Hot Dogs
Campfire Beef Franks
Classic Style Beef Hot Dogs
Campfire Beef Franks is a hot dog built on a 50% lean meat / 35% pork / 15% pork fat blend, using lean wild game or lean beef. Smoke at 130-170°F (54-77°C) and finish at an internal 152°F (67°C), stuff into 24-26 mm all natural sheep casings, grind at 3/8" then 1/8". Exact amounts scale to any batch weight in the DeepWoodz Smokehouse app for iPhone and Android.
Homemade hot dogs ruin the store-bought kind permanently, so take that as fair warning. A proper emulsion is the whole job — keep everything ice cold through the grind and the mix or the fat breaks and the texture goes grainy. Mace and coriander are what make it taste like a hot dog instead of a small sausage.
- Internal temp
- 152°F (67°C)
- Smoker temp
- 130-170°F (54-77°C)
- Casing size
- 24-26 mm
- Casing
- All Natural Sheep Casings
- Bloom
- 1-2 hours
What goes in it
- Kosher Salt
- Cure #1
- White Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Paprika
- Mace
- Coriander
- Ground Nutmeg
- Marjoram
- Sugar
- Mustard Powder
- Ice Cold Water
Amounts are calculated for your batch weight in the app — including the cure, which is held at a fixed, food-safe rate.
The meat
Lean Wild Game · Lean Beef · Pork Butt · Pork Shoulder · Pork Fat
Bear or wild hog: take it to 160°F and hold 3 minutes. Freezing, smoking and curing do not kill trichinella — only heat does.
How it's made
- With the meat ice cold (28-32°F, partially frozen is ideal), grind all meats and fat through a 3/8" plate, then regrind through a 1/8" plate.
- Add all seasonings and ice water. Mix until very smooth and paste-like with good protein extraction.
- Process in a food processor for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth — you want a batter consistency.
- Stuff into 24-26mm all natural sheep casings. Twist into 6" links.
- Hang to dry at room temp for 30 minutes or until casings are dry to the touch.
- Smoke at 130°F with dampers open for 30 minutes.
- Apply light smoke and increase to 140°F for 1 hour.
- Raise to 160-170°F until internal temperature reaches 152°F. Important: Do not let your smoker exceed 170°F. Even if your smoker is set at or below 170°F, the actual temperature can spike higher — monitor closely.
- Immediately plunge into ice water bath until internal temp drops below 100°F. (Optional — an ice bath is not required. It is personal preference; many just let them cool at room temp, or outside in cold weather. Just cool them down promptly.)
- Pat dry and refrigerate. Reheat by grilling, boiling, or pan frying.
Wood
Cherry · Apple · Maple
Safety
- Keep meat below 40°F during grinding and mixing
- Ice water is critical — keeps emulsion stable
- Cook to 152°F internal temperature
- Ice bath immediately after smoking to set casing. (Optional — an ice bath is not required. It is personal preference; many just let them cool at room temp, or outside in cold weather. Just cool them down promptly.)
Before you start
New recipes as they land.
Venison, wild game, snack sticks, summer sausage. Leave your email and we'll send the new ones over.
Only when there's a new recipe. Nothing else.
You're on the list. We'll be in touch.
Something went wrong. Please try again.