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An embroiled and heated family debate - Is a hot dog a sausage?

written by

Marie Reedell

posted on

May 14, 2024

*Originally posted on 9/10/21. Updated on 5/14/24.

My family has a chat group. We share photos, life updates, stories… and sometimes we get a good debate going. 

It was prompted by my sister. She wrote, “Important question! We need you all to settle a dispute. Please let us know your opinion. Is a hot dog a sausage?”

Bingggg. Bingggg. Bingggg. Ahhh… the sounds of a chat debate quickly ensued.

Many differing arguments were made. Some conceded that the hot dog may technically be a sausage because of the similarities in its production process. Others were skeptical that the process is similar enough, considering many sausages are removed from the casing. Some fell on the “not a sausage” side simply because of the way we Americans use the word.

Then there’s how you cook it. You don’t cook a hot dog like you would any other sausage. You don’t eat them with pancakes and bacon. You wouldn’t put them in tomato sauce. You wouldn’t ask for a spicy hot dog with your ravioli. If the man at the Sabrett hot dog stand gave me a sausage on a bun when I asked for a hot dog, I would be very disappointed.

We looked up the definition of a sausage. We researched recipes that included hot dogs and were surprised by the seemingly off-putting suggestions. I mean, would you like hot dogs in your pasta?

It went on for some time. Then....

My brother had a stroke of genius. He went into journalism mode and reached out to an expert - the President of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council! 

The Hot Dog President replied less than 10 minutes later!! He’s obviously very serious and enthusiastic about his position and these types of questions.

He wrote, “A hot dog is a type of sausage. But all sausages are not hot dogs. Check out the glossary on different sausage styles: https://hot-dog.org/sausage-basics/sausage-glossary. Hot dogs fit into the Frankfurter/Wiener category.``

And there you have it - a hot dog is a sausage!

Then this got me thinking even more about sausages. Humans have been so creative in figuring out hundreds (if not thousands) of ways to use ground meat, the most affordable and most versatile meat there is. 

This resulted in a ridiculous variety of sausages from all over the world, with differing textures and flavor profiles. Hot dogs, salami, kielbasa, mortadella, bologna, pepperoni, bratwurst, chorizo, to name a few. Yum! I’d love to try them all :)

A part of me is sad, too. The modern industrial food system has overcomplicated (dare I say disrespected) something as simple as a sausage. 

Soy protein isolate or sodium caseinate are added as binders. Grains, tubers, or legumes are added as fillers. Both of these have the goal of bringing the cost down, but this also brings the nutritional value down, too. Gelatin or starch are often added as thickeners to alter the texture. And nitrates and nitrites are added as preservatives.

But, why do we need all that junk in food? Yes, food science is cool, but it’s not necessary in all cases. 

At Miller’s, we keep it all natural, without all that junk. Just real simple ingredients. And, it tastes great!

Miller’s has a great selection of sausages. Right now, we’re offering 6 different types of beef sausages (including hot dogs) and 4 different types of pork sausages (including hot dogs). And that’s not even to mention the ground meat or other meats that you can make into sausage yourself!

So, what do you think? Despite what the Hot Dog President wrote, should a hot dog be classified as a sausage? How often does sausage make an appearance on your plate? What are your favorite ways to eat sausages?

Cooking

Opinion

Pastured Meat

Sausages

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Over the past few months a bunch of people asked us if we tested our bone broth for toxic heavy metals. When we get the same question a lot, we of course look into it. My first question was --- Is there an issue with toxic metals in bone broth? As it turns out, yes, there "can" be an issue! Heavy metals are naturally present in our environment. We need the "good" heavy metals to thrive: iron, zinc, magnesium, copper, etc. But, we can 100% do without the toxic heavy metals: arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, etc. Too many toxic heavy metals can lead to a host of pretty awful issues: nervous system damage, cardiovascular issues, cancer, endocrine disruption, kidney damage, and so on. Our body is designed to excrete heavy metals through urine (and a little bit through sweat, hair, and breastmilk too)... but only so much. There's a limit. If you're overloaded, your body will store those heavy metals in your bones, blood, tissues, and organs. 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For some reference, the EPA says that less than 15 ppb of lead is safe in drinking water. Not saying that I agree, but it's a good reference point.  These results are good. It means the broth definitely isn't overloaded with toxic heavy metals. But, it's not good enough!!! We need to test again! We really need to a lower LOQ. We need to know the results with an accuracy of as low as 1 ppb. It looks like the lab we sent the original samples to doesn't have an LOQ that low. So here I am on the hunt for a lab to do it again. As soon as I can, I'll send samples in again and paying for more expensive testing to get the info you deserve. Stay tuned! I hope to have the new results in by the end of April 2025. Do you worry about toxic metals (or other junk) in your food? Where have your fears stemmed from? I'd love to hear from you. You can comment below (no account required) or contact us 😊 ----- Sources The risk of lead contamination in bone broth dietsBone Broth and Lead Toxicity: Should You Be Concerned?Bone Broth and Lead Contamination: A Very Flawed Study in Medical HypothesesBone Broth, Collagen, and Toxic Metals: A Research Review