Hot Dogs
Melted Cheddar Dogs
Cheddar Style Hot Dogs
Melted Cheddar Dogs 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.
A classic frank with high-temp cheddar worked in, which holds together on a grill instead of running out the ends. The same emulsion rules apply — everything ice cold, no shortcuts. Kids will eat these until somebody stops them.
- 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
- Mustard Powder
- Sugar
- High-Temp Cheddar
- 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 with good protein extraction.
- Process in a food processor for 2-3 minutes until smooth batter.
- Fold in high-temp cheddar by hand — do not process it in.
- Stuff into 24-26mm casings. Twist into 6" links.
- Hang to dry at room temp for 30 minutes.
- Smoke at 130°F with dampers open for 30 minutes.
- Apply 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.
Wood
Hickory · Cherry
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.