This is a bonus post for those of you that want to experience a taste treat famous in Tucson, the Sonoran Hot Dog.
I went to El Guero (pronounced weh doe) Canelo. 5201 S. 12th Ave. 295-9005. 2480 N. Oracle Road
This place is sort of a run down walk up business with primarily hispanic clientele. You park, go to a window in the block building and order. I ordered the “Sammy” which is a Sonoran with 2 dogs. What can best be described as the grill master is preparing these dogs in an outside area, and this guy is fast. You order and he whips them up pronto. After eating the hot dog, I came to realize you can’t tell a book by its’ cover.
This is how I observed it done:
Sonoran hot dog recipe
- Get a beef hot dog and wrap it like a mummy with bacon. Mesquite bacon is good.
- Fry it on a griddle until the bacon gets crisp. Some people like to fry the bacon a little first and then wrap it around the hot dog and then fry them both in the bacon grease. We know anything fried in bacon grease is going to be tasty!
- Take a hot dog bun or bolillo roll that has been slit to make a pocket in the middle. If you want you can toast them a little or, in the case of the bolillo roll, steam it for a minute to make it soft. These buns are very soft and fluffy unlike the hot dog buns we see at home. Work with what you have on hand or what you feel like.
- Put mayo, mustard and ketchup on the bun and insert the bacon-wrapped dog. If you want to squirt the mayo on top, like they do at the stands, mix it with a little lemon juice or water to thin it out. Put it into a squeeze bottle or sandwich bag with a corner cut off and squeeze it on top when you are done, along with the mustard and ketchup.
- Add warm pinto beans, cheese (shredded Mexican cotijo cheese, cheddar, whatever), chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, sliced or blended jalapenos or some type of jalapeno/green chili salsa.
- This is served with a large, grilled hot yellow pepper that is very yummy and sweet, but after a minute heats up your mouth. This fresh-grilled jalapeno that is served on the side is fully 2/3 the length of the hot dog. This is when you need a beer, or a warm 12 oz Pepsi or Coke imported from Mexico. If you don’t want to look like a Gringo, you drink it warm (no ice), from the bottle, like the Mexicans do.
- The Mexicans say just throw anything you like on the dog.
- These were featured on the Food Channel. Now I can cross this off my bucket list. Hey; these dogs give the artery clearing medication something to do.
The price of these dogs is only about $2.50 or $3.50 for a Sammy.
If you want to know more about the Sonoran dog or the restaurant, look it up. I also had a Sonoran Dog at BK Tacos in Tucson, and it too was tasty, but it did not seem the same as the one I got at El Guero Canelo.