We love our hot dogs, don't we? It is just the best thing, taking a break from work, going down to the stall where the yummiest, hottest dogs are being made and bite into one of those beauties! As fast as fast food gets. A hot dog is also a popular party food. But how would you like it if you could make them at home? We mean, on cold winter nights, if you get a sudden craving for them, you can scarcely run out and get yourself one. To enjoy them at home, you need to know the ingredients and the recipe. And that is precisely what this article is about! The Hot Dog Where did this all-American delicacy come from? It is said that the first commercial sale of hot dogs was by German immigrants to the United States. That's right! The Germans brought it to the US. That perhaps explains why they are called frankfurters! The thing about ingredients is that the stuff you put inside your hot dog largely varies upon your personal taste! So, you can make a custom-made one to your liking, as there are no hard and fast rules regulating the ingredients. They're all quite different! Let's start with the meat. There are 4 main types of meat that go into a hot dog. The first type is called All Beef. Like the name suggests, the all beef dog is made purely of beef, and there ought not to be soybean protein or other milk solid based fillers added. The second type of meat is called Kosher. This meat is again all-beef, but there is a liberal amount of garlic added to accentuate the flavor of the hot dog. Then there is the Meat Dog, which contains both pork meat and beef meat. Usually the proportion is around 40% pork and 60% beef. And lastly there is the Frankfurter, which has around 3.5% fillers and a combination of different meats. You can either simply heat the meat to soften it or fry it in olive oil. There are other types as well that are made from chicken meat and turkey meat. Due to the concerns raised by public regarding the health hazards of overconsumption of red meat, hot dogs-researchers have said that people who consume them on a daily basis face a 20% increased risk of colorectal cancer, due to high quantities of fat, salt, sodium nitrate, and nitrite. The second thing that matters most in a hot dog, is the garnish. The garnishing is again your own choice as you have a host of ingredients that go with it to support you. While black pepper and mustard remain the norm, you can try something new, like coleslaw, salsa, jalapeno, chili, cheese, ketchup, sauerkraut, mayonnaise, onions, etc. The last part which makes up your hot dog is the bun. Here too you have several variations, like the normal bread, bread with Italian seasoning, cheesy bread, and corn bread. How to Make a Hot Dog Making one is really simple. First, you gather all the ingredients specified above. Then you heat or fry the meat, depending on how you like it. Put it in the bun with your choice of garnish and voila! Your hot dog is ready! Each person has his own taste and there is a hot dog to satisfy each one's own preferred taste. Now, you know what you need in order to make a hot dog. So, go on have fun!