We are mid-way through the year of Charcutepalooza challenges. Each month, as the new challenge is revealed I get excited about what new thing I will get to try. This month, however, that was not the case. Emulsified sausage. Nothing about that sounds sexy.
Because I call myself a chef, I’ve been sticking with the Charcuterie (rather than the apprentice) challenge each month. That meant this month I needed to make either Hot Dogs or Mortadella (basically bologna). The thing is, Mortadella has to be stuffed in beef bung and, as I have a low tolerance for funky smells (and I have experienced the funky smells associated with beef bung before) I pretty much immediately decided that Mortadella was out.
That left hot dogs.
Sigh. Hot dogs.
Hot dogs are boring. While I’ll eat the occasional hot dog, it’s nothing I get excited about. Faced with the choice, I’ll take a bratwurst over a hot dog any day of the week. But, I soldiered on.
The recipe in my edition of Charcuterie calls for 2 1/2 pounds of short rib meat (which, according to the recipe would require about 4-5 pounds of bone-in short ribs). So, off to Whole Foods I went. I bought 5 pounds of the most beautiful short ribs (and quickly thought that I would much rather sous vide them then turn them into hot dogs) which totaled $36.
Thirty-six dollars! These had better be worth it.
Then I got to work. First, grind the meat through the large die and mix in salt and curing salt. Then wait. For two days. Next, mix in the seasonings and stash the mixture in the freezer. Then wait. But only for 30 minutes this time. Then regrind the mixture using the small die and stick it back in the freezer. And wait, another 30 minutes or so. Finally, puree the mixture (in batches) in the food processor until it is a paste (yeah, that’s just what I want to look for in my meat, a paste texture).
I chilled the mix again and then (with the help of the husband) stuffed the mixture into casings. Finally, I put the dogs on the grill for smoking (and then popped them into an ice bath for chilling).
So. Many. Steps. These had better be worth it.
I grilled up a couple of dogs, dressed them with sweet onion and mustard, then took a bite.
I figure (very conservatively) that I spent about 6 1/2 hours making these hot dogs (which does not include all the time spent waiting). Using Washington State minimum wage as a guide, my time adds up to $56.35. Add to that the $36 spent on beef rib meat and the (conservative) cost for each of my 16 hot dogs is $5.77.
Totally not worth it!
Yes, they are very good hot dogs. I will be happy to take them along on our big-ass camping trip this summer and feed them to our friends. But, I can easily say I will never make hot dogs from scratch again. Way too much time, money and effort involved for an end product that was good, but didn’t blow my mind.
I’ll stick with sausages.
