Frankfurters – Vienna hot Dogs

The Best Hot Dogs are Frankfurters

I recently shared a little discussion, about Frankfurters, in my “Brag & Bitch about Cooking food group.” One of my favorite members asked if anyone knew what kind of sausage or hot dog was in a Chicago Dog. As it turns out, they are Vienna’s or what are more commonly known as Frankfurters. So I thought it would be fun to put together a tutorial about making Frankfurter Vienna Sausage Hot Dogs at home or, at least, the way I like to make them anyway.

Preparing Frankfurters

First you’ve got to decide how you want your Frankfurters cooked. Do want them grilled or baked in the oven? How about steamed or boiled in water? Or, my personal favorite, skewed and roasted over an open pit fire. Any and all of these are regularly excepted. And, as much as I hate to admit it, some folks like to nuke them in the Microwave(eh-hem, my wife). Now, what kind of bun are you going to use? In this video tutorial, I show you a real cool way, to make a hot dog bun, that I recently adopted my self. It’s the Dog Haus method and I like it because they’ve combined the idea of a grilled sandwich by buttering up and grilling soft and tender Dinner Rolls for buns. Have I got you curious yet? Now all you have to do is figure out what you want to top your dog with.

Toppings for Frankfurters

There isn’t, exactly, a rule book on Toppings for Frankfurters or any Vienna Hot dog, for that matter. There are, however, some Classics that you just don’t mess with, like a traditional Chili and Cheese Dog or, as I mentioned before, a Chicago Dog. But one thing is certain, once the dog is made, toppings are free rein. Onions, Peppers, tomatoes, avocado, Pickles and whatever Condiments you like to add, in addition to the recipe, are all examples of the possibilities. And believe me, they are endless. But one thing is clear, everyone and I do mean every one likes them different. How do you like your Frankfurters?

Puff Pancakes

The Best Puff Pancakes

Puff Pancakes are amazing and I fell in love with them from the start. My family, however, always called them Popeye Pancakes. I don’t really know why. All I remember is being very young when my older sister came home with the recipe, from the sleep over she had just had at a girlfriends slumber party. She raved about them and my siblings and I have been eating them ever since. I know that most folks call them German Puff Pancakes and that others like to cook them Dutch Oven style but, other than that, I can’t tell you the history behind them because honestly, I’m sorry to say, I’m not really interested. :-p

Baking Puff Pancakes

One of the things you should know about Puff Pancakes is that they shrink down, considerably. Clearly they get their name from the amount of poof the pancake gets when it puffs up during the baking but, after only a minute out of the oven, the size is drastically cuts in half. So if you’re wondering what the hell happened to your Puff Pancakes when they deflate, like a flat tire, understand that this is completely normal.

Additions for Puff Pancakes

The great thing about these pancakes is that you can add just about anything you want to them, including fruit or vegetable toppings. You can even bake them into the Puff Pancakes themselves, if you prefer. Other options can include Meats like ham, sausage or bacon. Personally, I usually just prepare mine the way I show you how to do it in the Video Recipe Tutorial, only I usually make a larger batch for the whole family, like the picture above in the Casserole dish. And this recipe is large enough to bake in a 9×13 Casserole dish, btw. I like to cut it up into 8 equal servings and serve it with Maple Syrup or my Homemade Berry Syrup.

Other Breakfast and Brunch recipes you might be interested in are my Oreo Waffles, Potato Waffles with Cheese, Crepes with Cherry Topping and my Breakfast Burrito with Chorizo. I also have an Ultimate Omelette and an Egg Bread Bowl you might want to check out.

Puff Pancakes Ingredients:

1/4 cup Butter
6 eggs
1 cup Flour
1 cup Milk
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Vanilla
Powder Sugar, optional

You want to bake these for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit and be sure to watch the short video tutorial, for this Puff Pancakes recipe, and I’ll show you how easy these are to make.

Pork Chorizo – How to make Chorizo from Scratch

The Best Pork Chorizo

This Pork Chorizo recipe is excellent and on point. It’s got everything you want in a great Chorizo and it’s fun and easy to make. In this post and video tutorial, I show you how to make sausage stuffed in hog casings and I give you the option of making sausage links that you can grill or make a real pasty Chorizo that you can combine with Eggs for breakfast, homemade Chili or some amazing burritos like this Chimichanga recipe.

Making Pork Chorizo From Scratch

You’re going to need a good Pork Roast and either Pork Belly Fat or Fat Back. I use 3 parts, a 2 to 1 ratio; 2 parts Pork to 1 part fat. I cut everything down into portions that will fit through my meat grinder and then mix in all of my other ingredients. From there it’s like clock work, stuffing the hog casings and twisting links. Now there are some alternatives to this recipe that I’d like to mention. If you don’t want to make sausage links you can twist the sausage up in saran wrap and I show you how to do that in my Italian Sausage video found HERE.

If you want a pasty Pork Chorizo, you’re going to want to make my homemade Enchilada Sauce and add it to this recipe. There’s nothing else like it. My recipe is thick and pure, so you’ll want to check it out before you decide to add your own or resort to a canned product.

If you’re interested in more recipes that use a kitchen aide to stuff hog casings, you should take a look at my Cajun Boudin recipe.

Pork Chorizo Ingredients:

2 lbs Pork Shoulder/Butt, ground
1 lbs Pork Belly Fat or Fat Back, ground

3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
2 tbsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1/4 cup Smoked Paprika
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Corn Syrup or Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Chili flakes
1 1/2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Lard or Shortening

1 cup Enchilada Sauce, optional (CLICK HERE)

Follow the directions in my Pork Chorizo video tutorial and I’ll show you how easy this recipe is to make.