Making Hotdogs

[Guest guest]

>> This recipe is thanks to Marilyn, who posted it here shortly before you

joined, I think. When we made it we ground our own rather than buying

ground meat. And my husband had the idea of grinding it three times for a

" hotdog texture " from a sausage making book that he has. Next time we'll

only grind once or maybe twice. Also we'll know to either choose a

different cut of meat from what I used this time or maybe add some more

fat, as my whole eye of round was probably overly trimmed by the butcher.

The hotdogs are very tasty and my daughters are loving them, but they also

turned out kind of strangely dry. I'm sure Marilyn got better results with

her ground round and I'm sure next time ours will be even better. <<

Sheril,

Yep -- I should probably add that if the hot dogs come out a little dry to

add a bit more fat. I'm using grass-fed meats now, and I notice that the

texture of the fat is quite a bit different from grain-fed meat fat.

That's another reason many hot dog recipes are half beef and half pork --

the higher fat levels of the pork balance out the drier beef.

BTW, I specify the pre-ground meat simply because so many people have so

much on their hands getting started with the diet that a recipe which says,

" First go out and buy a meat grinder.... " is likely to cause them to scream

and throw up their hands in despair.

I use a Maverick #5 grinder from

http://www.pierceequipment.com/grinders.html, although that's been replaced

as of 2005 with a newer model. I've used both, and they're both nice --

although the new one has better controls. The old one has an optional

shredder for cheese and salad stuff that is IDEAL for grating five pound

blocks of cheddar into bags and freezing, or ditto on parmesan and romano.

<g> Every time you do a recipe it comes out better because you learn more

about your own abilities and the capabilities of your personal kitchen.

And since my post of the recipe didn't come through, I'll repost it, for

those who may have missed your posting.

Heyla, folks...

After having bad luck for myself with commercial hot dogs, I decided that

enough was enough, and that the solution was to make my own out of

ingredients I knew I could trust. I bought a book on sausage making, and

adapted a recipe.

Note: the recipe as given smells like " real " hot dogs. And, as a matter of

fact, the first time I prepared these, I commented to my husband that now

that I had a successful hot dog recipe, he could have his beloved hot dogs

again. He looked at the bag of hot dogs I was about to freeze, and said,

" If you think I'm going to eat store-bought hot dogs while you're sitting

there eating good, homemade SCD hot dogs, guess again! " This is also the

man who, when taking a trip, asked me to pack a cold bag of SCD food for

him (he was only going to be gone about 36 hours) because SCD food tasted

so much better than anything he could get out. And, I should note: my

husband is NOT on SCD for himself -- he went on it to make the cooking

easier for me.

Large collagen casing is available from any sausage supply shop, or, on the

net, from www.leeners.com. I use the collagen casing because it's easier

than real casings, no soaking and all the rest. Or you can just roll hot

dogs and bake them in foil.

HOT DOGS

3-4 feet large collagen casing

2 1/2 pounds ground round

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard seed or 1 teaspoon CREOLE MUSTARD

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

2 tablespoons ONION POWDER -or- 1/4 cup finely minced fresh yellow onion

1/4 teaspoon GARLIC POWDER -or- 1-2 fingers garlic, pressed

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 egg

Whirl dry spices in a blender to fully combine (or mix well with a whisk in

a bowl), then add to the meat. If onion and garlic are not dry, add them.

Mix well. When you think you have it mixed, keep mixing.

Add the egg or pureed vegetable. Mix well again.

Stuff mixture into the casings according to the directions for your

stuffer. (I use an inexpensive jerky shooter for this.) Prick air pockets

and twist off in 6-8 inch links. If separate sausages are desired, tie off

each link with a piece of string, then cut between the two links.

Otherwise, do not cut apart.

If you do not have a stuffer, form hot dog sized pieces of mixture and wrap

well in foil for baking. If hot dogs are in cases, boil in gently simmering

water for about 20 minutes. Otherwise, bake at 215 F for about 45 minutes.

Serve. Or, allow to cool, and then freeze for later reheating.

Variations:

* Use half beef and half pork

* Substitute mace for nutmeg

* Use ground turkey or chicken

* Egg and Milk/Yogurt substitutions: Several recipes call for 1 egg white

and 1/4 cup SCD illegal milk. I use a whole egg. You could also use the egg

yolk, 2 tablespoons water, and 2 tablespoons yogurt cheese or Dry Curd

Cottage Cheese. For an egg-free version, substitute 1/4 - 1/3 cup peeled,

cooked, puréed vegetable, such as zucchini (courgettes). For a dairy-free

version, simply omit the yogurt cheese. I like the taste it adds, but I did

find it wasn't essential to having a good hot dog.

Adapted from *Home Sausage Making*, by Mahnke Peery and G.

Reavis.

-- Marilyn (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)

Recipe from *Louisiana SCD Lagniappe* (forthcoming)

Undiagnosed IBS 25 Years, SCD Five Years

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund