Natural Casings

How come it is so hard to find hot dogs with natural casing in the grocery store, only on local store does and theY are Boarhead.Everyone has nathan's but just the skinless.

THANKS JIM

Try the deli counter. My supermarket has the usual suspects in the meat case and Old Neighborhood and Kayem NCs in the deli by the pound.
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Most major retail hot dog companies as Oscar Meyer, Ball Park, and Best's target the "kid" market, which is a skinless dog. Others like Usinger's and Nathan's market both. In Chicago, we get natural casings by Boar's Head, Nathan's, and Usinger's. The only place to buy Vienna Beef natural casing dogs is from a hot dog stand or the Veinna Beef store at the plant.

CSD

Unfortunately, the only supermarket chain in the Columbus area that carries Nathan's stopped selling the natural casing version. Apparently, I was the only one who bought the darned things. At least, that was the reason the meat manager gave me when I asked.

Most hot dogs sold at the deli counter are natural casings.
I hardly ever buy packaged hotdogs like Oscar Mayer, Ball Park etc.

Two words... Koegel's Viennas"... nuff said...

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Originally posted by chicagostyledog

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Originally posted by Kiowa1

Two words... Koegel's Viennas"... nuff said...

Koege's makes an all beef skinless frank. Have you ever tried it? The ingredients almost exactly profile a Vienna Beef skinless hot dog. Koegel's products aren't retailed in Illinois or Wisconsin. Too bad, since they're made on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan.

CSD

I've had the fortune to experience many Koegel's products... even their chicken franks are good... Had four Viennas two weeks ago upon arriving at Mom's in Chesaning, MI... excellent!!!... got a fridge and freezer full now... everyone where I work (in Philly) always requests them when I go home for a visit... they ARE good!!!

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Originally posted by RIDEANDSLIDEFOOD

How come it is so hard to find hot dogs with natural casing in the grocery store, only on local store does and theY are Boarhead.Everyone has nathan's but just the skinless.

THANKS JIM

It's not hard to find them. Here in Arizona, my Wal-Mart Supercenter (just to mention the extreme example) carries them. So do Safeway and Basha's, the only other grocery stores in town. And back in San Francisco, just about every grocery store there did too. As other posters have noted, if they aren't in the section with other hotdogs, check the deli or meat counter.

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Originally posted by Kiowa1

Two words... Koegel's Viennas"... nuff said...

Yup... Be the same ones I pick up (natural casing version)... mmmmm..

They are easy to get around here, both packaged and at the deli counter. You can help to get them in your area by asking for and buying them. Stores respond to demand. Now, maybe one of you can tell me the difference between lamb and pork casing. Not knowing, I would expect that they are the same, except that the lamb can be kosher.

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Originally posted by tmiles

They are easy to get around here, both packaged and at the deli counter. You can help to get them in your area by asking for and buying them. Stores respond to demand. Now, maybe one of you can tell me the difference between lamb and pork casing. Not knowing, I would expect that they are the same, except that the lamb can be kosher.

Pork casings, usually referred to as hog casings, are larger in diameter than lamb. Hog are typically used for Italian sausage, lamb for things like merguez, breakfast links. Large sausages (salamis, soppresatas, etc.) use beef casings.

FWIW, I'm reasonably sure that most "natural casing" hot dogs are actually made with a synthetically produced collagen casing, which is made from cowhide. Skinless supermarket dogs are made with a plastic casing that is stripped off when they're cooked at the factory.

I guess I'm spoiled, here in the home of Zweigels. Most stores carry both their "pop open" and skinless versions for reasonable prices at the hot dog display, or I can go to the deli and get Hoffmans by the pound.