[sizzling]
[meat squishing]
[upbeat music]
- Hi, I'm Emily and I'm a level one chef.
- I'm Julie and I'm a level two chef.
- I'm Frank from the Institute
of Culinary Education
and I'm a level three chef.
- Hot dogs are great.
You can have them for lunch, dinner.
You can have them for breakfast
if you really want to.
- I like hot dogs 'cause they're fun
and I also like to have an argument
about whether or not
they're really sandwiches.
They're not.
- A good hot dog to me
has a nice snap to it.
It should be a little like garlicky.
It should be a little salty.
It should have a little
bit of smokiness to it.
But it should have that really nice snap
when you bite into it.
[playful percussion music]
- So these are my hot dogs.
They're just regular
grocery store hot dogs.
- I am using real,
authentic German bratwurst.
- I love a hot dog.
I like it with the weird pork.
- Today I'm going to be making
lamb hot dogs from scratch.
I like kind of that gaminess of the lamb.
- I'm going to be boiling my hot dog.
It's easy, it's fast, and
it's a way to make a hot dog.
- I am making a braising
liquid for my brats.
I'm gonna start to make a little base.
So we're gonna take our
butter, dump that in my pan,
and I'm gonna dump the onions in there.
- First thing we're gonna
do is grind all the meat.
I have some lamb shank meat,
some pork fatback, and a bunch of spices.
I'm using pork fat mainly
because it's readily accessible,
cuts down on the gaminess
of the lamb just a little.
Next thing we're gonna
do is add the spices
and on the spices here, I have salt,
a little bit of curing salts,
some paprika, some smoked paprika,
a little bit of Aleppo pepper,
it's gonna give us a little bit of a kick,
some onion powder, some granulated garlic,
cumin and coriander and some black pepper.
Add all this in and stir it around.
I'm gonna take this,
I'm gonna put it in the
freezer for about 15 minutes.
I don't want it to be frozen.
I want it just a little
crispy, nice and cold.
- The other thing I like to do is
I just prick the brats a little bit
with the tip of my knife, just a little
because you want that nice
braising liquid to seep in.
- So I've got here a pot of water
and I just brought it to a boil.
And I'm just going to
drop my hot dog in there
and boil it for four or five minutes.
- Next up, we're gonna
puree this meat mixture.
[food processor whirring]
It's gonna go
from that bright red to
a little bit of white.
That means that our fat is
getting mixed up and chopped up
and that's kinda the
start of our emulsion.
So I have crushed ice here.
This is not only gonna make
the mixture really cold,
it's also gonna add a
little water to this,
helps make the emulsion.
[processor whirring]
- So we're just gonna
drop our brats in here
and now, Guinness Stout,
the braising liquid.
What I want to do is get it boiling.
Sometimes I add a little bit of water
just to thin out the braising liquid.
And we're gonna let 'em simmer
for about 10 minutes or so.
- All right, in goes the
hot dog and now we wait.
- Now we're gonna stuff
the hot dogs into a casing.
We're gonna use some sheep
casing which is really skinny.
So we have our meat mixture
and this goes directly into the stuffer.
So I'm just gonna pack this
down into my sausage tube
to make sure there's no air bubbles.
And I'm gonna start cranking it down.
So the casing goes on.
Next thing we want to do
is make sure there's a little
bit of water on this tray
'cause the water's gonna
help the sausage slide around
when we actually start to fill.
I take the end, I'm gonna tie a nice knot,
and then I start to crank.
I'm just gonna control the
speed at which it comes out
with my left hand and just feed it
and I can just tear the casing.
I'm gonna tie it and then
we're gonna take these
and we're gonna make them into links.
Gonna squeeze about what
I think a hot dog link is,
twist one way and then
I squeeze the other one
and twist the opposite way.
And there we have our hot dogs.
- So just keep that it's
a nice rolling simmer,
not a boil, just a simmer
and just keep taking your top off,
well, not your top, but taking
[laughs] the pot top off
and checking that it's not over-boiling.
- I mean, probably boiling a
hot dog is not as delicious
as doing other, more advanced
methods but it's the easiest.
- Next up we're gonna poach the hot dogs.
Our water is just below the boil.
I don't want to put the
hot dogs into the water
and have them boil away 'cause
that will break our emulsion.
We're just gonna drop them in.
I'm not gonna mess around
with them too much.
- I'm just gonna like
rotate it a little bit.
I don't think you have to do this
but this is just for my
own fanciness [laughs].
- So the hot dogs have been
poaching for about seven minutes
and I'm gonna kinda
string those in to my ice
just to preserve that plump
kinda nice crisp hot dog.
If you don't put them in an ice bath,
they start to get wrinkly.
They look like old men ankles.
After I chill these all the way,
I'm gonna put 'em in the fridge overnight.
- All right, it's been about four minutes
so I think I can take this
out of it's boiling water bath
and we've got that
beautiful hot dog water.
Perfect for a hot dog martini.
- So now that we've braised,
we are going to sear.
- So the hot dogs have
been chilled over night
and we're just gonna cut them into links.
And now we're ready to grill our hot dogs.
- I'm gonna put just a touch of oil.
- And I'm just gonna lay them down
and what I'm looking
for here is a nice char.
[meat sizzling]
- And just keep turning them.
- They've been on one side
for two to three minutes,
I'm gonna give 'em a turn.
So you see how I'm getting some nice,
kinda little browning on that,
a little bit of caramelization.
So now I'm gonna take them off the grill.
- These babies are well done.
- Look at that.
Beautiful hot dog, delicious.
I can tell you already.
My mouth is watering.
- Next up, buns.
- So we're gonna be steaming
our bun in the microwave
'cause you don't need to be rich
to live luxuriously [laughs].
- We need a bun that
will stand up to the brat
so I am going to toast them.
- My hot dog, 'cause I'm a
chef, is a little fancier.
So I'm gonna use a ficelle.
It's just a skinny piece of French bread.
- You know, I get these rolls
at the bodega on the corner.
They're beautiful, they're inexpensive,
they're fresh every day.
- This is just your
regular grocery store bun.
I'm going to gently wrap my
bun in a moist paper towel.
The towel provides the
moisture to steam it.
- And I'm just gonna cut it to about
where I think is a good
size for our hot dogs.
And then I'm just gonna cut these
almost all the way through.
- You don't need anything
other than a hot pan
that you just cooked your brats in.
Whatever residual is in there
will just enhance the flavor.
- I chose the ficelle
because it's a really nice shape and size.
I like the density of it too.
Gives a little bit of a crunch to it
so we have a little more texture on this
than a regular burger bun.
- So I'm putting it in the
microwave for 15 seconds.
[microwave humming]
You know the hardest part
about cooking is the waiting.
- Okay, so we're getting a
little bit of toast there.
We're gonna turn 'em over.
I'll get 'em a little
toasted on the crust side.
- [Julie] Some people like it charred.
I just like it slightly warm.
[microwave door slamming]
- Now let's see.
Yeah, that'll do.
- And here we have our toasted
buns, ready for the brats.
- All right, so now we're
moving on to the condiments
and as everyone knows,
you can't have a hot dog without mustard.
- Now I'm gonna make pickled red onions.
First thing I do is get my brine
or the liquid that's
gonna go with the onions.
A little bit of sugar, some salt,
some red wine vinegar, and water.
- So next up, chopped onions.
- So I peel my onions.
- Gonna get rid of that skin.
- [Frank] Slicing, we
wanna go with the rings.
- I'm just gonna dice.
- And stuff 'em into this jar.
Gonna put a bay leaf in, some peppercorns.
Now that my vinegar
mixture's come to a simmer,
shut it off and I'm gonna
pour this hot mixture
over the onions.
Make sure you get it all over the place.
- Some people like moister onions.
I just like raw onions.
It reminds me of baseball games.
- Put the lid on.
And I'm basically just gonna
let this sit in a warm place
for maybe 20 minutes and
then put it in the fridge
and by tomorrow, they
should be ready to go.
- I'm gonna make my own spicy mustard.
Right here I have about two tablespoons
of Colman's mustard powder
and then you take an equal
amount of white vinegar
and all you really do is whisk it around.
- I'm also gonna be making harissa.
Harissa is a North African,
Middle Eastern condiment.
I have a pot, I have some vegetable oil,
and while that warms up,
I'm gonna chop some
onions and some garlic.
This is gonna go directly into the oil.
[onions sizzling]
And then I'm gonna dice
my garlic right into the oil.
Give it a stir.
Now I'm gonna add my tomato paste.
Stir it around.
And what this is gonna do
is not necessarily gonna
fry the tomato paste
but it's gonna take
some of that raw flavor
out of the tomato paste.
- I like mustard because
it's tangy and delicious.
It's really the number one
condiment for hot dogs.
Ta-da.
- I'm gonna just put a drop of honey
in this just to add a little sweetness.
You mix that up.
Once you give it a few good
stirs, you're gonna say,
"This doesn't look like
mustard, it's so liquidy."
That's why you gotta
let it sit for awhile.
It will not only
emulsify, it will thicken.
- Smoked paprika, a
little regular paprika,
coriander seed, cumin, salt,
black pepper, and for this
I want a little bit of heat,
a little bit of chili flake.
I'm gonna let this cook
and continually stir it
so it doesn't burn for probably
about 10 to 15 minutes.
So now this is cooked for a few minutes
to get that raw tomato flavor out
and for those spices to kinda combine,
I'm just gonna put it
in a bowl for assembly.
- So the last topping that I'm gonna use
is good old-fashioned Heinz 57 relish.
It has that taste that just takes me back.
- Now I'm gonna be using
sharp cheddar Easy Cheese.
It brings a real tangy, cheesy
creaminess to your hot dog.
Real cheese product.
- I'm a condiment first,
then brat, then condiment.
Put a little bit of mustard,
some of your chopped
onions, and then relish.
- And then we're gonna take
a little bit of our harissa,
dab it on there.
You don't have to go too crazy with this.
You don't want it overpowering.
- And then the next thing I'm gonna do
is just sprinkle some bacon bits on.
I mean, best case scenario,
maybe even you make
your own bacon but what?
Are you made out of time and money?
- [Julie] Now one little
more layer of relish.
- [Frank] And then some pickled onions.
- This is really the perfect combination
because you get your salty, your creamy.
This is a hot dog for kings.
And this is my hot dog.
- And this is my hot dog.
- And this is my hot dog.
- All right, let's give it a taste.
- Mm.
Mm, that's juicy.
- Mm.
- It's delicious.
- Mm-hmm.
It tastes familiar in a way of the hot dog
but then you get that lamb and spice,
a little bit of pickled onions, delicious.
- I think it turned out really well.
Nice snap to the bratwurst, yum.
- This hot dog is delicious
if you're looking for something fancy
but you could also just
have a hot dog with ketchup.
- Hot dogs are a classic
American summertime food,
perfect for any picnic or baseball game.
[dramatic percussion music]
Emily made a pork hot dog.
- They're just regular,
grocery store hot dogs.
- In commercial settings
as pigs are butchered,
trimmings are saved,
chilled and ground and
mixed together with spices
such as white and black pepper, paprika,
forming the hot dogs that we know.
Preservatives like sodium
nitrate are included in the mix.
Sodium nitrate is a very stable compound
that keeps hot dogs pink no
matter how much you cook them.
It's presence also extends shelf-life
by lowering pathogenic microbial load
and reduces mold growth.
Emily boiled her hot dog
which cooks it just fine
but left it more rubbery
and less crisp than the other methods.
Julie used a bratwurst
which is pork-based,
highly seasoned and has a unique taste
that comes from pepper, sage, and nutmeg.
It's made in links
and is already fully
cooked when purchased.
- These are traditional brats.
- Her braise started
with sweet caramelized
onions sauteed in butter.
She then added beer
which has the advantage
of carrying volatile flavor compounds
that vaporize and can
develop a wonderful aroma.
- Oh, smells nice.
- Frank made his own hot dogs
out of lamb shank and pork fat.
Lamb has a high amount of myoglobin in it
which gives hot dogs their
distinctive reddish color.
Chilling the lamb and pork
made them easier to grind
since animal fats are saturated
and they get more firm as they're chilled.
- Nice and cold.
- Fine grinding gave Frank's
hot dogs a homogenous quality
which is something that sets
hot dogs apart from sausages.
He ground his mixture with
ice which did a few things.
It kept the mixture firm,
making it easier to fill the casings,
which are the natural lining
of the intestine of the sheep.
It also kept the whole mixture very cold
which slowed the growth
of pathogenic bacteria.
Frank poached his hot dogs
in order to cook the meat
and finished them on a grill,
imparting a slight smoky flavor.
Grilling also crisped the natural casings,
giving his hot dogs a
nice snap when eaten.
- It's gonna give us our nice snap,
our nice juiciness to the hot dog.
[dramatic drum music]
- Emily used a grocery store bun.
They're wheat-based and
usually have preservatives
and dough-improvers included
like monoglycerides and potassium iodate.
These increase how quickly
the buns rise during proofing
and strengthen gluten bonding in the bun.
- I don't know, people like a steamed bun.
This is one way to do it, you know?
- [Food Scientist] Emily
steamed her bun in the microwave
which made it even softer.
Julie used a larger roll
to fit her bratwurst.
- I love these buns.
- She toasted it in the pan
drippings with some added oil
which added a crunchy quality
to her bun while layering her flavors.
Frank used a thin
baguette called a ficelle,
cut to fit the hot dog.
He dry-toasted it which
caused the bread to brown
and maintain a crispy texture.
- You're gonna have a nice
chew with that hot dog.
[dramatic drum music]
- Emily used classic mustard,
Easy Cheese, and bacon bits.
Easy Cheese, or spray cheese,
is made from cheddar cheese,
milk, whey, water, oil, and
lots of other ingredients,
like sodium and calcium
phosphates, and sodium citrate.
There's also a lot of
salt in this product.
- I'm sorry, what?
- Surprisingly, there's no
actual bacon in bacon bits.
They're made from textured
soy protein with flavors
and additives that make them look
and taste like crumbled bacon.
Julie made her own mustard from
powder, vinegar, and honey,
which allowed her to control
its sweetness and acidity.
She also added classic pickle relish
which is made from softer
pickles, spices, and seasonings
providing texture and tang.
- It's not a brat or a hot without it.
- [Food Scientist] Frank
pickled red onions.
During the pickling process, the vinegar
and sugar added a sweet and
sour taste to the onions.
The lower pH from the vinegar
effected the purple anthocyanin pigments
in the red onion and gave
them their bright pink color.
- Look at the beautiful color we got.
- Frank also made a harissa
which is a North African chili paste.
It brought some heat in
the form of capsaicin
which was dissolved in the
oil he used in his mixture.
Making hot dogs can be as
simple or complex as you like.
Next time you're having a cookout,
don't forget to try some of these tips.
