The name says it all, so already you know that Vienna sausages are from Vienna. But what are Vienna sausages made of? Find out more about Vienna sausage ingredients and unknown Vienna sausage benefits. You might even learn more ways how to eat Vienna sausage as a result. The truth is a lot simpler than you’ve been led to believe.
What are Vienna sausages made of?
If you take a trip to your local supermarket and stroll down the aisles, you’ll find those dainty-little cans of finger-sized weenies canning in water. Now, before you get that icky feeling of eating canned weenies, you’re also wondering what Vienna sausages are made of. If you look at the most popular brands that sell Vienna sausages including Libby’s, Amour, or Hormel, the ingredients all have the same elements including pork, beef, and chicken.
The chicken is an interesting part since these are mechanically separated from chicken bones. This is done by taking the leftover chicken bones that are ground up and having any chicken flesh separated using a high-velocity drum. It’s a low-cost alternative using poultry in select types of meats that are meant to be used as filler. You can bet that the beef and pork are similar since most hot dogs are made from leftovers anyway.
In Europe, it was very common to use pork, beef, or horse meat. It might be awful to think that horse meat is used in sausage, but when it’s prepared correctly, it’s very flavorful and tasty. Countries including Germany, Austria, Hungary, and many other central European countries have enjoyed these types of meats for centuries and are highly cultural by tradition. For most Americans, food processing methods are limited to selective animal ingredients.
Essentially, you’ll find that Vienna sausages are no different than packaged hot dogs aside from being packed in jars or cans. The flavors that come with Vienna sausages also feature a wide selection of added spices, sauces, or ingredients.
How to eat Vienna sausage
It’s no surprise that Vienna sausages can be eaten right from the can. You probably want to wash off the water it comes in, but if it’s packed in sauce, it makes a neat portable snack. When you want to make these little sections of sausage into a meal, they can be roasted, fried, seared, or steamed to warm them up. They make an excellent addition to pasta dishes or are sliced into spaghetti. Here are some easy to make recipes:
If you like using those rolls of puff pastry from Pislbury, you can make easy bake Pigs-in-a-Blanket. These can be further spiced up by inserting them into a jalapeno and wrapped with some individually wrapped cheddar cheese slices before adding the pastry wrap. For breakfast, these tiny sausages are great when wrapped with some bacon and a handy toothpick and then cooked in a pan to make ‘Little Smokies’.
Now if you love baked beans, you should pan-fry slices in a frying pan and then add a can of baked beans in tomato sauce for eating an authentic beanie weenie. For an energizing breakfast burrito, you can make some scrambled eggs, seared Vienna sausage slices, add some tomatoes and onions and wrap it up in a warm tortilla. Not only do these make excellent grill weenies on a toothpick, try dipping them in batter and deep-frying them.
When it comes to dinner, you’ll love some pan-roasted Vienna sausages sliced into a warm bowl of Minestrone or pea soup. Get a hearty mixture of pan-roasted potatoes with sliced weenies that are served with a rich and creamy sauce mixed with herbs. You can always find imaginative recipes that work great in any cooked meal.
Vienna sausage ingredients
The ingredients in Vienna sausages aren’t always conforming to the same recipe as they are made (between brand to brand), yet typically include pork, beef, and chicken fillings. The variants that are sold often help give Vienna sausages more flavor for those that are just looking for a tasty snack. Because of this, these brand flavors are meant to create fast meals that might appeal to you. Here’s what you find from brand to brand.
This is the most common that will include their original flavor that is unflavored for the most part. They carry chicken flavored, barbecue flavored, hot and spicy, jalapeno flavored, smoked, Salchichas de Pollo, and reduced-fat flavors…
| Nutrition facts | Armour Smoked Vienna Sausage |
|---|---|
| Units | 4 sausages (60g) |
| Calories | 120 |
| Total Fat | 10g |
| Cholesterol | 55mg |
| Sodium | 630mg |
| Carbohydrates | 1g |
| Protein | 7g |
| Vitamin A | 0% |
| Sugars | <1g |
| Calcium | 6% |
| Iron | 6% |
Libby’s doesn’t have so many variant flavors in their Vienna sausage line but has distinct tastes that might sound more appealing if you like something different. They include their original flavor, zesty BBQ flavor, chicken flavor packed in real chicken broth, and Hawaiian Vienna sausage flavor.
| Nutrition facts | Libby’s Vienna Sausage |
|---|---|
| Units | 1 can (130g) |
| Calories | 160 |
| Total Fat | 13g |
| Cholesterol | 85mg |
| Sodium | 790mg |
| Carbohydrates | 1g |
| Protein | 10g |
| Vitamin D | 0mcg |
| Sugars | 0g |
| Calcium | 130mg |
| Iron | 1.1mg |
Hormel
Hormel is a pretty decent brand that provides the original flavor and chicken flavored. They are better known for selling Spam, which is another interesting mixed meat product that is just as universal. There are other brands that you can search around for, that contain many other flavors that might seem appealing to you.
Vienna sausage benefits
If you take a look at Vienna sausages for their individual nutrition facts, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that anyone who is sticking to the Keto diet will enjoy that these little sausages provide 347 calories but only contains 3.9 grams of carbs. There isn’t so much protein contained in one can of sausages with an average of 16 grams total. The level of iron is very nice with 1.3 milligrams and loads of potassium providing 153 milligrams.
The downside is that Vienna sausages contain a lot of sodium that has 1327 milligrams per serving. Another warning is that they contain a significant amount of cholesterol with 131 milligrams in each can. This can often differ from brand to brand, so you need to check each brand to find the best combination of nutrition values. In short, are Vienna sausages healthy for you? Essentially, they’re healthy to eat from time to time as long as you eat them in moderation.