How Are Hot Dogs Made?

That's Gross!?!

     So are you putting lamb intestines and pig guts in that… 

     Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there. I have been thinking about hot dogs lately. Sorry to dissapoint you if you love hot dogs but you need to know the true story of how they are made. 

    It's gross, but also interesting if you've got a strong stomach. So keep on reading to find out all about hot dogs.

Hot Dog History

     Some people think the hot dog was invented in the city of Vienna (also called Wien), Austria. That’s why hot dogs are also called wieners after the city of Vienna. 

   Others claim that hot dogs were invented more than 500 years ago in the city of Frankfurt, Germany. That’s why hot dogs are also called frankfurters or franks.

     So which is true? Well, both facts are true, but the inventions made in Vienna, Austria and Frankfurt, Germany more than 500 years ago were more like sausages than the hot dogs we eat today.

Coming to America

     The hot dog was brought to America by German immigrants in the 1860s. Unless your hot dog is homemade or made by hand by the local butcher, the hot dogs we eat today are a highly processed food made in a giant meat factory.

    I'll explain all about the processes to make the hot dogs after I tell you all the yummy ingredients!

Hot Dog Ingredients

     Most hot dogs are made using meat products. After the other parts of the animal have been sold for meat, hot dogs are made using the extra parts that were not sold. 

     Hot dogs have many different ingredients, for example, natural sheep casing made from lamb intestines. Most hot dogs have skin or casing. The meat ingredients in a hot dog may include intestines, organs, organ meat, turkey, pork, or even chicken removed by mechanical force. Non-meat ingredients and spices, muscle meat, and fats are processed by chopping and mixing ingredients to make the meat mixture that goes inside the hot dog casing.  

Meat Trimmings

     Emulsified meat is the trimmings of chicken, beef, or pork. These meat trimmings are mixed together with ingredients like spices and coloring to make hot dogs. Meat trimmings mean that hot dogs can be made from leftover little pieces of pork, chicken, or beef. These are the most popular meat ingredients in hot dogs.  

How Hot Dogs Are Made

     There is a long, step-by-step process to make hot dogs. First, people put pork, chicken, and beef trimmings into the hot dogs. The trimmings are the parts of the meat left over from the butcher.

     Next, the "meat" gets ground up in a machine so it looks similar to ground hamburger. Chicken trimmings get added to the mix.  The mixture of meat gets blended together until it turns into a liquid. 

      The workers at the hot dog factory add food starch, salt, and dried mustard to the liquid meat. Different brands of hot dogs may add different flavorings or spices to give it a unique taste.

 A Smooth, Thick Paste

     Next, water is combined with the liquid meat mixture, and then corn syrup is added for sweetness. Even more water is added so the hot dogs will be juicy.

     The meat mixture is pureed, which means it is turned into a smooth, thick paste. Extra air is vacuumed out. Rows of cellulose tubing are rolled onto the machine. The cellulose tubing is the casing that holds the meat paste inside the hot dogs. The meat paste gets pumped into the casings and loaded onto racks.

   In the next step, the hot dogs go into a smoker to get more flavor, and then they get covered in cold, salty water so they are chilled enough to be packed. 

   Finally, workers put the hot dogs into a peeler machine to remove the casing. A machine can peel 700 hot dogs per minute! The hot dogs get sorted into packages and sent to grocery stores to be sold. 

Health and Safety

     Some people think veggie dogs are a better choice than regular hot dogs because the ingredients used to make hot dogs causes animal abuse. Veggie hot dogs may be slightly more healthy for you because they are less fatty than meat hot dogs. But the biggest reason why hot dogs are not a healthy food to eat is because of all the processing and chemical additives that are put into hot dogs. 

   Hot dogs are also a choking hazard for little children because of their round shape. That's why you should cut hot dogs into small pieces and remove the casing of a hot dog before giving it to a small child to eat.   

Hot Dog Records

      Did you know that National Hot Dog Day is on the third Wednesday in July? This year National Hot Dog Day will take place on July 16th, 2025. Are you going to celebrate?
     Joey Chestnut holds the world record for eating 83 hot dogs (with their buns) in 10 minutes.

    Each year on July 4th, Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs holds the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.

     The biggest hot dog in the world was made in Japan. Hot dogs are very popular in Japan and made in different ways, for example with seaweed and teriyaki sauce.

Conclusion  

     So, after learning all about the true story of how hot dogs are made, are you ever going to eat another hot dog? Maybe you want to go to Coney Island to break Joey Chestnut's hot dog eating record?

    When my mom made hot dogs and mac 'n cheese for dinner the other night, guess what I did? I didn't eat the hot dog! I think I may never eat another hot dog again! What about you?