Everyone knows that hot dogs tend to have some pretty dirty secrets. Still, some of
the shocking facts behind these tasty treats are bound to give anyone pause for thought.
Here are some of the things you don't know, and probably don't want to know, about hot dogs.
Everyone's heard horror stories about finding foreign objects in their food. Fast food joints
tend to be big culprits, but the reality is, sometimes things go wrong during food processing,
and items you don't really want to eat end up in your favorite fare.
Unfortunately, hot dog manufacturers can't claim a clean record on this front. In 2015,
38 people reported to the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service that they had found
foreign objects in their hot dogs. Of course, 38 people is a small number given how many
hot dogs are consumed each year, but remember, those are just the ones who took the time
to file a report.
So what types of items have people found in their franks? Well, according to TIME magazine,
they include a piece of rubber band, small pieces of plastic, a clump of hair, the tip
of a razorblade, glass shards, a piece of bone, and what appeared to be some kind of
insect larva.
While that list is enough to make a person swear off hot dogs for life, TIME's article
does also point out that hot dog recalls are relatively rare, so you can mostly trust the
hot dogs you buy. Mostly.
When you're starving and don't have a minute to spare, you might be tempted to hit up the
fridge, grab a hot dog, and eat it cold, right? Like other sandwich meats, hot dogs are already
cooked, so this shouldn't cause too much of a problem. And yet, hot dogs are actually
frequent offenders for food poisoning.
According to an article published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the issue comes
down to hot dogs being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes after being processed and packaged.
The FDA's clear advice is to always reheat hot dogs until they're "steaming hot," and
if you can't reheat a hot dog before eating it, you need to find something else to eat.
It's just not a good idea to eat a cold, straight-from-the-package wiener.
So you probably know that your hot dog usually comes stuffed inside a casing. This casing
gives the hot dog its shape and helps keep all the juices inside. If you've ever pricked
a hot dog with a fork before putting it in a pot of boiling water or in the microwave,
what you're doing is opening up the casing just a smidge to allow steam to exit the casing
while the hot dog cooks.
What you might not realize, though, is that whenever a label says "natural casing," what
that really means is that the hot dog is encased in animal intestines.
Here's the thing, though, it might sound gross, but this is neither unsanitary nor unhealthy.
In an interview with HuffPost, Boyd Adelman, president of hot dog manufacturer Sabrett
explained that the intestines are completely cleaned before being used, so there's no risk
of fecal contamination. And when you choose hot dogs with natural casings, you're helping
reduce food waste and promote consuming the whole animal when animals are butchered for
food. That said, if you can't stomach eating animal intestines, look for skinless hot dogs,
these are prepared with cellulose casings that are removed before packaging.
When you think hot dog, you think "meat," right? What else could a hot dog possibly
be? And if you take the time to read ingredient labels, meat is typically listed as the first
ingredient, usually followed by water. But that's not exactly true.
According to a study published in 2008 in the Annals of Diagnostic Pathology, scientists
analyzed eight different brands of hot dogs to determine what, exactly, each hot dog consisted
of. While "meat" was listed as the first ingredient across the board, the actual muscle meat in
each brand ranged from just 2.9 percent to 21.2 percent by volume, while water accounted
for 44 percent to 69 percent of the weight of each hot dog.
So yeah, your hot dog is mostly water. And a little bit of meat. And what else, you might
ask? Well, if you really want to know, it's a variety of tissues, including bone, collagen,
blood vessels, plant material, peripheral nerve, adipose tissue, cartilage, and skin.
But if it helps at all, the study also noted that "brain tissue was not present." Hey,
thank goodness for small blessings.
So, you know that your hot dog mostly contains meat, and some other stuff. But you probably
want to know what part of the body these tissues are being derived from.
Well, hopefully, you'll already understand that hot dogs aren't exactly chock-full of
prime cut beef or pork. After all, it's not like you're paying an exorbitant amount for
your package of dogs, even when you buy the high-end variety, so you're obviously going
to be eating meat that's considered lower-grade.
Hot dogs start with meat trimmings. This basically means that the meat is taken from the leftovers
of an animal after all the other, better cuts of meat are cut away. These "trimmings" may
come from lower-grade muscle, fatty tissues, head meat, animal feet, animal skin, blood,
liver, and other edible slaughter by-products. And that head meat is literally what it sounds
like, by the way: Meat removed from the bones of an animal's head, which may include the cheeks.
"That'll do, pig. That'll do."
If this seems a little freaky, you can at least take solace in the fact that, unless
the hot dog ingredients include the label "byproducts" or "variety meats," it won't
contain meat from the snout or lips. It also won't include eyes or brains. Just remember,
you typically get what you pay for, so buying kosher dogs or 100-percent beef, chicken,
or pork hot dogs is likely to be a better option if you're trying to steer clear of
the trimmings.
Obviously, hot dogs aren't exactly a beacon of health. According to the Oscar Mayer website,
the classic beef wiener contains 12 grams of fat and 360 milligrams of sodium. And that's
just the hot dog, not taking toppings or bun into account.
And if you're chowing down on two or three dogs in a sitting, a single meal could rack
up your fat and sodium intake pretty quick. Once in a blue moon, a meal like that won't
do much damage, but if hot dogs are a staple in your weekly diet, it might be time to reassess.
Do keep in mind, though, that there are lots of different varieties of hot dogs on the
market, including chicken dogs, turkey dogs, and lower-fat beef or pork hot dogs. You can
even find tofu- or soy-based vegetarian versions. Each product will have its own nutritional
information, and some might have lower levels of fat and sodium.
Okay, here's the bottom line: Hot dog production is a pretty gross process. For example, depending
on whether your hot dog contains "meat" or "mechanically separated meat," as defined
by the USDA, you may or may not be getting "extra calcium" in your hot dog. Extra calcium
meaning: bone shavings. Nice, huh?
Then there's the deboning process. If your favorite hot dog uses the word "meat" in its
ingredients, it was likely separated from the animal using so-called meat recovery systems,
which shave and scrape the meat off the bone. The chances are, however, that your favorite
hot dog contains "mechanically separated meat," which is made via a totally different process.
Now, the USDA might call hot dog meat a "batter-like or paste-like meat product," which isn't exactly
appetizing. But hey, it still sounds better than "white slime," right? Bad news, though:
when you buy hot dogs that include the phrases "mechanically separated meat" or "mechanically
separated poultry" in the ingredients…this is the stuff you're eating.
"No God please no! No! No!"
White slime is what results when the bone of what's left of an animal and the remainder
of the tissue is forced under high pressure through a sieve, pumping out the edible portions
while leaving the bones behind. The edible portions come out in a paste-like substance
that essentially amounts to meat sludge. It's this sludge that gets pumped into casings
before being cooked and packaged into your favorite cookout treat.
Luckily, it is possible to avoid this stuff. Just opt for those higher-end hot dogs, the
ones that include the word "meat" on the label, rather than MSM or MSP. You can eat those
safe in the knowledge that they're totally slime-free.
If you cook meat without using any seasonings, it'll usually end up with a gray or white-ish
color. And considering hot dogs are essentially un-seasoned, pre-cooked meat, it makes sense
that hot dogs should look gray or white-ish. And yet, most hot dogs on the shelves of your
local grocery store have a nice pink or red hue. So what gives?
Well, you have sodium nitrite and nitrate to thank for this. These compounds are used
in processed meats to help preserve meat and add flavor, but they also help give these
meats their appetizing pink or red color. A fresh cut piece of steak is nice and red,
but as it gets older it loses its red color. This has to do with the myoglobin in meat
turning red when bound to oxygen. Over time, oxygen falls away and the meat loses its red
tint. Sodium nitrite, on the other hand, can bind to myoglobin in place of oxygen and create
this same red hue. But unlike oxygen, it doesn't fall away as quickly, providing meat with
a red tint for much longer.
The problem here is that nitrites and nitrates have been linked to incidences of cancer.
If you're concerned, look for hot dogs that are made without preservatives.
Many people would do well to eat fewer hot dogs. But that's most people, and not the
people involved in the weird, weird world of competitive eating.
For the world-famous Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, which is held annually on the Fourth
of July, competitive eaters have 10 minutes to stuff their faces with as many hot dogs
and buns as they can. In 2018, a new world record was set by Joey Chestnut, when he demolished
74 hot dogs. In 10 minutes. Think about that for a second, 74 hot dogs. If contestants
are consuming Nathan's Skinless Beef Franks, Chestnut consumed 9,620 calories, 888 grams
of fat, and over 35 grams of sodium in 10 minutes.
"74 hot dogs. I…oooh, man, I...I was aiming for 75, but 74, I'm happy."
But there's one upside to all this. In 2019, winners of the contest earned a $10,000 prize,
and hey, if someone can consume 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes, why not make a little money
off of it?
Kids love hot dogs. And parents love feeding kids hot dogs, too, mostly because they're
inexpensive, easy to make, and guaranteed to be eaten by even the fussiest of eaters.
Unfortunately, the long, lean tube-shape of the humble hot dog is practically identical
in shape and size to a human esophagus.
According to John Hopkins Medicine, choking on hot dogs is the leading cause of food-related
choking in kids under 3 years old. So while your little one might want to eat a hot dog
the way you do, it's best to slice or mince their dogs into much smaller pieces.
And it's not just the littlest kids that you need to think about — according to an article
in The Washington Post, choking on food is the 19th leading cause of death in the United
States, with about 17-percent of food-related choking deaths being attributed to hot dogs.
So maybe everyone should start enjoying their hot dogs differently. It's not like it'd make
them any less delicious. Shake Shack, for example, has a mean flat-top style dog, which
uses hot dogs that are sliced in half before being grilled. And hey — anything to save
a life, right?
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