Camel Sausage Hotdogs

The other day I was visiting Anshu Pathak at Exotic Meat Market and he had me try some new camel sausage he'd recently had made. I had camel sausage about four years ago and it was the consistency of a regular hotdog. These new camel sausages were longer, stiffer, heavier and more fatty. Anshu made a point of telling me that it was all camel, including the fat. 

Camel sausage after it has been microwaved.

Anshu's wife, Claudia, introduced me to a Facebook group called Exotic and Adventurous Foodies. It basically is a site where a picture of beautifully prepared exotic meat is showcased. I've prepared and eaten lots of exotic meat, but I pay very little attention to the side dishes and the garnishes that make it look great. With that in mind, I decided to see if I could make some picture worthy hotdogs using this camel sausage. 

My first attempt started with open-face hotdog buns spread with melted butter and grated 12 month aged Fior Delle Alpi raw milk cow cheese. It tastes like an aged gouda. The hotdog buns were roasted in the broiler until the cheese was melted and the buns were slightly crispy. After broiling, I slathered Genova pesto, a basil and parmesan blend, onto one of the buns and then added microwaved camel sausage the length of the bun, butterflied open so that it spread over the entire bun, then I spread Dijon mustard with white wine on the camel sausage. Earlier I'd sauteed some diced sweet onion in chili oil and olive oil with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper and that was placed over the top of the sausage. 

Camel sausage hotdog with sauteed onions. 

On the other toasted bun I put sliced yellow and green heirloom tomato and chopped avocado. I took a photo before I combined them because I figured it was going to make a mess, and it did, but it was fantastic. Despite all of the ingredients the camel sausage held its own and was readily discernible, both from a texture and taste standpoint. As far as something to post on the Facebook site, it fell short, but it was really, really good. 

A day or two later I decided to try a variation. Everything remained the same except I eliminated the sauteed onion and substituted it with a grilled Anaheim chile that covered the length of the bun. I also prepared a side drink of fresh squeezed blood orange with added Squirt. This hotdog was pretty good, but did not compare to the first one. The sauteed onion really makes a difference. 

Freshly juiced blood orange and some Squirt that I added to it.

The Anaheim chile is underneath the camel sausage on the closest bun. 

The put-together hotdog with a glass of blood orange juice and Squirt.

I'm not sure I'm chef material. These fell-short from a photogenic standpoint, although they did taste very good, particularly the first one. I'll probably make some more attempts at beautiful exotic food, particularly as I prepare exotic meats that I've made before.