Classic Homemade Hot Dogs
What makes a great homemade hot dog? The perfect ratio of lean to fat, an award-winning hot dog seasoning, snappy natural casings, and smoky goodness. We're showing you how to get all that and more at home with our classic Blue Ribbon Homemade Hot Dogs.
Selecting Your Meat
Making sure you have the right meat-to-fat ratio is important when making any type of sausage. For classic, juicy hot dogs we like to use a combination of beef and pork. For this recipe, we used 60% beef chuck roast and 40% pork butt. Beef chuck roast has great marbling, texture and flavor while the pork butt (with fat cap on) will add much needed moisture to the hot dogs.
Hot Dog Making Tips and Tricks
- Keep everything cold! Be sure to freeze your grinder parts overnight and place your meat in the freezer for at least 30 minutes prior to grinding (Under 45 degrees F is ideal). This will ensure optimal finished product and will make the meat much easier to work with.
- Soak your casings in advance. Follow the preparation instructions on your casing to ensure they're ready to use when you start stuffing. Most casings need to be soaked for 30-60 minutes in warm water.
- Season your meat after the first pass through the grinder. This will allow the grinder to do a lot of the mixing and seasoning distribution for you during the second pass.
- Rest Overnight! Get optimal cure color and flavor by allowing your hot dogs to rest for 12 hours before smoking. Rest after seasoning the first grind or after stuffing.
- Protein extraction is key for homemade hot dogs. Protein extraction pulls the protein out of the meat and binds it with the fat. Your hot dogs are ready to stuff when the meat mixture is tacky and sticky.
- Add water to your counter top or sheet tray while stuffing. This will allow the sausage to pass easily away from the horn without getting stuck or torn.
1 comment
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