Kosher Sonoran Hot Dogs with Chef Drew

Sonoran Dogs are classic Mexican street food. I found out about this hot dog when I visited Austin, Texas. There were vendors on every street who had set up small grills and assembled the dogs with amazing speed and dexterity. Each vendor had their own twist on the dog, but the basic toppings remained the same. Of course, the street dogs in Mexico have Queso Fresco or Cotija on them, but I don’t think the dish suffers without them – which made it easy to convert to a Kosher version.

When I make these at home, I take the leftover beans and pico and mix them together. If I really want to crank up the spice, I mix the mayo together with cayenne and smoked paprika. The combination of smoke and heat together are so good with the meaty, garlicky taste of the dog.

You can play with the basics and find all kinds of interesting flavor combos. I like to grill peaches or tangerines and sub them for the avocados. Some people add finely diced pineapple to the mix of toppings – I say put it in with the pico and you won’t be disappointed. Have fun with this recipe. Serve it with refried beans and grilled corn on the cob.

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Kosher Sonoran Hot Dogs

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOG:

• 8 – ¼ lb knockwurst or large hot dogs
• 8 hot dog buns
• 8 slices of turkey bacon (or thick slices of turkey pastrami)
• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced thin
• 1 cup of crumbled potato chips – pareve. I prefer BBQ flavored, but plain works too
• ½ cup of sliced pickled jalapeños
• Mayonnaise in a squeeze bottle
• A few sprigs of fresh cilantro
• 1 – 8 ounce can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 large beefsteak tomato, diced
• ½ of a sweet yellow onion (like a Vidalia), peeled and diced
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• ¼ cup of lime juice or 1 fresh lime – juiced
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ small fresh jalapeño or de-seeded and minced serrano pepper (optional)

Instructions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the pico de gallo. You can make the pico up to 8 hours in advance of serving; I prefer to do it an hour or two in advance. That way the ingredients stay crisp and fresh while allowing the flavor to develop properly.
2. Turn on the grill to a medium heat.
3. Take one slice of the turkey bacon or turkey pastrami and wrap it around the middle of the hot dog. (You might prefer two slices per dog). I use toothpicks that I have soaked in water to hold the turkey bacon/pastrami in place.
4. Grill the wrapped dogs on the grill, turning after about 7 minutes. They will need a total of 15 – 20 minutes on the grill for the turkey bacon to cook all the way through.
5. Grill the buns for about 30 seconds on the grill.
6. Remove the toothpicks from the dogs.
7. Assemble the dogs as follows: bun, beans, wrapped dog, avocados, pico de gallo, chips, jalapeños, cilantro sprigs, and then mayo.

The man behind the meals: Drew Brown is the Director of Food Service at the J. He is a graduate of Cincinnati State, The University of Cincinnati, and received his Master’s degree from The College of Mount Saint Joseph. He is the Chef-Owner of Spice Spice Baby Cincinnati, and his recipes have won multiple awards in cooking competitions around the Tri-State. Drew is the Founder of Avon Miami Charities, a charity that prepares and distributes more than 10,000 meals a year to local homeless shelters.