What's REALLY in a hot dog?

Hot dogs have long been the subject of heated debate.
Do they really contain everything from pig snouts to cow hooves, or are they actually made from high-quality meat?

What's REALLY in a hot dog?

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council: "All hot dogs are cured and cooked sausages that consist mainly of pork, beef, chicken and turkey - or a combination of red meat and poultry. Other ingredients include water, garlic, salt, sugar, ground mustard, nutmeg, coriander and white pepper."

However, there are a couple of caveats. "Variety meats," which contain ingredients such as liver, kidneys and hearts, may be used in processed meats like hot dogs. But, the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that they be disclosed on the ingredient label as "with variety meats" or "with meat by-products."

So if you're looking for the purest franks, pick those that are labeled "all beef," "all pork," or "all chicken”, for example. Franks labeled in this way must be made with meat from a single species and do not include by-products. Be sure to check the label, though. Even franks that are listed as all one meat can contain trace amounts of another type.