It’s become something of a tradition over the last five or so years for me to make (or just eat) hot dogs on every Fourth of July. I didn’t set out one year with this goal in mind; it just sort of happened naturally. But now, every year on our Independence Day, whether I’m grilling for a crowd or rolling a single sausage around in a frying pan on the stove for myself, it just isn’t a holiday until I’ve had my hot dog.
And I do love a good hot dog: the satisfying snap of a blistered natural casing, the salty, seasoned beef flavor, the smoky, pillowy comfort of a nicely charred bun…all these things are essential to a proper dog in my book. Lately, though, I’ve been experimenting with more and more diverse toppings with which to accessorize my franks. Green onions and hoisin sauce. Sriracha mayo, cilantro and Asian slaw. Barbecue sauce, onions and cheddar cheese. Mayonnaise and french fries. Kimchi.
But I had never attempted the famed Sonoran Dog – popularized on travel shows like Food Wars and Bizarre Foods – and this Fourth of July seemed like the perfect opportunity. Found in Tuscon/Phoenix (but supposedly originating in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, Mexico) this hot dog is wrapped in bacon, griddled until golden-brown, and stuffed in a bun or bolillo roll with pinto beans, onion, tomato, cheese, mayo, and green chile sauce. If this doesn’t sound mind-blowingly delicious to you, then you’re reading the wrong blog.
The results were predictably amazing. I used canned refried beans to save time, but I made roasted tomatillo salsa from scratch (I have issues with jarred salsas.) I also mixed up a quick pico de gallo, with white onion, tomato, cilantro and lime juice. The mayo got thinned out and spiced up with a liberal dose of chipotle hot sauce. After that, it was just a matter of cooking the dogs slowly over a medium grill, then putting it all together.
I won’t say the Sonoran Dog will become a new tradition in and of itself, but this definitely won’t be the last one I eat.
Sonoran Dogs
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yields: 6 hot dogs
Ingredients
- 6 hot dogs
- 6 thin slices of bacon (thick-cut won’t stay wrapped around the dogs)
- 6 hot dog buns
- 1 can refried beans or whole pinto beans
- 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 white onion, chopped
- 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
- 1 c. green chile sauce or salsa verde (store-bought or homemade)
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/4 c. mayonnaise, mixed with 1 tsp. chipotle hot sauce
- 1/2 c. shredded cheese (cheddar-jack, cotija, or other)
Method
- Wrap one piece of bacon around each hot dog
- Open can of beans and heat to a simmer. Keep warm on stove until ready to use
- Toss diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro and lime juice together. Season with a little kosher salt and set aside
- Grill bacon-wrapped hot dogs over medium heat until bacon is crispy on all sides, but not burned. Make sure to turn the dogs often so that the hot dogs are heated through by the time the bacon crisps, about 12 minutes
- Assemble the hot dogs: put each hot dog in a bun (toasted is nice), spread chipotle mayo on buns, spoon beans, pico de gallo, salsa verde and cheese on top
Noodle Therapy 