Here you go. For something as simple as a hot dog, they have a lot of ingredients to get the right flavor. There are some manufactured mixes from Curley's and Walton's that get good reviews. I have just never used them. Most hot dogs have filling that is emulsified, which is labor intensive because you are dealing with fine ground meat, a food processor, shaved ice and a thermometer. I later switched to double grinding my meat and treating them just like sausage.... that recipe is below. Because the diameter of sheep casing is smaller than hog casings, you will get a lot of links even on a small batch. Don't be afraid to make some into rings and grill them. I do use the liquid smoke, but I buy apple flavored, the more common hickory flavored is too strong.
Frankfurter Würstchen (aka Hot Dogs, Red Hots)
Metric amounts and 1# & 5# breakdown below
Pork butt – fine grind (or double grind) 1.5 pound
Ground chuck - fine grind (or double grind) 1.5 pound
Sheep casing 24/26mm (from Syracuse Casing Co or other reputable supplier)
1/2 Sharp Paprika 1 Tablespoon
Dry mustard 1.5 Tablespoons
Onion Powder 2 teaspoons
Roasted Garlic Powder 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoon
Mace 3/4 teaspoon
Coriander 1.5 teaspoons
Cardamom 3/4 teaspoon
Nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon is commonly mentioned, I don't use any)
Ground celery seed 1.5 teaspoons
Canning salt 1Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons
Pink salt #1 3.3g (approximately 3/4 teaspoon)
White pepper 1 Tablespoon
Dry milk 3/4 to 1 cup (this is for moisture retention and binding)
Corn syrup 3 Tablespoons
Liquid smoke 2 teaspoons (apple flavored preferred)
Iced Water 2 cups minimum use enough so texture is correct for stuffing.
Instructions:
Grind all meat, set back in fridge. Mix canning salt and pink salt together very well, then add remaining dry seasonings, mixing well. Remove ground meat from fridge and add dry ingredients first, then add liquids, mix by hand. Adjust iced water, or shaved ice as needed. At this point you can test fry a little pattie. Hold overnight in fridge. The next morning check the moisture, add iced water if needed. Note: When making batches larger than 3 pounds I'll sprinkle some of the dry mixture of ingredients onto the cubes of meat when grinding, this makes mixing easier)
Stuff into sheep casings, and form into links. After forming the links can be re-worked to make the links more even, but sheep casings are more delicate than hog casings. Allow the links to dry at room temperature before smoking or cooking in the oven.
Smoking/Cooking instructions:
Cold smoke for 1.5 hours minimum (longer is using an oven to finish). Hot smoke (or move into a 180° oven) for 45 minutes, then ramp up the pit temp to 200° cook until the internal is 160°. Move to an ice bath until the internal temp falls to about 100°. Remove and keep at room temperature for the hot dogs to dry and allow the color to bloom.
You can poach them after the cold smoke step, but I like the snap of the casings better with a hot smoke or oven finish.
These are ready to be moved from the cold smoker into a hot smoker or the oven notice the color is not as red as the ones in the top photo.
Metric Version
Ingredients | 1 # Amounts | 3 # Amounts | 5 # Amounts |
| Pork butt – ground | 0.5 pound | 1.5 pound | 2.5 pound |
| Ground beef 85/15 | 0.5 pound | 1.5 pound | 2.5 pound |
| | | |
| Sheep casing 24/26mm from Syracuse Casing Co. | | 1 tube | 1 tube |
| 1/2 Sharp Paprika | 1.4 g | 4.2 g | 7 g |
| Dry mustard | 1.7 g | 5.1 g | 8.3 g |
| Onion Powder | 1.4 g | 4.2 g | 7 g |
| Roasted Garlic | 3 g | 9 g | 15 g |
| Mace | 0.4 g | 1.2 g | 1.8 g |
| Coriander | 0.5 g | 1.5 g | 2.6 g |
| Cardamom | 0.4 g | 1.2 g | 1.8 g |
| Nutmeg | ? | ? | ? |
| Ground celery seed | 0.7 g | 2.1 g | 3.4 g |
| Canning salt | 5.2 g | 15.6 g | 26 g |
| Pink salt | 1.1 g | 3.3 g | 5.5 g |
| White pepper | 1.7 g | 5.1 g | 8.5 g |
| Dry milk | 15.6 g | 47 g | 78 g |
| Corn syrup | 1.8 teaspoon | 1T + 1 teaspoon | 3 Tablespoons |
| Liquid smoke (apple flavor) | 1/3 teaspoon | 1.25 teaspoon | 2 teaspoon |
| Iced Water | By feel | By feel | By feel |
