TentHunter
Moderator
That's right, I'm making hot dogs!
I don't get to eat hot dogs often because of allergies to some additives found in almost all brands.
The only brand I can get locally that's safe (Colemans Beef) are now over $7.00/lb. YIKES!
That gives a whole new meaning to the term "Tube Steak!"
I figured it was high time I tried making my own!
Salt & cure #1 were mixed with ice water & set aside while I mixed some super secret experimental spice blend into a 50/50 mix of lean ground beef & pork.
The meat & cure water were put into a food processor (in batches) and emulsified into a paste.
The mixture was then stuffed into natural sheep casings and twisted into links.
Smoked at 200° to an internal temp of 138°...
Then poached in a 170° water bath to an I.T. of 155° (this only took a few minutes) and plunged into cold water.
The texture seems OK, not quite as fine as a commercially made hot dog (my understanding is that's a limitation of using home equipment).
We grilled some up for supper (including a few that broke).
The rest went into the fringe for overnight to chill & firm up before packaging.
You know I had to keep the first one simple for testing. Just some mustard & ketchup so the hot dog would shine or fail. Oh yeah... these were definitely worth the effort!
Next time, I think I'll opt for regular 80/20 ground chuck to increase the fat content and see what else I can do to improve texture & juiciness. A heavier duty food processor may help. But, overall...
I am a happy man!
Thanks for looking.
I don't get to eat hot dogs often because of allergies to some additives found in almost all brands.
The only brand I can get locally that's safe (Colemans Beef) are now over $7.00/lb. YIKES!
I figured it was high time I tried making my own!
Salt & cure #1 were mixed with ice water & set aside while I mixed some super secret experimental spice blend into a 50/50 mix of lean ground beef & pork.
The meat & cure water were put into a food processor (in batches) and emulsified into a paste.
The mixture was then stuffed into natural sheep casings and twisted into links.
Smoked at 200° to an internal temp of 138°...
Then poached in a 170° water bath to an I.T. of 155° (this only took a few minutes) and plunged into cold water.
The texture seems OK, not quite as fine as a commercially made hot dog (my understanding is that's a limitation of using home equipment).
We grilled some up for supper (including a few that broke).
The rest went into the fringe for overnight to chill & firm up before packaging.
You know I had to keep the first one simple for testing. Just some mustard & ketchup so the hot dog would shine or fail. Oh yeah... these were definitely worth the effort!
Next time, I think I'll opt for regular 80/20 ground chuck to increase the fat content and see what else I can do to improve texture & juiciness. A heavier duty food processor may help. But, overall...
I am a happy man!
Thanks for looking.