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This is good to know- I usually buy the nitrate/nitrite free hot dogs but do notice now they all contain celery juice. I do have the say, the all beef and the uncured "Fearless Franks" from Niman Farms are still my favorites. Although they may not truly be nitrate or nitrite free (in light of this post), they are supposed to be made with hormone and antibiotic free meat which makes me feel a tiny bit better about hotdogs. But really the reason I buy them is the whole family loves the taste, I think are as good or better than other hot dog I have found at the grocery store (inclduing the Boar's Head.) But my 3-year old does not always like natural casing, so thats not something we look for.

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I just wanted to say that at least the facts should be stated completely. There is no "nitrite" in celery. There is , however, "nitrate". The nitrate must be converted to nitrite by means of bacteria. What this really means is all the "natural" nuts out there should know that when you eat a carrot or celery stalk or other vegetable from the ground, you are eating as much nitrate as you would be with any of these meats. I would worry more about the fat/salt content of the food. Natural also does not mean fat free which some people like to believe. In conclusion you are going to get nitrates/ nitrites from somewhere. Check out sea salt, for example.

I should add that, nitrates aside, the "uncured" dogs may have other advantages--i.e., they may be organic or otherwise made with more humanely produced meat. If there were an organic dog with great taste and a natural casing, I would buy it. Is there?

thepictsie, I can't think of anything to add to your explanation. Thanks.

I must be missing something here. I thought that "no added nitrates" means that they didn't grab some chemical and add it to the hot dog. The celery juice was part of the make up of what they threw into the hot dog (along with the beef eyelids, armpits, and whatever else they put into hot dogs). Celery products in a hot dog for flavoring isn't unusual; celery salt is used in Chicago-style hot dog fixin's for the flavor.

I can see if there was a "no nitrate product" where this would be an issue, but not "no added nitrates".

Am I correct in assuming, you're saying "no sugar added" products aren't really "no sugar added" products because one of the other ingredients naturally contained sugar?

Now, don't get me wrong: I hate product packaging as much as the next guy. Unless I see an egg shoot out of a chicken, I question even something as fundamental as that. (And I know all about how long some eggs stay on the shelves at stores, just to be "recycled" as newer than they are).

I just want to know what would be considered a truly "no nitrates added" hot dog, because it seems to me that under the definition above, what you're talking about is a plain old "no nitrates at all" hot dog.

(great blog, btw....just signed up, but i've been reading for a long time now)

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