Dachshund Sausages: A History of Hot Dogs

The humble hot dog has been around longer than you might think, and how it became an American icon with a surprising number of regional varieties is intimately linked to American culture and history. Whether you like them boiled or grilled, with chili or sauerkraut or, blasphemy to some, ketchup, the history of hot dogs is a history of modern America.
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Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #HotDogs

[@BoyNamedSue4]

My great grandfather was a butcher. When my great grandfather was in Germany during WWII he wrote down as many different sausage recipes from the older generations as he could. I recently discovered this notebook in a box and started making them myself.

[@goodun2974]

There was a single season of a TV series that starts out in Germany and concludes in the American Midwest titled "The Master Butcher" which I strongly recommend. Sausages were peripheral to the story, but it was primarily about immigration and findings one's way in a new country, using Old World knowledge and traditions. It was shown here on PBS, public broadcasting (we streamed it on Amazon Prime as I recall).

[@dimboolabladeworks7927]

care to share ? happy to pay for a photo copy of the recipes .. German sausages are the best mate ..

[@BoyNamedSue4]

@@goodun2974 I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation

[@nevertoopoortotour.3033]

Share the wealth

[@anullhandle]

You should definitely post them somewhere so the wayback machine can preserve them.

[@haggis525]

Here in Canada hot dogs are generally sold in packs of 12 and buns in packs of 12! Sheer madness! 🤣🤣 Perhaps our American cousins could follow our lead on that. 🤔

[@goatface6602]

You hose heads do have a reputation for wildness!

[@clwomble]

Now you’re just making up crap about Canada.

[@haggis525]

@@clwomble Are you kidding me? Canada 🇨🇦 and Canadians are legendary! Finest kind, through and through! 😎

[@googiegress]

@@clwomble Have you heard of bagged milk, by chance?

[@Cricket2731]

​@@googiegress, Often used in restaurants. 1 bag of milk = ~ 40 lbs.

[@Xelbiuj]

You should do a collaboration video with @Townsends since you love talking about the history of food!

[@philhatfield2282]

This story brought a wonderful smile to my face. Thank you for such an interesting, informative, and pleasant history of the hot dog!

[@MichaelRainey]

I just chopped up a bunch of franks and dropped them into my slow cooker with stew veggies potatoes, carrots, celery and onions with gravy mix and rice. Imma have good food tomorrow in time to watch this episode again.

[@GriggsC123]

Charcoal grill. Use a tin pan, put in butter, garlic cloves, poke holes in your hot dogs. Put the tin pan on the opposite side of the hot coals, wait for the butter to melt, once melted, place hot dogs in the pan till it is cooked. Then place the hot dog over hot coals to fry it for a bit. Use the garlic butter and coat the hot dog buns for toasting. Use whatever condiments you want.

[@emintey]

I love hot dogs. I admit I'm kind of a hot dog snob and for me the only real hot dogs come in a natural casing and few supermarket dogs make the cut. Being a born New Yorker I prefer the flavor profile of New York style hot dogs epitomized by Nathan's natural casing hot dogs which are hard to come by these days, their supermarket version doesn't really make the cut. A good hot dog doesn't need a lot of "toppings", just some sauerkraut or onions in sauce and mustard.

[@hankkingsley9300]

Sabrett

[@jayg1438]

Zweigels texas hots from Rochester, NY are excellent natural casing dogs with a good snap

[@emintey]

@@jayg1438 I'd love to try them but I've never seen them in my area in New Jersey.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

:40 I better catch up. So far this year I'm 68 short.

[@randelbrooks]

I remember having a little campfires on the beach in my hometown of Galveston Texas and heating up or roasting your hot dog with something you always did as it was getting dark and boy they were good. Afterwords you got to stick a couple of marshmallows on your long fork and roast your marshmallows. Many of burnt tongue when you hastily bit into one of the things in the molten sugary filling spilled out into your mouth! Ouch

[@GasCityGuy]

Fun Fact. In Indiana, Frankfort High School adopted the nickname 'Hot Dogs' for their sports teams in 1930 and continue to use the name to this day. It's thought to be the only school in the USA using that name.

[@mikearmstrong8483]

I suppose that beats the U C Santa Cruz team name & mascot; the Banana Slugs.

[@a.p.2356]

What, no reference to the Seattle dog, served with cream cheese? It's damn good.

[@robertanderson5092]

Hot dog johnny deep fried in peanut oil with a pickle wedge

[@AEMace069]

Fun fact: When Nathan Handwerker started selling his 5¢ frankfurters, people were suspicious of the quality of meat that must be in such a cheap hot dog. So, Handwerker hired young men to eat his hot dogs in front of his stand while wearing white coats. This trick not only brought an air of "class" to the stand but also convinced people that Nathan's hot dogs must be really good if doctors were eating them. Ahh, marketing...

[@goodun2974]

Doctors were also used as pitchman for cigarettes. 😖☠

[@ssgusa]

My mother was 16 in 1952 and had a cough. She went to her doctor who “prescribed” menthol cigarettes. She became addicted and passed at only 58 years old, thanks to a doctor.

[@farajaraf]

Dude get your own channel

[@mfreund15448]

Doctors have been for sale as long as salesmen have been selling “medicine”

[@painmagnet1]

Gotta love a Nathandog!

[@004Black]

When we first arrived in Detroit in 1963, my Bavarian mother found the local sausage kitchen, Alexander & Hornung. My first visit was entrenched in my memory. The purveyor, Gisa, handed each of us kids a wiener wrapped in a wax paper square. Yes we ate them cold and with no bun but it didn’t need anything else. It was the best hot dog I’ve ever eaten. Our lives ended up intertwining with the owners so much, we bought their house, went on vacation, worked for them-all because of a friendly wiener greeting.

[@tygrkhat4087]

We have a sausage shop in Buffalo. The original owner was from Europe and his sausages were authentic. If you went into his shop and asked for hot dogs, he threw you out.

[@phife1878]

A friendly wiener greeting was also how you were likely conceived.

[@xobile.123]

Wiener greeting is crazy 💀

[@joannemcmillan9201]

I was born in Detroit. My parents and grandparents always got their sausage from Brooms Sausage.

[@McNuggs-]

EPIC! 😂

[@richardklug822]

I attended an inner city high school in the 1960's. Juniors and Seniors with no demerits were allowed to buy lunch off campus. Our favorite nearby spot was the old pickup truck with a grill mounted in back. The driver sold 25 cent dogs and dime sodas from the cab, while his wife cooked and dispensed the food from the cargo bed. His cry of "that boy paid, Hon...he gets two" bounced off the nearby row homes for several hours each day, rain or shine. Those charcoal-grilled dogs were fantastic, beating our cafeteria's offerings hands down. I certainly ate more than 70 per year back then!

[@williammurray1341]

A time long lost and impossible to explain to children.

[@SocialistDistancing]

Back when freedom still existed before a bunch of mush heads ruined the world.

[@snowdog03]

I read dermatitis. Lol

[@terrywestbrook-lienert2296]

Sounds like Heaven!

[@paddington1670]

What a great story thanks for sharing!

[@edletain385]

“Laws are like sausages. It is best not to see them being made.” - John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887). That version of Saxe’s phrase was only attributed to Bismarck in the 1930s.

[@cpnscarlet]

The eternal mystery of the name "Hot Dog" goes on.... and now I'm hungry. As a teen, I was once dragged by my folks to a fund-raising casino night at a Brooklyn Republican club. Everyone got two tickets at the door for hot dogs and sodas even though the kids couldn't place any bets. As the night went on, the folks running the hot dog table just stopped taking tickets since the adults were too busy gambling. By the time we went home, I had downed SEVENTEEN dogs and resigned myself to a sleepless night. I actually slept soundly without a bit of heartburn. Ah...the joys of youth.

[@jrt818]

Brooklyn had Republicans!?

[@cpnscarlet]

@@jrt818 After the s***show Lindsey and Beam left behind, the mid-to-late 70s was a fairly good time for Republicans there. Ed Koch was endorsed by the Republican Party on his second run for Mayor.

[@JamesThomas-gg6il]

I just got off of work and got home, wondering what to have for dinner. Then I saw the history guy was gonna talk about hot dogs...so now I'm grilling hot dogs and watching the history guy. Good choice.

[@paulsalazar228]

My mom sang this song to me when I was young and eating hot dogs… “ My father is the butcher and my mother sells the meat and I’m the little weenie that runs in the street”…I miss you Mom

[@i8764theKevassitant]

She's resting easy and now you're the butcher my friend. Make memories with your little weenies if you got em.

[@kristenjensen2589]

My mom sang the same thing! I'm currently teaching it to my grandchildren! Our version used "wiener wart" instead of weenie but it's the same little song...❤

[@LB-uo7xy]

Your German parents must have really liked seeing dogs run for their lives as they were being chased down the streets to be eaten. They sound like sociopaths. Even as they are now being made of pork it's absolutely disgusting to make fun of the Sheer terror a pig would feel before being caught and unalived.

[@ssgusa]

My dachshund watched this with me. He loves hotdogs.

[@Charliecomet82]

Cannibal!

[@ssgusa]

@@Charliecomet82 he feels bad…but can’t help it 🐕

[@painmagnet1]

We always call our dachshund 'the wiener'.

[@otpyrcralphpierre1742]

I have a Jack Russell, and he enjoys one hot dog every morning!

[@yvescote9893]

lol🙂

[@bwhog]

This gets back to something I caught onto a while back. It is interesting to me to observe how the origin of many of the premium deli meats and other beloved foods such as cheeses, pickles, and even jams and jellies has their origins not in someone trying to create a particular product but simply in food preservation. Our ancestors were certainly a clever lot and the next time you enjoy a pepperoni pizza or salami sandwich or you put relish or sauerkraut on your hot dog, take a moment to mentally offer gratitude to those anonymous people of so long ago who gave us such creations or who made them what we know today.

[@rpbajb]

What a delightful episode. No murder, explosions, or war. Just fun. Who doesn't love a midsummer ball game hot dog that's been grilling since opening day.

[@yankeefist9146]

No pirates either...

[@yekutielbenheshel354]

"hot dog that's been grilling since opening day." LOL.

[@JTA1961]

Nice of you to point that out...🌭😃👍

[@fumanpoo4725]

No murder? Did the meat commit suicide?

[@rpbajb]

@@fumanpoo4725 Murder refers to the killing of a human, not an animal. Is English your first language? Just curious.

[@Nerathul1]

These food episodes are by far my favorite! Although I may be biased as food is a special interest of mine. I love how you delve into the small details of history rather than just wars and famous people!

[@olly2027]

Me to.

[@truthsRsung]

Food is a Need. Not a want. Not a "Special Interest." Not a niche nor nook nor cranny. Not a milestone in Patent Technology. Not any new advertising technique introduced. The purpose of sausage making was conservation of supplies and portability. Survival. This was BEFORE we made it a Habit of Transporting Food over the Equator in Winter months. When we study the History of that, we find it completely unsustainable and foolish. Modern thinkers want to demonize jarring, canning, curing, and cheese making because those practices enabled "Pioneering" and "Colonization". What was the alternative? Europe, Russia, and the Middle East were on fire for over a Hundred Years when my Great Grandfather took a boat ride, alone, at 18. (1896). Another orphan created by Surfdom.

[@machematix]

Have you checked out Tasting History with Max Miller? It's an awesome KZbin channel with a wonderful host, where he cooks historical recipes and while they cook he discusses the history around that dish.

[@Nerathul1]

@@machematix I have! He and Jon Townsend are some of my favorites!

[@calendarpage]

When I was a school kid in DC, back in the '60's, we'd go to a shop near church after Mass on Sunday. There was a juke box and a small lunch counter. They sold huge Kosher pickles, pastries, and what we called 'half smokes.' I remember them being shorter and fatter than a regular hot dog. The 7th & 8th graders would get half smokes and a soda. I rarely had the money for a half smoke, but when I did, you couldn't tell me anything. I had arrived.

[@janetd4862]

I worked for a dietitian years ago, who told me that hot dogs are the most popular meat for Memorial Day, whereas July 4th and Labor Day will see more hamburgers. She said it’s because Memorial Day comes at the end of the month, when money starts to run short for many people (and hot dogs are cheaper!), whereas the other two holidays are at the beginning of the month, when money is more plentiful. She told me this almost 40 years ago, and I think of it every year when I attend summer picnics.

[@vlmellody51]

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of our many trips to the beach at Fort Derussey in Hawaii while my dad was stationed at Hickam AFB. I used to save up my allowance money so I could buy hot dogs for a nickel. All the trimmings were free, so I'd load mine up with hot mustard, sweet relish, chopped onions and sour kraut, or yellow mustard, chopped onions, chili and cheese. Our mom sometimes would pay for it all when Dad was on a mission, because it meant that she didn't have to cook that night. With 7 kids, meal times were no joke. I'm in my 60's now and I'm a vegetarian who's allergic to onions, but sometimes I still miss those warm days on the beach, eating my hot dogs and drinking my 5 cents soda, or blowing a whole 15 cents on an ice cream bar. 🍦

[@meljrnone8608]

Memories....

[@finddeniro]

My 1st A & W Root Beer..I am one of Seven Kids..

[@OptimusWombat]

There was a study published last year that claimed each hot dog you eat would take an average of 36 minutes off your life expectancy. If that's the case, I should be dead already.

[@ronfullerton3162]

Amen to that! I should of never gotten to my current age of 73. And I am still known to tie into a hot dog yet today. Yum yum. Which I wat with a squirt of ketchup! Sorry, but that is how it is.

[@Dad-979]

I’m from North Carolina and we eat red hotdogs. Brightleaf aka “Carolina Packers” 😋

[@BlueRidgeCritter]

I wouldn’t have been born. So yeah…another myth. Like the dangers of eggs and coffee were finally proven to be.

[@NG..]

If you eat enough, you’ll travel back in time

[@desirejohnson2124]

Was that from the same people that put out a documentary about cow farts causing global warming... laughing my behind off

[@johnstown2451]

Well, I’m not buying Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Oreos or skittles anymore…

[@jamesfracasse8178]

Don't forget: Domino's, Starbucks, McDonald's, burger king, Wendy's

[@user-in1yw9ty5t]

and restaurants that make it the same way.

[@TinHatRanch]

Who on earth eats 70 hot dogs a year!?! No wonder everyone I️ see is a giant tub-o-diabetes.

[@olly2027]

I don’t eat them.

[@morrismonet3554]

Hot dogs won't give you diabetes. Served in 70% of homes does not = 70 hotdogs a year.

[@hunterdavis3003]

@@morrismonet3554 0:41 he says “70 each”

[@painmagnet1]

Only 70?

[@TinHatRanch]

@@morrismonet3554 tell that to the blobs I️ see waddling into hotdog shops.

[@gregoryborlan747]

I knew that hot dogs originated in Germany. But I was kind of surprised that sausage making was around since the Paleolithic period.

[@earlyriser8998]

Not 'really' surprised but surprised they had any evidence of it. Sausage as a concept, stuff left over meat and parts into the intestines skin, to cure for later, is something you could see dates back even longer than 20,000 years ago.

[@2AChef-n-BBQ]

I don't want any part of those 30% of households that dont serve hot dogs by golly!!! One of my favorite foods🙏🍻🇺🇸

[@magellantv]

Such a storied past for the humble hot dog.

[@eidespere]

Hot dog! A new video about a good snack. Ketchup belongs on hotdogs. To think otherwise is heresy.

[@CwL-1984]

Who knew hot dogs could be so interesting.

[@truthsRsung]

It takes a special kind of person to smear lipstick on a pig. Look at those ads. Guilt trips saying you aren't normal unless you have had one? There MUST be stuff in there you don't want to consume if the advertising division behind the Company are messed up in the head like that. Imagine what bad ideas they give purchasing and distribution.

[@raedwulf61]

In Frankfurt, Germany, at a street fair, we bought wild boar sausages served on a crisp roll. They were fantastic and have become the standard by which our family measures all other sausages.

[@oldfrend]

i'd be curious to try that myself. i've heard many times that wild pig/boar is really good.

[@JeremyMacDonald1973]

@@oldfrend Really? I came across some posts on Quora by hunters down in Texas and according to them wild boar is usually not palatable.

[@MrAranton]

@@JeremyMacDonald1973 Boar is the most popular game meat where I live and I've had in many varieties, the stuff is definitely very palatable. Perhaps those hunter must have shot males during mating season. During that time their hormones have a very negative impact on their taste. For the same reason domesitcated male pigs that are raised for their meat get castrated when they're young. No balls => no hormones => no bad taste. As boars age their meat gets tougher, so that meat procured from particularly large - i.e. old animals - does not make particularly enjoyable steaks or roast. But the meat is still good for sausages or preparations that involve long braising times. It's possible those hunters weren't aware of that and simply prepared it wrong.

[@JeremyMacDonald1973]

@@MrAranton Thank you for the detailed explanation. I appreciate it.

[@nedludd7622]

A description "emulsified high-fat offal tube with 32 1/2 percent fat, 6 1/2 percent rind, 20 percent water, 10 percent rust, 5 percent seasoning preservatives coloring, 26 percent meat consisting of mostly gristle, head meat, other off-cuts, and mechanically recovered meat steamed of the carcass". That was a TV show description of the British banger sausage but likely could apply to the hot dog. Look up the episode on the Euro-sausage in the series "Yes, Minister". On YT.

[@wholeNwon]

Really funny series. Even Thatcher was a fan.

[@robertward7382]

I feel a bit queasy.....I had one for breakfast 😉

[@csnide6702]

that makes them sound absolutely horrible..... 😁

[@montyhutchens4088]

So funny, I just ordered yesterday Hot Dogs from Thurman's natural casings. Something about a Hot Dog that takes me back to childhood summers. Great video!👍👍

[@ono147]

love the snap of natural, not many do it and they're sometimes hard to find here in SoCal. boars head is about it.

[@seantracy9109]

As a displaced Brooklynite, it was great hearing about Nathen's and Coney Island. Here in Detroit they have the audacity to call a hot dog with chili, ketchup, mustard and onions a 'Coney Island' or simply, a coney dog. The nerve!!!!!

[@lapurta22]

Being a displaced Detroiter, I always found that odd, too. Especially now that I live on the east coast and there are Noo Yawkahs on every street corner/, complaining about chili dogs, and crappy pizza. 😄

[@rczeien]

Coney Islands are what we call dinners. Often Greek owned or founded

[@lvtiguy226]

My first experience with the Chicago dog and the prohibition of ketchup came on my first visit to meet my girlfriend’s (and future wife’s) family. I was almost disowned before I could even propose after reaching for the ketchup at a backyard cookout. I quickly learned and have been a part of the family for going on 30 years now. Great video!!

[@rhuephus]

ha ha .. you tried to put yuky ketchup on a Chicago dog ??? you're lucky you survived ...

[@lvtiguy226]

@@rhuephus yep, and my fiancé still married me. 😆

[@LordDad]

Though I now live in Cleveland, I raised my kids to never put ketchup on hot dogs. Gotta raise them right

[@OptimusWombat]

I'll eat microwaved hot dogs because I'm lazy, but the best hot dog is one that's grilled with an appropriate layer of charred carbon on the outside.

[@HM2SGT]

🤔 microwave them long enough and you get the same effect. Little chewy, and you gotta be careful with the timing so they don’t burst into flame…! 😉

[@oldfrend]

i refuse to nuke a 'dog. goddamn unwashed heathens. might as well eat a rubber tube.

[@johnh.tuomala4379]

I've always preferred mine steamed to a fare-thee-well.

[@OptimusWombat]

@@johnh.tuomala4379 that's an interesting idea, although it would also require me to buy a steamer.

[@johnh.tuomala4379]

@@OptimusWombat Not necessarily. There's a trick I learned many years ago: put the frankfurters in a pot with a little bit of water (no more than a cup), then put it in the oven (or microwave) for as long as it takes (10-15 minutes) for the water to become steam, and cook the frankfurters.

[@blamb42]

I need to point out that there is nothing that Ketchup (with or without Mustard) can do that Barbecue Sauce can't do better. For full disclosure I'm a Chili Dog man.

[@frankcooke1692]

If you put bbq sauce on a meat pie, you are a monster

[@paulmcmanus6222]

I prefer HP sauce... what the British refer to as brown sauce.

[@blamb42]

@@frankcooke1692 I do NOT put B-B-Q Sauce on meat pies but neither do I use Ketchup.

[@user-in1yw9ty5t]

my man @bob

[@blamb42]

@@paulmcmanus6222 They don't sell HP around here but is it similar to A-1?

[@evensgrey]

Up here in Canada, hotdogs used to be sold in packages of twelve (weighing one pound) but more recently have been sold in packages of 10 (also being a pound). This probably has to do with the primary hotdog maker being the independent Canadian meat packer Schneiders (started in what was then Berlin, Upper Canada, and is now Kitchener, Ontario) to the company that they once partnered with for hotdog production and was later bough out by, Maple Leaf Foods. Maple Leaf is a much larger and more global operation, and likely standardized on the slightly larger US hot dog standard because more of their production goes to the US than to Canada. Schneiders as a separate company did sell some products into the US, but it was far from their entire line. Another interesting thing is that I don't think I've ever seen a hotdog cart on the streets of a Canadian city. Up here, we get larger chip trucks and smaller but still enclosed chip wagons (being enclosed allows the operator to keep warm in the bitterly cold winters many Canadian cities are subject to) which both tend to have slightly broader menus (which usually include hotdogs) but the actual cart-style food vendors I've seen in Canada tend to sell hot sausages in a bug, often offering such delights as spicy Italian-style sausages, more moderate beerwurst or bratwurst, and in some places Oktoberfest sausages, with your choice of sauerkraut, mustard, ketchup, sweet relish, and dill pickles, and if they have french fries they'll also have poutine, a dish of hot fries with cheese curds and hot brown gravy. (Not to be confused with poutine from the Maritimes, which is a sort of meat-filled dumpling.)

[@rhuephus]

yep ... like everything else ... reduce the size or content amount by 25% and still charge more. #SHRINKFLATION

[@lookoutforchris]

@@rhuephus didn’t read the comment….

[@raydunakin]

Seventy hot dogs consumed per person annually? Apparently I haven't been eating my quota. I shall have to remedy that.

[@rhuephus]

so .. if half the population does NOT eat hot dogs, the other half would eat 140 per year. Some actually eat that many a month or week, as they waddle down the street

[@dirtcop11]

Realizing that sausages were common in ancient Rome I naturally connected sausages to Rome's spectacles. Imagine eating a hot dog at the gladiatorial games. Maybe not, but the Romans did have strong stomachs.

[@tygrkhat4087]

For the most part, gladitorial games weren't as bloody as most think. The gladiators were highly trained and having one killed was a huge loss. Of course, there were the prisoners vs. the beast, so there was some blood. I'm surprised Lance didn't mention that the name of the disease botulism comes from a Latin word for sausage.

[@lairdcummings9092]

Almost certainly the Romans did exactly that; nosh on sausage during the games.

[@nirfz]

I am no roman, but as long as the food i'm eating doesn't look or smell like something disgusting, there's no problem. I remember long ago, at age 14, on a school trip, our class visited an old crypt in vienna, where some coffins are open and the skelletons are basically "a touch" away from you. (you aren't allowed to touch them of course) They still have their burrial clothing on them, and most of them have some hair still sticking to their skull. (It was kind of creepy in there. Even more when the guide told us that the rooms initially were twice as high as we experienced them. Each time the crypt was "full" the bones got evenly dispersed on the ground, and the rest filled up with earth and stamped hard. Then new coffins were brought in... again and again. So we walked on layers of dead people...) Directly after that visit, we headed to the institution that provided lunch for us. Spaghetti bolognese. Half of our class suddenly "wasn't hungry" anymore... The other half ate normally.

[@tonyk1584]

It would be interesting to find out how the word "hotdog" became and idiom for someone who performs dangerous stunts to attract attention to himself

[@goodun2974]

There was a really good single-series German-american TV show production called "The Master Butcher" that I recommend. It's not a food show and it's not a reality show, more of an immigrant story. It was on PBS, we streamed it online.

[@vikingpowered868]

A Chinese man came to USA for the first time. He got hungry and started looking for a place to eat, but all of the USA food was new and strange to him. After a while he saw a sign saying 'hot dogs'. Now that I can relate to, he thought, and went in and ordered hot dog. The waiter came with a plate with a hot dog on it. Chinese man looking at the hot dog, then looking at the waiter and disappointed said; That's the part of the dog we don't eat..

[@petermostyneccleston2884]

In the 1980's there was a television series called "Yes Minister." The episode called "Party Games." said that the EEC wanted us to call the British Sausage the "Emulsified Offal Tube." Although this is supposed to be a fictional programme, it was based on leaked Government documents, and true events. This shows that the Governments make laws which say exactly what is allowed to be put into the food.

[@LukeBunyip]

"Emulsified Offal Tube" is an euphemism which needs to be used more widely. Also, "Yes Minister" is necessary viewing for anyone that is not familiar with the Westminster system of government.

[@truthsRsung]

Go look at why the FDA was created and why they were Forced to define a Carrot with certain dimensions and Orange in color. Or believe me when I say, Stock Brokers wanted control over farmers markets so they could sell futures on the Stock Market.

[@OptimusWombat]

@@LukeBunyip I prefer "The Thick of It", but "Yes, Minister" (and later "Yes, Prime Minister") were good as well.

[@petermostyneccleston2884]

@@LukeBunyip I think that "Yes Minister" is essential viewing for everyone anyway.

[@13thBear]

Grew up in Detroit in the 50’s and 60’s with Detroit Coney Dogs. Been about forever since I had a real Detroit Coney Dog. In Germany in the 70’s I experienced Currywurst in Berlin at the numerous curry kiosks. Gawd, I miss them, too! Nowadays the best I can do is store-bought Polish sausage cooked with sauerkraut and Ballpark Beef Franks and Castleberry chili sauce. Good eating, but not the best, nor the original.

[@SisterShirley]

I grew up in Detroit in the 60's too. And I still live not too far from downtown in a suburb. What restaurant was your favorite for Coney?s? Lafayette or American? They are both still in operation, still very busy, still very fast service.

[@lapurta22]

Also being a transplanted Detroiter I had to learn how to make an acceptable coney for when the cravings hit. I use Ball Park Angus Beef franks. I've tried Castlebury chili and I found it too thin and greasy. I use Hormel's Turkey Chili Without Beans, much better, almost greaseless. I've found it at almost any Walmart here in the Southeast. I add a dash of chili power and find it nearly indistinguishable from National's chili. 👌

[@adirondacker007]

I grew up in the Plattsburgh NY area. "Michigans" are so popular in the area that quite a few restaurants specialize in them. Their distinction is obviously the sauce. It's made with hamburg and tomato sauce, seasoned with chili powder, black pepper, Tabasco sauce and cumin. Traditionally served with finely diced raw onion and yellow mustard. Individual recipes are closely guarded secrets for many families and restaurants.

[@danielbarreiro8228]

There is no question that the American hot dog derives from German sausages, but saying that sausages were not so relevant in the south (of Europe, I assume) where the climate is less extreme is clearly wrong as both 'chorizo' (from Spain) and 'salami' or 'pepperoni' (from Italy) are words in regular use in American English. Of course there are far more varieties of sausages in both countries, I am just mentioning those well known in the USA. In Spain there is a saying 'to each pig its Saint Martin' referring to the day of the year (for Saint Martin of Tours) when pigs were killed to make sausages or ham, meaning an unavoidable turn of destiny. That day is when the pigs are as fat as they will get and the rains are still a way off, allowing for time for the meat to cure in dry weather. The saying was exported verbatim to the Spanish-speaking countries of South America, where the seasons are the other way around and Saint Martin's day is the worst possible day to slaughter pigs to make sausages.

[@CaptHollister]

"Pepperoni" means peppers (as in bell peppers) in Italian. Weird how that somehow became a type of sausage in North America. Italy, of course, has hundreds of types of sausages, cured and fresh, but pepperoni is not one of them.

[@earlyriser8998]

I thought exactly the same thing....sausages existed in the middle east and since paleo times....then Southern Europe was not too warm.

[@danielbarreiro8228]

Of course, you are right, I don't know how I mentioned 'pepperoni'. Sorry.

[@thoughtful_criticiser]

Here's a fact that will add to confusion, in the UK. Hot dogs are sold in cans or jars of 8, whilst hot dog rolls are sold in packs of 6!

[@Centurion04]

As someone who dated an Englishwoman, this was a source of constant teasing from me. The hot dogs in cans and jars bit, I mean. 😄

[@glenn6583]

Cans or jars? Never in the US. There would be even more riots!

[@CharlesConover]

So funny that I coincidentally watched your episode on the history of BBQ last night!

[@timbaumann9046]

Yea, there are so MANY favorites I have BUT... I'll ALWAYS have a soft-spot for the Dodger Dog made by the "FARMER JOHN" company. Yea, there is Nathan's for sure and I love them too BUT... There is NOTHING like sitting at the Park (Dodger Stadium of course) and woofing down 3 or 4 a night (my personal record was 11 during a double-header game one year) with COPIOUS amounts of beer to wash it all down. Like the song says: Take me out to the Ball Game...!!! Gosh, I can smell the stadium now!!!

[@harryschaefer8563]

I love the name "variety meat".I'd love to know how somebody thought of cleaning out intestines as casing for sausage, and how that is accomplished. This was a good History Guy episode. I watched it while scarfing down a Hebrew National Jumbo hot dog.

[@lp-xl9ld]

There was a PEANUTS comic strip in which Shermy asks Charlie Brown about the hot dog he's eating: Charlie Brown says something like "A hot dog just isn't great unless there's a ball game going on while you're eating it." Interestingly, I've eaten a lot of hot dogs in my life but not all of them have been at baseball games.

[@rhuephus]

ha ha .. yep .. $100 for a baseball game ticket, $50 for a $5 beer, and $30 for a $2 hot dog. Only the super rich can afford it

[@motorv8N]

Thirty years ago before we were married my then girlfriend and I did the Europe hostel backpack thing. We were perennially short on cash so always looking to eat as cheaply as possible. Walking through Salzburg one day we kept hearing the call of “Bosna Bosna!” from street vendors. Bosna we discovered was this fabulous hot dog like snack consisting of two thin sausages in a bun served with onions and a glorious mustard/currie sauce. We gorged ourselves on the things and my mouth is watering right now at the memory all these years later. 😋😋😋

[@peteengard9966]

My grandson wants nothing but hotdogs. He can eat them for breakfast lunch and dinner. It's hard to get him to eat something else. Took him to Dairy Queen last Saturday. Hotdog instead of ice cream.

[@truthsRsung]

Maybe you shouldn't ask a child what they WANT to eat. Your family refuses to help an uneducated person eat properly. Swallow that pill, gramps.

[@earlyriser8998]

I had a nephew that refused to eat anything but sausage,,,,,and his parents pampered him this way.....my parents would have said....eat the food on your plate or go hungry.

[@truthsRsung]

@@earlyriser8998 I have some lines I remember from my parents. "Eat it hot or eat it cold, I don't care." "You can eat what's on your plate then have dessert, or you can go to bed Now." "Your mother worked hard on this meal for us." These days parents are told that Tough Love is Torture and they scurry about handing out participation trophies. I hope your nephew didn't develope weird allergie, phobias, or digestive problems, like many kids here in the U.S. I play games with my neices, in the name of variety, and sit down next to them, eating from what they think is my plate. When they ask for some, I offer their plate to them and go grab mine from the kitchen. Just a tiny bit of theatre and extra effort to encourage a little person to make an intelligent choice, on their own. My mom grew up under the supervision of people who decided that the only good use for the only Tandem Bicycle in town, was to remove the back wheel and use it to turn a large Ice Cream Churn. I met them at a family reunion and had many Questions, but not one of them was, "Can I have some Ice Cream?" I think that people who go to Dairy Queen should first understand why it is called "a frozen dairy product" and not Ice Cream, for the same reason I want to be in the room when sausage is ground. What Chevy Chase / Dan Aykroyd flick from the 90’s made ALL the German jokes and had a model train built into the Dining Room Table, to replace a Lazy Susan of Condiments?

[@TheCurmudgeon0001AD]

I ate 2 hot dogs while I watched this; they were good.

[@redhatpat9387]

I don't know when this episode was produced, but today (June 2022), hot dogs are no longer cheap (inexpensive) to buy. I think that having a grilled steak at a backyard BBQ may almost be cheaper! 😟

[@googiegress]

Everything's getting too expensive. We're in for a blow.

[@kevinfarris7915]

Great episode! Detroit natives will argue about the best “coney;” is it from National or Lafayette? Chicagoans are also very particular. Carl Sandburg called Chicago “Hog Butcher for the World” in his poem and the quality and ubiquity of the sausages made there is first class - but no ketchup, please. I love a good “dirty water” dog from a NYC pushcart or a Sonoran dog in Tucson - it doesn’t matter. The various regional specialties and local food traditions are what makes America great!

[@lapurta22]

You forgot American. And Leo's makes a pretty good Coney too. But being an Eastside boy I am a National's fan through and through. First place I stop when I am back in town.

[@popefacto5945]

You're right to put coney in quotes when referring to Detroit chili dogs. The correct answer is that Todoroff's had the best (and original) coney dog. Jackson Coney Island (George's original location) still serves his recipe to this day.

[@John-gr4td]

Bun length all beef Ballparks on my grill all summer long.. Served with cold Beer, and yes, mustard only! Thank you History guy, another great episode!

[@misternewoutlook5437]

One of the more satisfying aspects of visiting the ball park is the fried onion air that accompanies the experience. You associate that aroma immediately with hot dogs. It's an addicting and attractive casual food that has a place right up there with burgers and fried chicken.

[@stephenmiller9124]

Important history that clearly needs to be remembered! Thank you History Guy for this insightful episode! I try hard to sample hotdogs in every state and country I visit. I love Spain, but the hotdogs in Costa del Sol were awful. Cuba has decent hotdogs. The footlong hotdog I ate in the United Arab Emirates was not bad. German hotdog was good, but they give you a sausage with a round, crewy roll. I determined you are to eat the combination sequentially...a bite of dog followed by a chomp of the bread. Back and forth. I primarily live in Texas, which is not known for world-class hotdogs. When I am not in Texas, I reside in Michigan. Restaurants that specialize in Coney Island hotdogs are numerous and the quality is high all across Michigan. What I find fascinating is regional interpretation of my favorite food across Michigan. You find Detroit style, Flint style, Saginaw style and my personal favorite, the Grand Rapids style. I thoroughly enjoy an authentic Chicago style, but not every hotdog emporium uses the proper poppy seed bun. You best travel to the Windy City for that delicacy!

[@redsable6119]

A new History Guy video always brightens my day..

[@geoben1810]

Who else but the History Guy would have the inside scoop on hot dogs and do a mini documentary on them? Thanks HG 👍

[@Videosonyourwebsite]

In Cincinnati, the "Coneys" are topped with mustard, Cincinnati Chili ( Skyline or Gold Star) and finely shredded cheese. Now you've made me hungry.

[@ChrisMezzolesta]

For the Firesign Theatre fans out there: "Hot Dog!" There is nothing like a Sabrett dog direct from a cart on the street in NYC, with sauerkraut and onion sauce. And the crunch of a Chicago dog "dragged through the garden" is sublime. North of the city they were doing 'Texas wieners' with chili and raw onion (though not seen in Texas in the 8 years I lived there)...Much prefer natural casing dogs to 'skinless', they carry Nathan's in the store, but they're skinless with no snap - why not sell the real thing! Great video.

[@SalisburySnake]

Here in Texas I'd say hot dogs are mostly thought of as a DIY food, not something you buy when you're out (aside from ballparks and Sonic drive ins). But at a backyard cookout, a chilidog with raw onions would be a popular choice.

[@robertweinmann9408]

Here on Long Island, I'm lucky to have a German butcher/sausage shop that makes a variety of traditional German sausages including beef/pork franks. They put supermarket hot dogs to shame.

[@tygrkhat4087]

Here in Buffalo, we have Texas Red Hots; a skinless dog heated on a flattop grill, and dressed with a spiced meat sauce, chopped onions and yellow mustard. Haven't one in a while, but I normally eat two hot dogs at a time; I could easily down a half dozen Red Hots.

[@RandyTerrell7174]

Lived her 8 years and never visited a Sonic or Dairy Queen? I'm 60 and have been eating the dogs with chili and onions topped with mustard. Oh so good.

[@boblehmann1644]

Be careful if they know you are a tourist! only go to the carts that have their prices posted.

[@reeb9016]

I lived in the Czech Republic for awhile and they serve sausages with piece of bread and a dab of mustard. Sooooo delicious! For hotdogs, they have these long rolls that they slide over a metal tube that makes a hole to slide the hotdogs into. You get the mustard on the side. Interesting but the dog isn't gonna fall outta the bun.

[@rabbi120348]

Twerking hot dogs!

[@edkeaton]

"A hot dog at the ball game beats roast beef at the Ritz." - Humphrey Bogart. 😋🌭❤

[@jean-lucpicard3012]

Hot dog council... I'm in the wrong line of work

[@kevinboothe9991]

One of my favorites growing up was what my mom called weenie boats. She would usually boil the hotdogs (I've grilled mine in the past), she would split them open lengthwise and add mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese and then grill it under the broiler until the cheese was melted and the potatoes had a slight brown crust on them, they were so good! The salty taste of the hotdogs mixed with the creamy potatoes and the melted cheese was pure heaven!

[@MarkiusFox]

My personal assemblage is similar to a Boston hotdog, save for the onion. I use a grilled all beef frank, Dijon mustard, finely diced fresh Vidalia onion, and either Mt. Olive sweet relish or Mt. Olive hotdog relish. It's all the flavors except bitter.

[@Chilly_Billy]

Mmm... luv me a good hot dog with Heinz ketchup, mustard and onions.

[@jamesfracasse8178]

the condiment of choice for hotdogs is a mustard/relish combo.

[@user-in1yw9ty5t]

ketchup 🤢

[@HM2SGT]

@@user-in1yw9ty5t ranch dressing

[@greggweber9967]

There was, and maybe still is, a Kosher Hot Dog. I liked it because I knew that its standards were higher.

[@lapurta22]

Yeah you can still find Kosher Brand in just about any supermarket on the East Coast.

[@trooperdgb9722]

Another outstanding episode. As an Aussie that played baseball throughout his teenage years (it is reasonably popular Down Under) I was determined to attend a ball game in the US...and have a Hot Dog there... The game was great (Rangers vs Orioles at Oriole stadium) ..the Hot Dog? Not so much ..lol Still..it was all part of the experience!

[@urwholefamilydied]

More of these please. I love me some straight up FUN history of things that bring us all joy. The simple Hot Dog. Great episode!!

[@HM2SGT]

Average 70 hot dogs each? I'm an overachiever!

[@andrewwhite3793]

In the UK we sometimes put brown sauce on them. Haggis on bread as well

[@OptimusWombat]

I prefer HP Sauce, but I suppose that's just another variation of brown sauce.

[@goodun2974]

@@OptimusWombat , HP sauce?

[@OptimusWombat]

@@goodun2974 look it up. It's basically a thicker and slightly spicier version of brown sauce. The brand is currently owned by Heinz.

[@workhorsemtb7075]

Pardon my ignorance but, brown sauce?

[@workhorsemtb7075]

Ok. I looked it up. Sounds weird but no weirder than ketchup does to someone who has never heard of it.

[@LuckyBaldwin777]

Hot dogs have even immigrated to N Mexico. The Sonoran Hot Dog. Very popular here in S Arizona.

[@mfhberg]

Spicy mustard and onions or mustard and ketchup (in that order) for most hotdogs for me.

[@goodun2974]

Chopped onions will elevate even the cheapest hot dog. Kraut and Chili are also excellent toppings.

[@HM2SGT]

*_IDIC_* : Infinite diversity in infinite combinations

[@MrDDiRusso]

WHY DO ALL CORNDOGS LOOK ALIKE? BECAUSE THEY'RE IN BREAD.

[@corkycobon1481]

Tucson, AZ has the famous Sonoran Dog. If you are ever in the Old Pueblo, go and get yourself one. You will thank me for it!

[@bobrenner7213]

This was a tasty bite of history served on a pun - excuse me, bun!

[@thanksfernuthin]

When I think of hot dogs and sausages the last thing that comes to mind is "easy". You see video of people filling tubes with meat using a machine and that looks difficult. I can't imagine how difficult it was to chop up all the spare meat and push it into an intestine by hand. But it was great at turning difficult to cook/eat bits into a meal. Folks did A LOT of work to feed themselves in the old days.

[@matthewmillburg3933]

We have an old sausage stuffer in the basement. A cylinder, about one foot across and a foot and a half deep, with an outlet at the bottom on the side. A six inch metal tube, about six inches long, screws onto the outlet. The casing is pushed onto the tube. The cylinder has a plate that is cranked down forcing the ground meat into the tube. The meat being ground in a hand cranked meat grinder.

[@thanksfernuthin]

@@matthewmillburg3933 Not my idea of a good time! HAAAAA!!!!

[@matthewmillburg3933]

@@thanksfernuthin not a good time but not a bad time. We had fresh healthy foods. People were healthier and generally happier. Mind you this is from a white rural perspective.

[@airfrere]

@@thanksfernuthin I actually enjoyed making sausage on butchering day at my cousins' farm. My job was to thread the casing onto the sausage stuffer and to keep it moving steadily as it was being filled so it wouldn't become overstuffed. Then we would tie the casing off at regular intervals to make the links. It sure beat having to wash the intestines, which was my mother's job!

[@Dad-979]

I’m from North Carolina and there’s only ONE hotdog, that’s a Brightleaf aka “Carolina Packers” 😋

[@Tmrfe0962]

Thank you dear sir…you inform and entertain with your insight and nostalgia. Enjoy your summer…with or without a hot dog.

[@tommyknapp895]

It makes perfect sense that, like the average American, the hotdog has a polyglot lineage.

[@rickhobson3211]

"Variety Meats." XD Also, I wonder who the couple is, in the cartoon at 12:32? The ones whose faces looks like a photo when everyone else's seems drawn? Story there, I think. XD

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I think that is just an artifact of the software I use to improve image resolution- it is a little wonky with faces.

[@jerrydarden3072]

A short distance east of you in Clinton County you can find “funeral dogs” at post-funeral meals. These are made locally by meat processors, usually with a natural skin.

[@stevealvarado4627]

I'm a blasphemer I prefer ketchup on my dog.

[@HM2SGT]

*_IDIC_* : Infinite diversity in infinite combinations

[@CaptHollister]

Nowadays, in pretty much of the world any sausage served in a bun is called a hot dog. My favourite variation is found in Italy where a close-ended hole is drilled in an elongated panino (bun), Dijon mustard squirted in the hole and finally a standard sausage inserted. Anecdotally, what you refer to as a Detroit-style, is called a "Michigan" here in Québec and perhaps elsewhere, too.

[@lapurta22]

Funny in Detroit it is refered to as a Coney Island which is in NYC

[@oldesertguy9616]

I know what I'm having for lunch today.

[@ssgusa]

My favorite hot dogs are Cincinnati style. They’re called coneys or cheese coneys. They consist of bun, dog, Cincinnati style chili and if preferred mustard, onion and cheese.

[@HM2SGT]

*_IDIC_* : Infinite diversity in infinite combinations

[@johnds6621]

Sausages and hotdogs are one of those foods you eat and taste good but you don't try to think about what's inside until you get that one big piece of fat you have to spit out. LOL

[@tygrkhat4087]

If you do that, you got some bad hot dogs.

[@bellatordeveritas1638]

Just grilled some last night! They are my favorite cheap food.

[@patrickwoite7188]

Funny, Hotdogs, here in Germany, are most popular from Ikea. We don't have the wide variety of toppings. But I recently discovered the greasyness of polish sausages.

[@johnh.tuomala4379]

In my much younger days I was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. One of my fellow soldiers once told me that the night before, he had "a German seven-course dinner". I in my youthful naivete believed him. When I asked him what exactly he'd had, he said: "A bratwurst and a six-pack".

[@kevinbaker6168]

With your being a St. Louis guy you should do a video on beer and beer making in the United States. Particularly the change from local breweries to regional and national ones, along with the recent trend back to craft breweries.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Fair point. There is some local brewing history in this episode: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmHRXn5-jrNmma8

[@byronworth244]

I was surprised to hear that the percentage of American Homes eating Hot Dogs was as low as 70%. I can't think of anyone I know in Central Massachusetts that doesn't eat a Hot Dog at sometime or another even if it is only at Fenway Park or at a local Hot Dog stand. They might not be on evryones weekly grocery shopping list, but are eaten if only occasionally, but to be eaten by only 70%, wow.

[@michaelprinzi578]

You forgot to mention that now, in the US most hotdogs are really just tiny bologna sausages... Giving them an Italian connection as well.