What gross stuff is in hot dogs?

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 apparently make that page about the http protocol the ‘I feel lucky’/Firefox search result.

Apologies for the bad link- here’s a revised one: Scrapple and a link to my favorite brand- RAPA. All of the pig parts, including the squeal! :cool:

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.

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

Gah.

Yuck. I think that’s the nastiest stuff to eat that I’ve ever heard of, and that includes Tab soda.

“Some folks call it a kaiser blade, I call it a sling blade” Just keeps repeating in my head.

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 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.

"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

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.

You forgot pissflaps, foreskins, toenail clippings and boogers (for that yummy extra salty taste)

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.

Dicks and noses.

I had a friend who said only the finest hot dogs were made with TLC; tongues, lungs and cocks.

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.