Learn more about this regional favorite that's not your average dog!
by Amber KanuckelUpdated: January 17, 2024
From one coast to the other, hot dogs are one of those unmistakable American foods that everyone knows and loves. What not everyone knows, however, is that all around the United States, there are local variants of the hot dog. Here in Maine, locals love “Red Snappers” (because they’re red in color and they snap when you bite into them). But in Western New York, it’s the “white hot” that makes an appearance at summer cookouts.
First Things First: What Are White Hots?
A hot dog can be many things: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, or a mixture of meats. White hots, however, are made with a mix of pork, beef, and veal. All three meats are uncured and unsmoked, which is where white hots get their white color from. To give them their unique flavor, manufacturers add a blend of spices that includes mustard and paprika.
The interesting thing about white hots is that they were first made popular because they were the “poor man’s hot dog.” White hots were traditionally made with cheaper cuts of meat and lots of filler, while hot dogs were made from better cuts. The flavorful spices in white hots were meant to give the lesser quality meat a better flavor. Today, that has been flipped on its head — white hots are popular because they are nearly always made with high-quality ingredients, while hot dogs vary in quality between manufacturers.
White Hot History
The history of white hots goes back nearly a century. These hot dogs were first made in Rochester, New York, by members of the German community. Throughout the past century, white hots have been called by many names, including “snappys” and “white and porkies.”
In 1925, not long after the creation of the first white hot, a company by the name of Zweigle’s started commercially producing white hots. Zweigle’s then began selling these new dogs at Red Wing Stadium, and since then, they’ve become the official hot dog of sports teams including the Rochester Americans and Rhinos and the Buffalo Bills and Sabres.
Today, you can still buy Zweigle’s white hots in New York grocery stores and they’re served at a variety of restaurants in Rochester and other parts of New York. Of course, Zweigle’s also makes traditional hot dogs, too, but they’re called “red hots” after their pinkish-red color.
How to Eat White Hots
Ready to try this delicious dog yourself? The first thing to remember is that white hots are almost always grilled over charcoal — often with a few hickory chips tossed on the fire. In fact, cooks quite often grill the buns for the white hots right alongside the dogs themselves.
At summertime barbecues, hot dogs are usually served plain with mustard and ketchup — and perhaps pickle relish or a bit of onion. White hots, however, are usually smothered in a sauce made with onions, relish, peppers, molasses, vinegar, and more.
The other way to eat white hots is to serve them as part of a “garbage plate.” This dish was made famous by Rochester restaurateur Nick Tahou. A typical garbage plate consists of a heap of home fries, baked beans, macaroni salad, hamburgers, and either white or red hots.
Here atFarmers’ Almanac, some of our favorite traditions are the regional foods that are served all across the United States. White hots, especially, are the perfect example of a food that started as the classic all-American hot dog and then transformed into a regional tradition.
Amber Kanuckel
Amber Kanuckel is a freelance writer from rural Ohio who loves all things outdoors. She specializes in home, garden, environmental, and green living topics.
The white hot is a variation on the hot dog found primarily in the Rochester, New York area, as well as other parts of Western New York and Central New York. It is composed of a combination of uncured and unsmoked pork, beef, and veal; the lack of smoking or curing allows the meat to retain a naturally white color.
While hot dogs can be made out of a variety of different meats, white hot dogs are a unique combination of pork, beef, and veal. All three meats are uncured and unsmoked, which gives the hot dog its white color.
White hots are normally made of a mixture of uncured pork, veal, and beef, while red hots can be made with pork, beef, or both. Zweigle's is best known in Rochester as the first to introduce the white hots in 1925 and makes both natural casing and skinless varieties.
White hots, however, are made with a mix of pork, beef, and veal. All three meats are uncured and unsmoked, which is where white hots get their white color from. To give them their unique flavor, manufacturers add a blend of spices that includes mustard and paprika.
Answer: A white-hot object is hotter than a red-hot object because its higher temperature causes it to emit light with shorter wavelengths and a wider range of colors compared to the red-hot object.
The 'White Hot' is especially close to Rochester native's hearts, since it originated in the 1920s in Rochester's German community. These hot dogs are known to have less veal than a typical hot dog and also contain less fat, cooked with “natural sodium” rather than salt.
History. The white hot was created by Max Russer in the 1920s in Rochester's German community as a "white and porky". He had his own meat store on Maple and Ames Streets in Rochester.
The reason is that yellow and blue light takes more energy to emit than does red light, so a higher temperature is needed. So, as an object heats up, it first turns red, then orange (red+yellow light), and finally white (red+yellow+blue looks white to the eye).
Red Hots are small hot cinnamon flavored candies that are sometimes called cinnamon imperials. Red Hots History Red Hots, also known as Cinnamon Imperials, are a popular spicy candy known for their fiery cinnamon flavor.
When an element is heated, the temperature of the element is increased, due to which its color would pass through bright red, orange, yellow, and finally white. Since the temperature required for an element to make it white is more required than that of red color.
Because they contain so many added ingredients that are not healthy for dogs, hot dogs are not a good choice for your pooch. At a cookout, if you want to give your dog a safe treat, it's best to give them some plain beef, pork, or chicken that has no salt or other seasoning on it.
A Coney Island hot dog, Coney dog, or Coney is a hot dog in a bun topped with a savory meat sauce and sometimes other toppings. It is often offered as part of a menu of classic American diner dishes and often at Coney Island restaurants.
Feeding your dog fatty foods, like hot dogs, bacon, ribs, or fried chicken, can upset your dog's stomach and cause vomiting and diarrhea. It can also lead to pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreas.
The hottest part of the flame is the base, so this typically burns with a different colour to the outer edges or the rest of the flame body. Blue flames are the hottest, followed by white. After that, yellow, orange and red are the common colours you'll see in most fires.
Introduced in 1934, the Snappy Grillers were modeled after traditional, white German sausages using a combination of veal, pork, egg whites, dried non-fat milk, and select spices. They are a hybrid sausage-frank with a smooth texture and size of a hot dog.
The Hofmann Snappy Griller was created in 1932 and is made with ground pork and veal. Unlike most sausages, the white hot dogs are uncured and unsmoked, which allows the meat to retain a naturally white color.
Since 1880, when C.Wilhelm and Josephine Zweigle opened their butcher shop in Rochester, New York, the company has been focused on quality and committed to making great meals quick and easy for busy families. Producing premium quality, great tasting products has been the foundation of our success ever since.
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