Mexican Hot Dogs

Name: Mexican Hot Dogs
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 8 hot dogs; 8 bacon strips; 4 jalapeños, stemmed, halved lengthwise and seeds removed (optional); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for drizzling (if needed); 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced; 1/2 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced; 1/2 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced; Kosher salt; 8 hot dog buns; Ketchup, yellow mustard and mayonnaise, for serving; 3 plum tomatoes, diced (about 1 1/2 cups); 1 avocado, diced; 1/2 small red onion, diced (about 1/2 cup); 1/4 cup chopped cilantro; 2 limes, juiced (about 1/4 cup)

By Kiera Wright-Ruiz

Updated Sept. 25, 2024

Mexican Hot Dogs — Tara Donne for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Chris Lanier.

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4(917)
Comments: Read comments

If you’ve ever walked through the streets of Los Angeles late at night, you may have been lucky enough to happen upon a street vendor selling bacon-wrapped hot dogs piled high with caramelized onions, sautéed peppers, pico de gallo, avocado, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. This version of Mexican hot dogs, also known as street dogs or Los Angeles hot dogs, is believed to be a riff on a similar recipe that originated in Sonora, Mexico. In Los Angeles, they’re sometimes fried on a mobile D.I.Y. griddle made with a wheeled cart, a large sheet pan and a heat source underneath, but we don’t recommend trying that at home. For this recipe, a standard sheet pan and an oven will do.

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share this recipe
Print this recipe
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

For the Hot Dogs

8hot dogs
8bacon strips
4jalapeños, stemmed, halved lengthwise and seeds removed (optional)
2tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for drizzling (if needed)
1small yellow onion, thinly sliced
½small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
½small green bell pepper, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
8hot dog buns
Ketchup, yellow mustard and mayonnaise, for serving

For the Pico De Gallo

3plum tomatoes, diced (about 1½ cups)
1avocado, diced
½small red onion, diced (about ½ cup)
¼cup chopped cilantro
2limes, juiced (about ¼ cup)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Tightly wrap each hot dog with a strip of bacon until most of the hot dog is covered. Transfer hot dogs to an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. If using jalapeños, place them skin-side down on a separate aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and lightly drizzle with oil. Roast jalapeños until skin starts to blister, about 25 minutes. Roast hot dogs until bacon is browned and starts to ripple, about 30 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the yellow onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown and shrinks by half, about 10 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; season to taste with salt. Remove from heat when onions are caramelized and peppers are soft, about 20 minutes.
Step 3
Make the pico de gallo with avocado: Combine tomatoes, avocado, red onion, cilantro and lime juice in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and set aside.
Step 4
Toast buns, if desired. Blot excess oil from the hot dogs with a paper towel and transfer to buns. Top with onions, peppers and pico de gallo. Drizzle with ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. Finish with roasted jalapeños, if desired.

Tip

To make these on the grill, soak 16 toothpicks in water for 5 minutes to prevent burning. Wrap each hot dog with bacon and secure the bacon at each end using a toothpick. Grill over low (be careful of flare-ups!), turning frequently to avoid overcooking, until bacon is browned and crisp.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5

917 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Comments

MIKEE5 years ago

I am Sonoran. This Recipe is Correctly labeled as a Mexican hotdog as this is NOT a sonoran dog as some comments suggest. It's a play on it with other mexican topping and that is totally ok (bell peppers dow?). Tucson has some good hot dogs but also have their own regional quarks, like a toasted bun and pico which is also a no go. Always steamed buns, bacon wrapped dog, mayo, mustard, jalapeño SAUCE, tomato, onion, frijol entero and a final mayo swipe. Served with a chile guero and DIY toppings!

Craig Dye6 years ago

Made this tonight; over indirect heat on the grill. I also roasted all the peppers skin side down directly over the coals; then peeled the blackened skin off and diced the peppers. My wonderful wife has had us on a pescatarian regimen the last 5 months; which I totally embrace! She is out of town. I am the chef. This was most satisfying!

Adrienne Boswell6 years ago

When I make this, I get the big kosher dogs. I wrap the bacon around the hot dog and secure it with toothpicks. Then I cook them in a cast iron skillet, turning them so the bacon gets evenly cooked. When the bacon is done, I take them out and put them on a plate to keep warm while I saute the vegetables in the fat that's in the pan. But still, the vendor at the corner of 3rd and Hill in downtown Los Angeles had the best I've ever had.

Liza9 months ago

Cooked mine on the grill, and roasted the jalapeños on the grill as well, delicious. Being in Arizona my first thought was Sonoran dogs as well, but a few comments here clarified the difference. I'll just call them "really good".

Baylie10 months ago

When I was growing up in the 60s, my mom made what she called Texas Tommies, hot dogs scored lengthwise with a thin piece of American cheese inserted, and then wrapped with bacon and cooked in the toaster oven. Much more suited to a child's taste but I can't wait to try these!

Nathan Williams10 months ago

Loved this recipe and will add it to my “cooked and loved” recipe list here on NYT. One change I’d make – double the onion and peppers. Everything else was terrific.

Private comments are only visible to you.