The flavor explosion after the first bite of these Sonoran Style Hotdogs will have you declaring these are the best hot dogs around. Bacon wrapped hot dogs are taken to the next level with the addition of Mexican inspired toppings.
While this Sonoran dog is the main course, round out your meal with our Steamed Corn on the Cob and our giant Snickerdoodle Cookie.
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What are Sonoran Style Hotdogs
What started as a humble food cart item in Mexico is now not only a regional favorite but has growing popularity nationally.
Daniel Contreras created this unique hot dog recipe in Mexico, serving his customers from a food cart as a street vendor. He took his cart across the border to Tucson in Southern Arizona and started El Guero Canelo.
Like Cincinnati chili, the growing popularity of the dish meant others started their own version of the original.
This recipe starts with a bacon wrapped hot dog that's grilled. It's placed in the soft bolillo rolls that have been split down the center.
Then come the toppings. Seasoned pinto beans, raw onions and sautéed onions, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and mustard are the classic toppings. But now the possibilities are endless.
We've added pickled jalapeños, cilantro, and some queso fresco to our version, all of which are usually offered as available toppings with most street vendors and food trucks or stands.
Recipe ingredients:
- Hotdogs — we used all beef hot dogs from our local butcher.
- Bacon — regular or thin-sliced bacon is best for this recipe, as thick-cut makes it too bulky.
- Buns — the OG recipe calls for soft bolillo buns.
- Pinto beans — no need to soak and boil dried pinto beans, canned pinto beans will do. (Not refried beans.)
- Produce — fresh cilantro, jalapeños, roma tomatoes, and a very large onion.
- Condiments — yellow mustard, mayonnaise, pickled jalapeños, and crumbled queso fresco.
- Seasonings — salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and cumin are used to season the canned pinto beans.
How to make Sonoran Style Hotdogs
There's a lot of photos which may make this seem like a complicated recipe but it's really not. We're providing a lot of images to simply show the way the hot dog is most popularly assembled.
Step 1 — Wrap the bacon around the hot dog, starting at the top of one end and wrap tightly.
Pro Tip:
You can use a toothpick to secure the bacon in place, but if you can get both ends of the bacon on the same side of the dog, place that end down when cooking to sear the bacon to the hot dog.
Step 2 — Add the pintos beans with their liquid to a saucepan and add the seasonings. Warm through.
Step 3 — Dice the tomatoes and set them aside. Slice the onion in half, then one half in half again. Dice the quarter piece of onion and slice the reaming three-quarters. Cut a slit in the top of the buns.
Step 4 — Heat a skillet or cast iron griddle pan on medium heat. Once hot, place the hot dogs in the skillet. Cook in batches if need be.
As the bacon and hot dogs begin to render their fat, push it over to the side and add the sliced onions to begin sauteing them. Place the fresh jalapeños around in the skillet to char.
How to serve:
- Open the bun.
- Add the cooked bacon wrapped hotdog.
- Ladle the seasoned cooked beans using a slotted spoon to drain the liquid before adding atop the hot dog.
- Add both the raw diced onions and the sautéed onions over the beans.
- Sprinkle the diced tomatoes down the center.
- Add the pickled jalapenos then drizzle the mustard and mayo over the top.
- Sprinkle freshly chopped cilantro.
- Sprinkle queso fresco over the entire dish and serve immediately along side a charred jalapeño.
Additional or other toppings
Sauces — Pico de gallo, taco or hot sauce, salsa verde.
Produce — red onion, diced bell peppers, freshly sliced radishes, fresh lime juice.
Dairy — cotija cheese, sour cream, Mexican creama (in place of mayo),
Buns — bolillo are the original type of bun served but if you can't find them, hot dog buns, especially soft hot dog buns. A soft roll or other type of bun can be used but it being soft is crucial. If the buns are harder, we recommend steaming them to soften.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, turkey bacon is fine, same with using turkey hot dogs.
Technically you could but we do not recommend it.
Add a quarter cup of mayo to a small bowl and stir in a few drops of milk water to thin it down. You can use kewpie (Japanese mayo) or Mexican crema instead.
Not really. The only spicy heat would be from the jalapeños.
Should you have any, each of the toppings will need to be stored individually, or at least sectioned in a larger air tight container. Store the hot dogs in an airtight container, foil, or plastic wrap.
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Get the Recipe
Sonoran Style Hotdogs
Equipment
- 12" cast iron skillet or griddle pan
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 8 hotdogs all beef
- 8 slices bacon
- 8 hotdog buns homemade style
Pinto Beans
- 14.5 oz pinto beans
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
Toppings
- 1 onion; large diced and sliced, see above
- 3 roma tomatoes diced
- ½ cup pickled jalapeños
- ¼ cup mustard
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ⅛ cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon queso fresco crumbled
- 8 fresh jalapeños optional
Instructions
- Heat 12" skilled over medium heat.
- Wrap the bacon around the hot dog, starting at the top of one end and wrap tightly.
- Add bacon wrapped hotdogs to skillet and cook until bacon is fully cooked and the hot dog is heated through.
- Dice the tomatoes and set them aside.
- Slice the onion in half, then one half in half again. Dice the quarter piece of onion and slice the reaming three-quarters.
- Cut a slit in the top of the buns.
- As the bacon and hot dogs begin to render their fat, push it over to the side and add the sliced onions to begin sauteing them. Place the fresh jalapeños around in the skillet to char.
Pinto Beans
- Add the pintos beans with their liquid to a saucepan and add the seasonings. Warm through.
Assembly
- Open the bun. Add the cooked bacon wrapped hotdog.
- Ladle the seasoned cooked beans using a slotted spoon to drain the liquid before adding atop the hot dog.
- Add both the raw diced onions and the sautéed onions over the beans, sprinkle the diced tomatoes down the center, and add the pickled jalapenos as desired.
- Drizzle the mustard and mayo over the top.
- Sprinkle freshly chopped cilantro.Sprinkle queso fresco over the entire dish and serve immediately along side a charred jalapeño.
Notes
Additional or other toppings
Sauces — Pico de gallo, taco or hot sauce, salsa verde. Produce — red onion, diced bell peppers, freshly sliced raddishes, fresh lime juice. Dairy — cotija cheese, sour cream, mexican creama (in place of mayo), Buns — bolillo are the original type of bun served but if you can't find them, hot dog buns, especially soft hot dog buns. A soft roll or other type of bun can be used but it being soft is crucial. If the buns are harder, we recommend steaming them to soften.Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Steven Hansen
Amazing! Thanks Dutch Oven Daddy
Spencer Adams
This recipe is way better than traditional hotdogs! I love them!
Dina
My family loved this!
Cami
These were so fun to try instead of just the traditional hot dogs. And how can you not love a bacon-wrapped hot dog! yum!