Janet Riley

National Hot Dog Month Kicks Off With New Video on How Hot Dogs are Made

July is National Hot Dog Month and as Americans prepare to eat more than 150 million hot dogs during the Independence Day holiday, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) is setting out to answer the most common hot dog question of them all: how are hot dogs really made? In a new video, NHDSC President and "Queen of Wien" Janet Riley takes viewers on a tour of a hot dog plant showing the process from start to finish including the cuts of meat used in hot dogs, how the meat is ground together with spices and ice until it is a cake-like batter, stuffing the batter into casings which are then cooked and smoked and finally removing the casings and packing the finished hot dogs for shipping. The video will be featured on the NHDSC YouTube Channel. "Stories about hot dogs are made are legendary," said Riley. "At the risk of destroying the mystique surrounding hot making, our new video will show that the actual process is much simpler, and possibly less exciting, than the rumors that have existed for decades." Hot Dog Selfie Contest