Today is National Hot Dog Day. This day was created by The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. Cathy Isom tells us about celebrating one of America’s favorite summer sandwiches. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
National Hot Dog Day
From: Days of the Year
Thu 14th Jul, 2016 will be…Hot Dog Day
The sun is out, you’re at the amusement park, and the roller-coaster is filling the air with the clack-clack-clack of wheels on rails. The scent of a thousand different fair foods fill the air, but one stands out above all the rest. It’s rich, it’s savory, it’s the smell of a thousand mysterious meat products put into one delicious sausage casing, broiled up on a flame grill, and sent out on a bun with all the fixings. Hot Dog Day celebrates this most delicious and tantalizing of treats, and its extensive history!
History of Hot Dog Day
Given the Hot Dog Day is an international event, where it begins and who sponsors it tends to vary by region. In the USA it’s primarily the industry partners that participate in promoting it, whereas in other countries around the world it may be historical organizations celebrating the role it played in their history. Did you know that the Frankfurter was named for the Germany city of Frankfurt, where it was said to originate? Well now you do!
There’s even multiple varieties of Hot Dogs! The original hot dogs came in a natural casing, which in case you didn’t know were made from the small intestines of sheep. Intestines were regularly used for making all kinds of sausages, hot dogs included!
Then you have skinless hot dogs, in order to hold them together they’re cooked in a cellulose casing that gets taken off when they get packaged. Since cellulose is kosher and cheaper than kosher intestine, this is often how the frankly (heh heh) delicious Kosher Hot Dogs are often made.
Hot Dog Day is celebrated all over, and if you’ve ever enjoyed a warm hot frank at a summer BBQ, then you’re no doubt celebrating too!
How to Celebrate Hot Dog Day
The best way is to serve yourself up a great meal with hot dogs! Our personal favorite is the old classic, home-made mac and cheese served with slices of hot dog in it. We also really enjoy hot dogs in our chili, that’s if we don’t have a bun to make a classic chili dog. Get all your friends together in your back yard and encourage them to bring their favorite frankfurters and condiments. Share stories of your first hot-dog, and all the memories you have around this classic summertime treat. There’s something about a hot dog with the slight char that comes from being grilled that always has us waiting for Hot Dog Day.
Video from The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council
Have you ever wondered how hot dogs are made? The “Queen of Wien” takes you on a tour of a typical hot dog plant to show the process from start to finish including the cuts of meat used, how they are blended together, stuffed into casings and cooked.