A hot dog is basically a meat or meat alternatives shaped into a sausage placed inside a long oval shaped bun. The meat is precooked before packaged for selling to the public. However young children and pregnant women should only eat hot dogs that have cooked at 160-170°F (70-77°C) for 2 minutes.

Hot Dogs are believed to have first been sold in Frankfurt, Germany during the 1400’s. Where a pork and beef blend sasage was served in a soft bun - they called them frankfurters.

The current trend in manufacturing hot dog wieners is lowering the salt content and opting for all chicken, turkey or vegetarian. Hot dog weiners are a cured meat which means that nitrates are added to the preservation process. Nitrates have been linked to sudden infant syndrome and study conducted in China shows that children who ate a high amount of cured meats and little fruits and vegetables were at a higher risk for Leukemia.

Hot Dog Recipes: