

The temperature at which nitrites are cooked is an important aspect of their link to cancer.īenshosan explores lesser-known ingredients typically found in hot dogs, including preservatives like potassium lactate and sodium diacetate. Without sodium nitrite, meats become an unappetizing gray color, though they are also less likely to cause cancer, according to a nutritionist quoted by April Benshosan. As Yasmin Tayag writes for Inverse, hot dogs are the result of a blend of “mashed-up pork and beef trimmings that are swirled together with processed chicken trimmings, food starch, flavorings, corn syrup, and lots of water.” Tayag explains that another ingredient added to hot dogs is sodium nitrite, which gives the meat-slurry-in-a-tube its pink color, making it look fresh and familiar to consumers. This gristly meat is cooked and churned into a paste, at which point other ingredients are added. In the United States, other well-known brands of hot dogs include Hebrew National ( ConAgra Brands), Nathan’s (mostly made by Smithfield Foods), and store brands including Sam’s Choice, and labels sold by Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. 6.23 each(0.52 / oz) H-E-B Texas Heritage Jumbo Beef Hot Dogs - 1/4 lb, 4 ct. were Bar-S (a brand of Sigma Alimentos, a subsidiary of Alfa), Ball Park (a Tyson Foods brand), Oscar Mayer (a subsidiary of Kraft Heinz), and John Morrell (a Smithfield Foods brand, a subsidiary of WH Group of China), moving a total of 104.2 million units in 12 weeks ending in late January 2022. Hot Dogs H-E-B Natural Beef Hot Dogs, 8 ct. The four brands of refrigerated hot dogs with the most sales in the U.S. in the last quarter of 2021: less popular than dinner sausage, and slightly more popular than breakfast sausages. Hot dogs comprised about 3.4 percent of total meat sales in the U.S.

These cuts are ground into a slurry with a significant amount of fat and water, packed with seasoning and smoke flavor, and cooked into hand-length tubes to be sold as hot dogs. What it essentially means is that there's no sodium nitrite in the product. Also known as frankfurters, franks, or wieners, the hot dog is a cooked sausage made of highly processed meat that allows for less desirable cuts of meat to be rebranded. The Best Uncured Hot Dogs: Niman Ranch The word 'uncured' on hot dog packaging is perhaps a little misleading.

Hot dogs are a popular American staple of summer cookouts and other social gatherings.
