Authentic Sonoran Hot Dog

Sonoran Hot Dogs are taken to a higher level! With a soft bun, hot dog wrapped in bacon and topped with sautéd onions, chopped tomatoes plus your favorite condiments. Once you have one of these, you’ll never go back to standard hot dogs!

3 Sonoran Hot Dogs on a white tray with a roasted jalapeño on the side — Sonoran Hot Dogs are so flavorful and easy to make

I’m going to brag a little bit about how I am a Sonoran Hot Dog snob mmkay? I was born in the Motherland of THE Sonoran Hot Dogs after all! If you ask anyone in Mexico, the best “dogos” (as we call them) are made in Ciudad Obregon.

There are so many versions out there but here I’m going to show you how to make the original version (it goes way back to when they first got popular in the early 1980’s). Throughout the years topping have been added to the options and will share those with you as well.

Who invented the Sonoran hot dog?

They originated in a little town called El Chinal, Alamos Sonora in early 1970s. They became very popular in Ciudad Obregon where the recipe was perfected. These days you can find them everywhere all over the world! It’s a very much imitated dish but it can never be duplicated.

Two hot dogs with a roasted jalapeño on the side — This is an Authentic Recipe for Mexican Sonoran Hot Dogs

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Ingredients

The ingredients are simple and easy to get:

Buns
Beef Hot Dogs
Thin Bacon
Sliced onions (for sautéing) or chopped if eaten raw
Chopped tomatoes
Condiments: mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, hot sauce, salt & pepper
Highly recommended eating them with Chiles Toreados. All Hot Dog places in Mexico serve them with these chiles.
Optional: avocado, whole cooked beans, cheese, sautéd mushrooms. The originals were never made with these ingredients but you’re more than welcome to do!

A note about the buns

The buns are not your typical hot dog bun but the original bread cannot be found anywhere except in Sonora and some specialty places. They are made specifically for “dogos”.

Since you may not be lucky to find those anywhere near you, choose a soft extra large hot dog bun. The bun is always steamed (never grilled) to keep it soft and warm while you eat it. I’ll show you below how to do it 🙂

Hot Dogs ingredients on a board: buns, dogs wrapped in bacon, sliced onions, chopped tomatoes, mayo and mustard.

How To Make Sonoran Hot Dogs

Wrapping the hot dog with bacon:

This is an easy step that will get better the more you do it.

Place the edge of the bacon on the top of the hot dog and wrap it by overlapping the bacon while going down. This will keep the bacon from opening & shrinking while you cook it.

At the bottom of the hot dog, using your finger, tuck in the end of the bacon inside of the bacon itself to secure that edge. If this fails, then you can secure it with a toothpick until you get better at this 😉

Three hot dogs wrapped in bacon placed on a plate

Wrap all of the hot dogs before starting to cook. This step can also be made ahead of time if you’ll be doing this for a large crowd.

Cooking the hot dog:

3 cooked winners wrapped in bacon with sautéd onions in a iron skillet

Cook the onions and hot dogs in a large skillet. Keep rotating the hot dogs until all sides are evenly crispy. Cooking the onions with the bacon fat gives them an amazing taste!

Steaming the buns:

The buns should be steamed since the bread needs to be soft. The easiest way to steam them is to loosely wrap them in paper towels (or large ziploc bag) and microwave them for about 7 to 10 seconds. Just enough to get them soft & warm.

Assembling the hot dogs:

A bun with the rest of the ingredients on the side.

Hot Dogs on a table topped with mustard and bacon

After you steam the buns, place the hot dog in the bun.
Add about 1 tablespoon of cooked or raw onions.
Then add about 2 tablespoons of chopped tomato.
Spread some mayonnaise a over the tomatoes and press lightly to blend the tomatoes with the mayo. Add mustard, ketchup & hot sauce if you like.

Note on the Mayo: The mayo over the tomato acts as a binder of the ingredients so that the veggies stay in place when eating the hot dog.

That’s it! Now you’re ready to enjoy an amazing Sonoran hot dog with your favorite cold drink.

3 hot dogs on a white tray with sodas bottles on the side.

How to Store

Fridge: If you have the option, it is best to store all of the ingredients in their small containers then assemble the hot dogs when ready to eat. If you have extra already made dogs, then wrap them up in plastic wrap.

Reheating

Microwave: Reheat in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds or until heated through. The but will become soft and a little soggy.

An icon of a plate with a fork and knife.

Mexican Recipes You’ll Love

That’s it my friends! This is a truly delicious recipe that I’m sure everyone will love. I hope you enjoyed today’s recipe but let me know if you have any questions on the comment section below. Or contact me and I’ll get back to you asap.

XO, Ana

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