The classic Oscar Mayer Weiner jingle rang through the air in the Microbial Science Building Monday as the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences began its “Wisconsin’s Best” lecture series with Steve Quickert, a scientist for Kraft foods, speaking about the classic ballpark delicacy.

Wisconsin, a premier leader in the meat industry, has over 500 meat-processing establishments across the state and provides 40,000 jobs to state residents, according to Jeff Sindelar, extension meat specialist and assistant professor of meat science.

The original Oscar Mayer purchased a meat plant in Madison in 1919, forever cementing the company in the city’s history.

Being the first company to form a research division, vacuum seal meat packages and have continuous processing technology — also known as the “Hot Dog Highway” — Oscar Mayer certainly has a history of innovation, according to Quickert.

When the U.S. government began to look into the meat industry following the release of Upton Sinclair’s book “The Jungle” in 1906, which outlined the scandals of the meatpacking industry, Oscar Mayer was the first meat company to join the federal meat inspection program, ensuring the quality of their meat.

The ingredients of a hot dog include beef, turkey, pork, chicken, water, salt, spices and a variety of nutrients, such as phosphate and nitrate. After the meat is ground up, chopped up and fed through a giant sausage maker, it is smoked for taste and appearance, then stripped from its casings and packaged immediately on site.

Quickert went on to designate the difference between types of hot dogs, explaining “Franks have only one type of meat, while Wieners have a mix of meats.”

Quickert said the myths surrounding the production and ingredients of hot dogs are generally misinformed.

“The meat trimmings used from steak and ribs are quality meats but are too small to use anywhere else and are not from weird places on an animal,” Quickert said. “Also, the myth of sawdust being in hot dogs is probably from the fact that while there is sawdust used in the process, it’s only used to generate smoke.”

Department Chair of Animal Sciences Daniel Schaefer, who attended the event, iterated the relationship between Oscar Mayer and UW, explaining the company oftentimes sends new employees to train and learn about meat on campus.

Although not currently in use, UW even has its own butchery called “Bucky’s Butchery,” which is located across from the Babcock milk processing building, and many Oscar Mayer scientists have trained and received their degrees at UW, according to Schaefer.

Next time you have the desire to be an Oscar Mayer Weiner, now you’ll know exactly what you will be.