Its as American as a cheeseburger, and apple pie, it’s the hot-dog, corn-dog, pigs-in-a-blanket or however you like it. But what exactly is in hot-dog meat? Not all hot-dogs are the same, for example if a hot dog is labeled as pork, beef, or whatever that’s what it is. However I’m not talking about the specialized hot dogs, I am referring to the generic hot dog, no particular meat specified, what is in there?
According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council:
“All hot dogs are cured and cooked sausages that consist of mainly pork, beef, chicken and turkey or a combination of meat and poultry. Meats used in hot dogs come from the muscle of the animal and looks much like what you buy in the grocer’s case. Other ingredients include water, curing agents and spices, such as garlic, salt, sugar, ground mustard, nutmeg, coriander and white pepper.”
“Variety Meat” and “Meat By-products” are terms often used to describe the alternative “meat” used to make hot dogs that the Hot Dog Council does not tell you about. Liver, kidney, heart, intestines, and other meat By-products are often used to create the generic ball game frank. Or even Mechanically Separated Meats (MSM)
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS):
(MSM) is “a paste-like and batter-like meat product produced by forcing bones, with attached edible meat, under high pressure through a sieve or similar device to separate the bone from the edible meat tissue,”
For the most part MSM is no longer produced and has been banned in many areas for fear over Mad Cow Disease. However hot-dog meat is allowed to use up to 20% MSM..... Read More
Surinder Saini
said on February 21, 2011