# What gross stuff is in hot dogs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 21, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644 "2006-08-21T20:09:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/21 "2006-08-22T04:18:21Z")
[QUOTE=Cardinal] Why do I see the link take me to the Scrapple page, but then in both cases, I get redirected to [http://www.w3.org/Protocols/](http://www.w3.org/Protocols/) ? [/QUOTE] And to specifically answer this…I would guess you’re using Firefox? Firefox does a google search when it can’t find what’s entered into the URL bar, and the two [http://s](http://s) apparently make that page about the http protocol the ‘I feel lucky’/Firefox search result. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/22 "2006-08-22T04:29:38Z")
Apologies for the bad link- here’s a revised one: [Scrapple](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapple) and a link to my favorite brand- [RAPA](http://www.rapascrapple.com/products.html). All of the pig parts, including the squeal! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![PBear42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PBear42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PBear42)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/23 "2006-08-22T05:28:53Z")
A few comments. First, most mass-market franks have no casing. Rather, they’re cooked in forms, then packaged. Second, binders don’t make franks squishy. It’s water, and to a lesser extent fat, which does that. On the contrary, the binders make franks _firmer_, by binding the water. Third, what many people don’t realize is that intestines are fairly muscular. Their job is to move stuff along. So, chitterlings are basically muscle, albeit autonomic rather than voluntary. Whereas casings are the membrane (basically, skin) to hold the muscles in place. As for what goes in franks, mostly chicken lips, I hear. Seriously, yeah, scraps. But so heavily processed that it hardly matters. Good reasons to dislike franks are the high fat and salt content - myself, I love 'em - but the provenance of the meat don’t bother me none. OTOH, I like variety meats, so maybe I’m no judge. Mmm, tripe. Regarding scrapple, I’m not particularly fond of commercial types, but mostly because they lack character. Whereas homemade scrapple (made with smoked neck bones) is wonderful. Basically, just a variation of polenta, if you think about it. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/24 "2006-08-22T14:58:07Z")
Well, I don’t know much about US Frankfurters, but if british sausages are anything to go buy, avoid the really really cheap ones, for they are the essence of nasty. Personally, I’d much rather tuck into organ meats and assorted ither innnards than [pig rind and flare fat](http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/focus/story/0,,951917,00.html) > [@](#): > > 50% “meat”, of which 30% is pork fat with a bit of jowl, and 20% mechanically recovered chicken meat, 17% water, 30% rusk and soya, soya concentrate, hyrolysed protein, modified flour, dried onion, sugar, dextrose, phosphates, preservative E221 sodium sulphite, flavour enhancer, spices, garlic flavouring, antioxidant E300 (ascorbic acid), colouring E128 (red 2G). Casings: made from collagen from cow hide. Gah. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@Dead\_Pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Pete)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/25 "2006-08-22T21:37:54Z")
[QUOTE=slaphead] Well, I don’t know much about US Frankfurters, but if british sausages are anything to go buy, avoid the really really cheap ones, for they are the essence of nasty. Personally, I’d much rather tuck into organ meats and assorted ither innnards than [pig rind and flare fat](http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/focus/story/0,,951917,00.html) Gah. [/QUOTE] Yuck. I think that’s the nastiest stuff to eat that I’ve ever heard of, and that includes Tab soda. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/26 "2006-08-22T21:44:19Z")
“Some folks call it a kaiser blade, I call it a sling blade” Just keeps repeating in my head. ---
**Author:** ![PBear42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PBear42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PBear42)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/27 "2006-08-23T01:03:28Z")
You refer, I presume, to Bismarck’s famous, “If you like laws and sausages, you should never watch either one being made.” Note that [Bartelby](http://www.bartleby.com/73/996.html) describes the attribution as unverified. Indeed, now that I think about it, I’ve never seen a primary citation, and when googling just now for the precise language, found many versions. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/28 "2006-08-23T02:28:24Z")
"Roman: You know what the gourmet here wanted? Hotdogs! You know what they’re made of, Chet? Huh? Lips and assholes! " From: The Great Outdoors, 1988 > **[The Great Outdoors (1988) - Quotes - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095253/quotes/)** > > The Great Outdoors: Directed by Howard Deutch. With Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Stephanie Faracy, Annette Bening. A Chicago man and his family go camping with his obnoxious brother-in-law. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/29 "2006-08-23T02:43:59Z")
Here comes my semiannual primer on hot dogs. No major brand of hot dog in the U.S. uses meat byproducts. U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations stipulate that only meat from skeletal muscle may be used in hot dogs. If any meat byproduct would be used in the hot dog ingredients, the name of the product would have to be changed from “Hot Dogs” to “Hot Dogs With Byproducts” or “Hot Dogs With Variety Meats” in the same size typeface. Furthermore, > [@](#): > > The finished products may not contain more than 30% fat or no more than 10% water, or a combination of 40% fat and added water. Up to 3.5% non-meat binders and extenders (such as nonfat dry milk, cereal, or dried whole milk) or 2% isolated soy protein may be used, but must be shown in the ingredients statement on the product’s label by its common name. [More here](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Hot_Dogs_and_Food_Safety.pdf#search=%22%22department%20of%20agriculture%22%20%22skeletal%20muscle%22%20%22hot%20dogs%22%22). ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/30 "2006-08-23T05:19:54Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] My favourite is reclaimed facemeat. And arseholes and eyelids. [/QUOTE] You forgot pissflaps, foreskins, toenail clippings and boogers (for that yummy extra salty taste) ---
**Author:** ![shizaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@shizaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shizaru)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/31 "2006-08-24T09:34:21Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] I’m gonna guess you folks don’t want to come over for some [Scrapple](http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapple)? Yum! [/QUOTE] Scrapple is da BOMB! Man, I love that stuff, but generally people I’ve met that aren’t from the northeast US don’t know what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/32 "2006-08-24T10:47:41Z")
Dicks and noses. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/33 "2006-08-24T15:49:38Z")
I had a friend who said only the finest hot dogs were made with TLC; tongues, lungs and cocks. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644/34 "2006-08-24T15:59:51Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Here comes my semiannual primer on hot dogs. No major brand of hot dog in the U.S. uses meat byproducts. U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations stipulate that only meat from skeletal muscle may be used in hot dogs. If any meat byproduct would be used in the hot dog ingredients, the name of the product would have to be changed from “Hot Dogs” to “Hot Dogs With Byproducts” or “Hot Dogs With Variety Meats” in the same size typeface. Furthermore,[More here](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Hot_Dogs_and_Food_Safety.pdf#search=%22%22department%20of%20agriculture%22%20%22skeletal%20muscle%22%20%22hot%20dogs%22%22). [/QUOTE] In Canada also, anything labelled as beef, pork, etc. must include only skeletal muscle tissue. Anything else must be labelled as “byproducts”. So you’re safe if you read the list of ingredients. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gross-stuff-is-in-hot-dogs/369644.md?page=1)