# Dubuque Plumpers why do they explode before being hot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 15, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230 "2009-09-15T21:08:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/1 "2009-09-15T21:08:47Z")
Why do these hot dogs always exploded into a a convoluted mess when they are hot? What ingredient makes these so craptastic that you can’t heat them and fit the remains into a bun. This brand in particular is explosive, beyond anything other brands. This is all beef not turkey. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/2 "2009-09-15T21:16:11Z")
Maybe you need to jab them with a fork a few times prior to nuking, so the pressure can escape the skin? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/3 "2009-09-15T21:40:16Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Maybe you need to jab them with a fork a few times prior to nuking, so the pressure can escape the skin? Cooking them like every other brand of all beef hot dogs results in these exploding into shreds and the other brand do not. I wouldn’t have bought these if the stores hadn’t been out of every thing I was out of and needed to buy. I couldn’t even get my second choices. This was a brand I hate for the above reason, and wondered why thy are like this. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/4 "2009-09-15T23:16:22Z")
maybe a lot of water which boils to steam expanding its volume tremendously. water is cheap weight to bulk up the final product. dense dogs or grease/oil doesn’t expand as much. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/5 "2009-09-15T23:40:32Z")
I am familiar with an entirely different definition of “plumper.” Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/6 "2009-09-15T23:50:03Z")
Ball Park brand hot dogs insist that they plump up because of veal in the mix. They’re also all beef. They do get more plump, but I’ve rarely seen them explode (though it does happen occasionally). ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/7 "2009-09-16T00:37:11Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > maybe a lot of water which boils to steam expanding its volume tremendously. water is cheap weight to bulk up the final product. The expansion ratio of water to steam is in the neighborhood of 1700:1 so boiling water inside a hot dog will often result in destruction of the dog. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/8 "2009-09-16T00:58:36Z")
Veal may be the reason. The only other ones that do this are turkey or chicken franks which I also hate. The other brands of beef may split slightly but they don’t come anywhere close to Dubuque Plumpers. They now get a second mark against them for using veal. I don’t like how veal is made. I’ll mark it from now on as a never buy unless there is a famine and my other choice is worms. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/9 "2009-09-16T01:01:45Z")
The brand has gone downhill since the Dubuque pack closed. I’m not really sure where they are getting the hams and hotdogs and such, since the building itself was leveled last year. ---
**Author:** ![QuercusMax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/8baadc/32.png) [@QuercusMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuercusMax)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/10 "2009-09-16T01:13:32Z")
I think this thread may win the “most confusing thread title ever” award. Especially because I thought it said _plumbers_! :eek: I seriously thought this was some kind of weird kinky porn thread or something. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/11 "2009-09-16T01:19:34Z")
> [@QuercusMax](#): > > I think this thread may win the “most confusing thread title ever” award. > > Especially because I thought it said _plumbers_! :eek: > I seriously thought this was some kind of weird kinky porn thread or something. Just be careful they explode. You don’t want to explain that to the doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/12 "2009-09-16T01:30:04Z")
If nothing else, this little contretemps could inspire an ad slogan: “Dubuque Plumpers: Cheap to take home, messy to eat.” ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/13 "2009-09-16T02:00:54Z")
So they explode and not just split?? I was thinking the same as **QuercusMax**. If they split, they could be called Dubuque Plumpers Butt. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/14 "2009-09-16T02:23:30Z")
Accidentally plumper asplode. Is this bad? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/15 "2009-09-16T02:26:09Z")
Enough jokes lets get back to the topic. It’s General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/16 "2009-09-16T21:18:25Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Enough jokes lets get back to the topic. It’s General Questions. C’mon, these jokes are _fun_. To address the topic, however: almost all sausages “explode” if you cook them too hot too fast. The ones with tougher casings (Johnsonville brats come to mind) can take a lot of punishment, while something fragile like an Oscar Mayer hot dog will explode just for sport. The only way you can really avoid this (if at all) is to cook them slowly, turning the sausages often to even out the heating. Too much heat too fast, and you’re doomed. Unlike burgers, sausages are NOT fast food on a grill. ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/17 "2009-09-16T23:08:17Z")
Are you grilling them? What if you just boil them? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubuque-plumpers-why-do-they-explode-before-being-hot/510230/18 "2009-09-17T00:00:37Z")
They were heated in water on a stove starting with cold water. It takes about 5 minutes for the water to get hot. I could see if I was boiling them for a long time in water, but the water doesn’t even get to the boiling point. They have done the same thing in the past in water in a microwave. They claim that veal makes them swell and I’m thinking it makes them blow apart in water. The package doesn’t mention veal or I would never have bought them. I would like to know why veal would make them swell more.