Homemade Hot Dog Recipes

HOMEMADE HOT DOG

Steps:

• Prepare the casings (see instructions below).
• In a blender or food processor, make a puree of the onion, garlic, coriander, marjoram, mace, mustard seed, and paprika.
• Add the pepper, egg white, sugar, salt, and milk and mix thoroughly.
• Grind the pork, beef, and fat cubes through the fine blade separately.
• Mix together and grind again.
• Mix the seasonings into the meat mixture with your hands.
• This tends to be a sticky procedure, so wet your hands with cold water first.
• Chill the mixture for half an hour then put the mixture thorough the fine blade of the grinder once more.
• Stuff the casings and twist them off into six-inch links.
• Parboil the links (without separating them) in gently simmering water for 20 minutes.
• Place the franks in a bowl of ice water and chill thoroughly.
• Remove, pat dry, and refrigerate.
• Because they are precooked, they can be refrigerated for up to a week or they can be frozen.
• Preparing the Casing.
• Snip off about four feet of casing.
• (Better too much than too little because any extra can be repacked in salt and used later.) Rinse the casing under cool running water to remove any salt clinging to it.
• Place it in a bowl of cool water and let it soak for about half an hour.
• While you're waiting for the casing to soak, you can begin preparing the meat as detailed above.
• After soaking, rinse the casing under cool running water.
• Slip one end of the casing over the faucet nozzle.
• Hold the casing firmly on the nozzle, and then turn on the cold water, gently at first, and then more forcefully.
• This procedure will flush out any salt in the casing and pinpoint any breaks.
• Should you find a break, simply snip out a small section of the casing.
• Place the casing in a bowl of water and add a splash of white vinegar.
• A tablespoon of vinegar per cup of water is sufficient.
• The vinegar softens the casing a bit more and makes it more transparent, which in turn makes your sausage more pleasing to the eye.
• Leave the casing in the water/vinegar solution until you are ready to use it.
• Rinse it well and drain before stuffing.

CHEF JOHN'S HOT DOG BUNS

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
• Place yeast into bowl of a large stand mixer; whisk 1/2 cup flour and water into yeast until mixture is smooth. Let stand until mixture is foamy, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Whisk egg, 3 tablespoons melted butter, sugar, and salt into yeast mixture; add remaining flour and stir.
• Fit a dough hook onto stand mixer and knead the dough on low speed until soft and sticky, 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape sides if needed. Poke and prod the dough with a silicone spatula; if large amounts of dough stick to the spatula, add a little more flour.
• Transfer dough onto a floured work surface; dough will be sticky and elastic but not stick to your fingers. Form the dough lightly into a smooth, round shape, gently tucking loose ends underneath.
• Wipe out stand mixer bowl, drizzle olive oil into the bowl, and turn dough over in the bowl several times to coat surface thinly with oil. Cover bowl with aluminum foil. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Transfer dough to a floured work surface and form into a 5x10-inch rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Cut dough into 8 equal lengths. Turn each slice cut-side up and form into a hot dog bun shape about 5 inches long. Transfer dough, cut-sides up, to the prepared baking sheet about set them about 1/4-inch apart.
• Cut a slit about 1/8-inch deep down the center of each bun. Brush 2 tablespoons melted butter over the top and sides of each bun. Let rise until almost doubled in size and the buns have risen into each other, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake buns in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Brush tops with remaining melted butter.

HOMEMADE HOT DOG BUNS

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar, yeast and warm water. Stir to dissolve and let set until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
• Add in milk, vegetable oil and salt.
• With the mixer on a low speed with the dough hook attached, gradually add the flour.
• Once 3 cups have been incorporated, add the remaining flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 2-4 minutes, until smooth and supple. The dough should be soft, but not sticky.
• Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, 1-1 1/2 hours.
• Gently remove the dough from its bowl onto a floured surface. Divide it into 9 equal pieces.
• Shape into rolls. You want them to be the proportions of a fat cigar (slightly larger though) -- don't worry, they will expand when baking.
• Place hot dog buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a dishtowel. Let them rise for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Brush buns with egg white and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove to a rack to cool before slicing.