Featuring a crispy, griddled, bacon-wrapped hot dog stuffed inside a bolillo (a crusty, football-shaped Mexican roll), the Sonoran hot dog is a popular offering in Tucson and the surrounding areas. Hailing from Hermosillo, the capital city of the dog’s namesake Mexican state of Sonora, this style crossed the border to Arizona in the 1980s. Most versions of the Sonoran dog are topped with pinto beans, chopped tomatoes and onions, salsa verde, mustard, and a squiggle of mayonnaise. You’ll have leftover salsa, which is great to eat with tortilla chips.
Make ahead: The jalapeño salsa can be made and refrigerated for up to 3 days in advance. Bring to room temperature before using.
Where to buy: Bolillos can be found in well-stocked grocery stores or Latin American bakeries.
Ingredients
Servings: 4 (makes 4 hot dogs)
Directions
Active:
40 mins|
Total: 1 hour
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Step 1
Make the jalapeño salsa: Position an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler on high, if you have a choice. On a large sheet pan, toss the jalapeños, onion, garlic, oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt together until combined. Flip the jalapeños, skin side up. (Use food-safe gloves if you have sensitive skin and are concerned about your hands stinging.) Broil for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the vegetables are well charred. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes.
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Step 2
In a food processor, puree the jalapeño mixture, lime juice, water and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the cilantro and pulse until combined, about 5 pulses. Season to taste with salt. You should have about 1 3/4 cups.
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Step 3
Make the hot dogs: Wrap each hot dog with 1 strip of bacon, spiraling from end to end, and stretching and overlapping slightly until the hot dog is almost completely wrapped and the bacon seams end up on the same side.
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Step 4
Line a plate with towels. Arrange the hot dogs, bacon seam sides down, in a medium (10-inch) nonstick skillet, set over medium heat and cook, without moving the hot dogs until the bacon is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Continue to cook until the bacon is evenly browned all over, turning the hot dogs as needed, about 6 minutes more. Transfer to the prepared plate and return the skillet to the burner.
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Step 5
Add the beans and their reserved liquid to the fat remaining in the skillet and cook, coarsely mashing about one-third of the beans with a spatula or a large spoon, until heated through and the mixture is creamy, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt, as desired.
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Step 6
Cut a slit along the top of each bolillo, stopping just short of the ends, and gently pry the rolls open. Arrange the rolls on a platter, cut sides up. Place the hot dogs in the rolls and evenly distribute the beans among them. Top with the tomatoes and onion. Spoon 1 tablespoon of salsa along the length of each hot dog (reserve the remaining salsa for another use). Drizzle with a stripe of mustard and zigzag of mayonnaise. Serve immediately.
Substitutions
Bolillos >> soft white Italian-style sub rolls, hot dog rolls, or soft supermarket Italian or French bread cut into 7-inch lengths.
Jalapeño salsa >> store-bought salsa verde.
Cilantro >> parsley.
Vegan? >> Use vegan hot dogs and ground meat.
Gluten-free? >> Look for gluten-free hot dog buns.
Notes
Bolillos go stale quickly; you can refresh stale rolls by misting them lightly with water and heating them in a 300-degree oven for 5 minutes.
Squeeze bottles of mustard and mayonnaise help achieve their signature stripes and zigzags, respectively.
Do not use thick-cut bacon here; it won’t crisp as well or render as much fat as thin-cut.
If you like and tolerate the spice of the jalapeños, you may want to leave some of the seeds.
