concourse, he rabbi asked about kosher food stands. I told the group that the Orioles had the first kosher food stand in Major League Baseball [which is true], but when I also mentioned that they serve HN dogs at every stand, he just rolled his eyes :lol: )

nothing to say

In all the visits I've been to Rvk, I never went there.

mmmmmm.... for those uninitiated to Icelandic hot dogs...Eina með öllu, which basically means one with all, is a hot dog with ketchup, fresh onion, mustard, fried onion and remoulade.

very TASTY!!!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...seuis0001b.jpg

You had me at remoulade, Cyn.

I had a hot dog today at a community Fourth of July celebration. Ketchup, mustard, relish. It was dull. Not worth the calories/fat. Very disappointing. My daughter had a corndog. She didn't like it. Normally, she sticks to Morning Star farms corn dogs.

Who is responsible for this messed up formatting? ...Darn you, Jewels!!!

I love me some Toronto street meat. Where I live now? They don't really do hot dogs all that well.

The chinese sausage looks like a hot dog but it isn't.

The only place I have found for a decent hot dog is Ikea. But it is nothing like the dogs of Toronto.

Those are the turkey franks. Beef and pork are both lips and assholes. Yummy, delicious lips and assholes.

Nathan's. End of story. "Natural Casings" if I can get 'em, otherwise skinless is fine.

I'll go for a sausage on a bun down at Union Station, but I draw the line at wienies. For some reason I think that sausage is better quality than wienies.

You can get some pretty good sausages at St. Lawrence that claim to be organic (who knows.)

Lately, I've been feeling guilty about eating pork and beef though. Probably something to do with when I'm driving to work along Eglinton West in the morning and the cattle trucks are coming in loaded and I see the cows or pigs looking out at me. :sad:

I haven't had a truly good dog in 20 years, maybe longer.

of course, I'm rarely in places (like Chicago) were they serve truly good dogs...

I came across this rundown on the best regional hot dogs on the Serious Eats blog and thought it would be more than perfect for this thread...

Of all the things I like about Chicago, the "signature" hotdog has got to be the nastiest shit I've ever seen. I like mine with ketchup, mustard, maybe relish. That's it.

Thanks a lot, Charlatan. That post has made me hungrier than I've ever remembered.

Just to add one more, there used to be a shop called Pudgies in Southington, CT that served one of the most ridiculous dogs you've ever eaten. It was three foot in length, and a true Pudgie dog came with the works, including chili, cheese, ketchup, mustard, sweet and hot relish, chopped onions, etc. They served it across three paper plates, and you usually picked up one end of it while the other end flopped on your tray.

It closed and supposedly moved to another location, but I never could find out where, or if it was in fact true.

are nitrate-free organic all-beef free-range hormone-free drug-free, self-confident hot dogs okay? Cause if they are, we found some today.

Is awesome-flavor-explosion-laden-hunk-of-porky-goodness an option?

LIke anything theses days doesn't have something bad?
Good ole Oscar Meyer or a Brat with Relish, Pickles, hot mustards and some Kraut...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm*
Can't beat a good hot dog*

Merguez grilled on the BBQ...every summer I had those at least once at my grandparent's house, as a child. Holy crap I want merguez again.

Also, if you're ever in or around Larchmont, NY, and you think Gray's papaya is good...Do yourself a favor and stop at Walter's Hot Dogs. You will not regret it.
Hell if you're a die hard sausage fan take the Metro North to Larchmont and in about 40 mins you'll have bliss.

Hey, I didn't notice if anyone mentioned Sabrett brand dogs yet...one of the old school established standards of quality in NYC and North Jersey hot dogs...and they taste damn good, too. I'll add my vote for Nathan's dogs, too...actually tastes like meat and not processed muck.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g2...f14ecefa46.jpg

When I lived downtown Philly on the 600 block of Rodman St...in a nice 1790's-built house I'll add, there used to be a famous hot dog joint right at 6th & Rodman called Levis Hot Dogs. Too bad they closed down a few years ago. But I used to get an unusual setup there called the Levis' Combo which was a very good dog with a fish cake mushed up on top of it...with or without any other additives like mustard and raw onions, and washed down with their best signature drink called Champ Cherry soda.

We have a Nathan's just down the street. Tasty stuff, but hold the cheese and chili.

My favorite hotdog ever was the southern slaw dog at a bowling alley in the county seat of where I grew up. The lady there also did a killer grilled cheese sammich.

Man, this thread makes me so hungry. There's supposedly a good hot dog place downtown that I've never been to; I might just have to check it out.

Hot dogs are great. Cheap, quick to make, taste delicious.

I did try a hot dog from Gray's Papaya when i visited New York last year. Definitely lives up to its reputation.