Brats Vs Hot Dogs: What's Actually Inside Them, And Why They Taste Different

Comparing brats and hot dogs — or bratwurst sausages versus Frankfurters to be more precise — is a discussion that comes up often. Mostly, it's in the context of which one is better. Occasionally, there's confusion about whether they're the same food with different names. But the only things brats and hot dogs have in common is that they're from the same meat-in-casings family, and that they both have roots in Germany. When it comes to both taste and texture, bratwurst sausages are quite different from Frankfurters, and that difference is essentially down to what actually goes inside them.

Let's look at Bratwurst first. The history of these sausages can be traced to Nuremberg in Germany, where they have existed at least since the 1300s. German immigrants brought the bratwurst to America in the 1920s (fun fact: Madison, Wisconsin, is known as the bratwurst capital of the world today). The sausages are usually made using ground pork, beef, or veal. When it comes to texture, bratwurst sausage meat is ground coarsely and seasoned with ginger, nutmeg, coriander, lemon zest or caraway, giving it a complex and vibrant flavor.

Frankfurters come from, you guessed it, Frankfurt. They made their way to America in the early 1900s, and have become intractably linked with American culture since, in the form of the hot dog. The meat used to make Frankfurters can come from pork, beef, chicken, and turkey, which is ground to a paste (hence the use of trimmings when they're made), which gives them a very different texture from the coarse brats — and the characteristic snap. Frankfurters also have more preservatives and sodium. The biggest difference though, is when it comes to cooking them.

There is a whole world of sausages out there, with all kinds of varieties of casing, meats, and processing of ingredients. One of the biggest differences when it comes to brats and hot dogs is that the meat in the bratwurst is raw, while that in the Frankfurters are already cooked and heavily processed. This means that bratwurst sausages need to be grilled, boiled, smoked, or roasted before serving. Frankfurters, on the other hand, can be eaten straight out of the packet. As one Redditor eloquently puts it, "If you've never eaten a (precooked) hotdog straight out the packet at 2am you haven't lived." Having said that, they're usually steamed or boiled to bring them up to a more pleasing temperature.

Both brats and Frankfurters taste great in a bun with some ketchup and mustard on top, but that's not the only way to consume them. Hot dogs are a genius addition to a breakfast hash, because they're completely in sync with the starchy potatoes, roasted vegetables, and runny eggs. You could also make unique Seattle-style hot dogs, which switch out the mustard and ketchup for onions, jalapeños, sriracha sauce, and cream cheese.

When it comes to bratwurst, the most common way to have them is topped generously with  sauerkraut. You can also upgrade your brat with a whole range of creative toppings from potato chips to kimchi. If you're in the mood for something even more exciting, try this slow cooker beer brats recipe, a German-themed, Midwestern classic that combines potatoes, sauerkraut, onions, beer and brats.