GREY HOTDOGS?

Boy do we need help! We started selling Sabrett's Natural Casing Hot Dogs about a month ago. Instead of a full size push cart, we opted to start with one of Sabrett's mini tabletop carts.
Here is our problem...our customers are complaining about the color. We've gotten everything from being told our hot dogs are grey, green, old, not really Sabretts, etc. I keep on explaining they are the natural casing without all the dye, but our customers don't believe us. I hope someone can give us some feedback.
Thanks,
Donna - Moon Doggie Coffee Roasters (& Retro Cafe)

I beleive adding a dash of vinegar to the water should help.
For an experts view, look up ChicagoStyleDog here on Roadfood. He also runs Hot Dog University (www.hotdogu.com).

It sounds like your over cooking them and they are sitting in water too long.
Usually when a Sabrett is in water for about 3 to 4 hours it starts to look grey, and sooner if your boiling the water too hot.
Try timing how many hot dogs you need for a certain time so you never really have dogs more than an hour old in your water, and maybe try lowering the flame on the water.
Hope this helps

Table top mini carts use electricity to heat their water. Full sized carts use propane, which is easier to control temps. Get your water temp to 135-140. When hot dogs sit in high temps, especially for long periods of time, they'll discolor(natural casings and skinless). If your dogs show any green, they've out of date, and shouldn't be sold. An unfrozen commercial hot dog is only fresh for 2 weeks from the date of manufacture. If you've purchased your product frozen, once it's thawed, you'll only have 1 or 2 weeks on the clock. After that time, they'll begin to mold, turn milky, display green coloration, and smell funky. Natural casings have a shorter life in hot water. Unless you're doing a fast turn over of dogs, they'll keep discoloring. There's nothing you can do to prevent this. You may want to consider switching to a skinless dog and monitor your temps. Your explanations will only hurt your business.

CSD

Born in Chicago
Escaped to Wisconsin
Business Instructor
www.hotdogu.com

Hey Chicago,
I thought the skinless turn mushy in the water after about an hour.
Ive never had any exp with skinless. Only Natural casings here.
Need that snap.

DOW, I've never had skinless turn mushy. I have a fast turn over, so product never sits in the hot water for any great length of time, until the end of the business day, with those last few dogs before closing. Keeping water temp at a constant 135-140 is the key. Stirring the product in the water helps, but color eventually fades, with the longer float time. The last dogs in the water at the end of the business day taste the best. My business is in Wisconsin, where natural casing dogs are not a priority, such as the Chicago market. If I were to sell in Illinois, especially the Chicago area or the suburbs, I'd sell natural casings. I've never had one complaint about our dogs not being natural casings during the last three years vending at the Prime Outlets Mall in Pleasant Prairie, WI, where more than 50% of our customers were from the Chicago area. We're now in Kenosha at the Lowe's Home Improvement Center. Most of our customers are from the immediate area and are happy to have an authentic Chicago style hot dog with the correct bun and condiments. The "snap" from the natural casing is not their priority. While natural casing hot dogs are my favorite, they cost me 5-8 cents more than a skinless and the casing on the 5/1 is thicker, which cooks and snaps better when char broiled. The smaller 8/1 & 10/1 natural casings cook and snap better when boiled due to thinner skin.

CSD

Born in Chicago
Escaped to Wisconsin
Business Instructor
www.hotdogu.com

that color does sound like a huge turn off. they are not that color before heating, right?

any of you ever tried jimmy johns, in pa.? best natural casing dogs i have ever tried. they are available by the case as well.

Thanks to all for the help. We are definitely going to check the temperature. When we bought the unit, we were only told to 'experiment' with the temperature control. Also, until people in the area get to know we are carrying Sabretts, we'll have to keep as few as possible in the water. That shouldn't be a problem as they seem to heat up in a couple of minutes once they're in the hot water. And if they don't want to wait, they can have one of our 18-hour-slow-smoked-pulled-pork sandwiches (yes, in NJ)! If that fails, they can always have a cup of our wonderful freshly-roasted (in the store) coffee

Donna - Moon Doggie Coffee Roasters
Coffee "worth losing sleep over" (NY Times 4/2/06)

I dont let my dogs sit in water. I use a steamer pan and rotate them.

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

I beleive adding a dash of vinegar to the water should help.
For an experts view, look up ChicagoStyleDog here on Roadfood. He also runs Hot Dog University (www.hotdogu.com).

thank you UncleVic.
I mentioned that at my work, and lo and behold..
The dogs in the steamer arent off color anymore.
My bosses really love me now..
Well, more that they already did..
Thanks..
For that I go to the doggie place up the road and take chili dog pics..''
That does work.. well, at least in our standing steamer in our restaurant...
Bless you .....
Thanks again, Vic..

BTW..
WE use the jumbo Nathans franks in our work...
huge MF's they are I might add.....
All beef and ready to rumble.

Vic, once a month we boil vinegar in our water/steam pans to remove the calcium deposits(Lake Michigan water). Vinegar's also great for removing salt stains from leather shoes during the winter. FYI: The BMW Car Club of America is holding their yearly, national Octoberfest in Grand Rapids through the 28th. I was supposed to be at the driving school at Gingermann in Berien Springs today, but couldn't make the event.

CSD

I use just a little red wine vinger

It's a great product..Marathon Industries. We sold 1000's of them - 6 to 1's natural casing - all beef. But, we grilled them. If we had left overs at the end of the night on the griddle, we'd refrigerate them, placed them back on the griddle the next morning and they plump right back up. At that time, they were $.68 a piece (included transportation). Or, if they were too well done, we'd use them in our homemade split pea soup.

They have a shelf life! Even in their cryovac packaging. They will start to turn on you after a couple of weeks. Best to keep them frozen and take packages out as needed.