Hab

[Oldman]

You said on another posting (about hot dog cooker)

I might make up a batch of hotdogs to celebrate the occassion.

Ok now you have my interest. I have never found a good hot dog recipe.  How about sharing yours with me.
Thanks
Olds

[iceman]

You said on another posting (about hot dog cooker)

I might make up a batch of hotdogs to celebrate the occassion.

Ok now you have my interest. I have never found a good hot dog recipe.  How about sharing yours with me.
Thanks
Olds

Me Too!!! ;D I've found a couple that I like but aren't "crazy  over". Always looking for the "right one".

[Habanero Smoker]

I've been trying to develop the perfect hot dog, but have had mediocre success. I have tried the all beef one in Charcuterie and was disappointed, and a few others. Since making hot dogs is more involved, and you have to use more equipment then you do with other sausages, my attempts are far and few in between. My best success to date is a recipe that calls for the addition of bacon when you grind the meat. If I can locate that recipe, that is the one I will make. I'll also post the recipe. It's one of the recipes I got while taking a food enthusiast class at the CIA. It makes a pretty good hot dog.

[Oldman]

thanks!!!

[Habanero Smoker]

I've located the recipe that I perfer to use. This by far makes the best hot dog of the recipes I've tried. Choose a top quality bacon. Also depending on the bacon, your finished product may be more or less salty then a previous batch. I don't want to change the amount of salt the recipe calls for because you need about that amount to form the primary bind when you are prossessing the beef. The added sugar helps mellow out the salt. I also like this recipe because you can make skinless hot dogs. I'm going to take a few short cuts and purchase a good quality 90%-95% lean ground meat, and make them skinless. These may not be the perfect hotdog, but it comes real close to being so.

You don't need a food processor if you have a KitchenAid 4-6 quart stand mixer. You can use the paddle of the mixer to emulsify the sausage, but I found that a processor is easier to use, and to control the temperatures. So I use an 11 cup food processor to emulsify the sausage, and I work in small batches. The following batch is large enough for an 11 cup food processor. If any of the steps are unclear let me know, and I will give more detail. For those of you who have Charcuterie, you will notice that the method of making emulsified sausage is about the same. That is because the authors relied heavily on the methods used at CIA.

I can't recall the specific name for this hot dog, but the recipe was titled

"Hot Dogs at Home"
Make 1 ½ pounds
Ingredients:
10 oz      Lean beef (fresh ground will save you some time and clean up)
1 Tbs.      Kosher Salt (Morton's)
1 Tbs.      Sugar
1/2 tsp.      Onion powder
1/4 tsp.      Ground white pepper
1/4 tsp.      Ground coriander
1/4 tsp.      Nutmeg
1/8 tsp.      Garlic powder

1/2 lb.      Smoked bacon
6 oz.      Crushed ice or ice water
1 oz.      Nonfat dry milk (measured by weight)

Equipment:
Meat grinder (if grinding you own meat)
11 cup food processor
Instant read thermometer

1. Place parts for grinder and food processor bowl in freezer.

2. If using whole muscle, grind beef. Combine ground beef with seasonings, and place in freezer for about 20 minutes.

3. Chop bacon into small pieces and place in freezer for about 20 minutes.

4. Assemble food processor; add seasoned meat and ice (or ice water); process to a smooth texture until the temperature reaches 40°F.

5. Add bacon and process until the temperature reaches50°F.

6. Add the dry milk and process until it is mixed in (about 30 seconds to a minute), and turn off the processor. What ever you do do not go over 58°F. If you hit 60°F the protien and fat will seperate, and ruin you mixture.

7. At this point you have a couple of options. You can either place the mixture in a pastry bag or sausage stuffer and pipe onto plastic wrap (I use Saran Premium Wrap, do not use the extra cling type of brands), roll and tie ever 6 inches. Or stuff into sheep chasings, and make links every 6 inches. Refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

8. To cook poach in water at 170°F, until internal temperature of 155°F; shock in ice water.

9. Unwrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Sometimes for more smoke flavor and added color I will add about 1-2 teaspoons of paprika, and/or add about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder to add a little spice.

These hot dogs are safe to smoke. The bacon provides the nitrites that make it safe to smoking. If you stuff them in natural casings, and want to smoke them; it's best to use the cold smoke method. Leave them in the smoker to apply 1:40 – 2 hours of smoke. Then remove from smoker and finish them by poaching in water.

[Oldman]

Thanks

[Habanero Smoker]

When I was reviewing the recipe I caught a mistake. I should have said 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt (Morton's). I have made the change in my original post. If you have already copied the recipe, please make sure you make that change.

I'll being making a batch tomorrow. By buying ground meat I'll be saving a lot of time and clean up.

[iceman]

Thanks Hab. That will be on this coming weekend list. Ann loves a good dog and now that we have a cooker coming this way do to a VERY GENEROUS person of "old" age we can have our dog and eat it too.
Just gets better all the time around here!!! ;D ;)

[Habanero Smoker]

I just made up a batch this morning. The batch smells real good. The meat is now in the refrigerator curing for 12 - 24 hours. I'm going to pipe the mixture on plastic wrap, and poach them sometime tomorrow.

[Duster]

Sounds good Hab,  I have never been a hot dog fan but that may be cause I never really know whats in them ;D

[La Quinta]

WOW Habs...you went to the CIA...no wonder your recipes are amazing! I love hot dogs...I gotta try it!!

[Habanero Smoker]

I didn't go to the CIA, I wish I would. I'm just a weekend cook, or I guess a home cook since I've retired. It's never too late to go to that college. They are always trying to recruit each time I visit the campus. They say there are a lot of retired people attending the college, who have decided to start a second career.

I just take what they call Food Enthusiasts classes. These are courses given to the general public. I've taken advantage of about 6 classes. Each class focuses on a particular topic, or food style; and it is a six hours hands on class. They also have several boot camps that last one week each. The past couple of years they have been giving a boot camp on smoking and grilling. I'm fortunate to live about 26 miles from the campus, so it is easy for me to take advantages of the classes they offer.

So far I've taken:
Grilling and Smoke Roasting
Sausage 101
Flavor Dynamics & The Philosophy of Taste
Cuban Style Cooking
Knife Skills

Can't think of the sixth class right now, but they do have a campus in St. Helena, CA. It's their Greystone campus, they might be giving the same opportunities out there.

[Habanero Smoker]

The hot dogs came out good, as they usually do. This was the first time I made them skinless, and has a slight mishap. The plumber arrived a week earlier then originally scheduled (he did call the night before) so I got a little distracted during the piping and poaching. While poaching the temperature of the water hit 192°F, when it gets beyond 170°F the plastic will begin to shrink, and the meat cooks too fast. I was able to catch them before the internal temperature hit 155°F, but the shrinking plastic shrunk the size of the hot dog, the shape was irregular and the surface was not smooth. Though the appearance was less then pleasant, it was good eats. I recommend if you do make skinless dogs, add smoked paprika for more color, and don't expect them to look like the commercial ones.