Sonoran Hot Dogs (Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs)

Think of Sonoran Hot Dogs as an amazing mashup of a hot dog and a taco. Oh, and it’s even a bacon wrapped hot dog! Top with your favorite Mexican-inspired condiments.

Have you ever tried the American-Mexican delight that is the Sonoran hot dog? It’s like a mash-up of a really great hot dog and a really great taco, plus add bacon to the mix.

It sounds crazy, but it just totally works (kind of like how my taco mac and cheese combines two favorites into one).

I first discovered this bacon wrapped hot dog delicacy at a local restaurant and quickly realized how easy and affordable it was to make at home.

You can serve the Sonoran hot dogs with any number of Mexican-inspired condiments and toppings, including refried beans, queso fresco, tomato, avocado, cilantro and sour cream.

So, spice up your summer with this Sonoran hot dog recipe! Serve them with Dr. Pepper baked beans, blistered shishito peppers and dipping sauce, and a beer or a pitcher of cold lemon margaritas.

You could even serve them bar-style, so everybody can assemble their own. The toppings will be really similar to my fajita bar, but you’ll just be using hot dogs and buns instead of tortillas and fajita meats.

These are also great on game day, alongside a football themed charcuterie board and healthy buffalo chicken dip.

These are the Sonoran hot dog ingredients you will need:

• hot dogs – Just like for hot dog nachos, I like the all-beef variety for these Sonoran dogs, personally, but use whatever kind of dogs you like best. Bun-length is best so you have room for all of the toppings!
• bacon – just regular hardwood smoked bacon, for wrapping around the hog dogs. Use the rest of the package to make smoked salmon BLTs!
• hot dog buns – I really like brioche buns for this Sonoran hot dog recipe if they are available, but any type of bun will work.
• sour cream – for making a drizzly crema-style sauce.
• lime juice – this will thin out the sour cream so you can drizzle it.
• refried beans -these will be spread into the hot dog buns as a base for the Sonoran hot dogs.
• avocado – nothing beats the rich creaminess of a ripe avocado! Buy an extra and throw it on top of breakfast fried rice tomorrow!
• tomato – chop up a Roma tomato, another small variety of tomato, or even a handful of grape or cherry tomatoes.
• queso fresco – this crumbly, salty Mexican cheese is perfect for Sonoran dogs (and steak tostadas). If you can’t find it, shredded Monterey Jack cheese works, as well.
• cilantro – this adds some herby greenness to all of the rich flavors in these Mexican hot dogs.
• onion – a little bit of chopped red onion adds a kick to these bacon wrapped hot dogs. White onion works, too!
• hot sauce – for drizzling on top, but this is optional.

How to make bacon wrapped hot dogs:

Making bacon wrapped hot dogs couldn’t be easier. You don’t need any special equipment or even toothpicks or skewers for these Mexican hot dogs.

Simply wrap a slice of raw bacon around each hot dog, sort of in a spiral fashion. The bacon will crisp up at the same time the hot dogs cook on the grill.

A few shortcuts for this Sonoran hot dog recipe:

While this bacon wrapped hot dog recipe isn’t TOO time-consuming, preparing all the toppings does take a few minutes. But there’s actually quite a few shortcuts you can use if you want to make this Sonoran dog recipe even faster.

First of all, prepared guacamole from the store works just as well as chopping up an avocado for this Mexican hot dog. Plus, if you have a grocery store that’s as good as mine, they might just make THE BEST guacamole.

Another shortcut is using store-bought pico de gallo in place of the tomatoes, onions and cilantro. After all, pico de gallo IS tomatoes, onions and cilantro.

You could even use fajita veggies in place of the pico, too. Especially if you have some left over from another meal.

And while wrapping the bacon around the hot dogs only takes a few minutes, another option is that you could make a batch of oven bacon (you could even make this in advance) and simply crumble it over the Sonoran hot dogs.

What to serve with this Mexican hot dog:

My very favorite side dish to serve with this Sonoran hot dog recipe is my elote salad. This corn salad actually has several ingredients (cilantro, lime juice, red onion) in common with these Sonoran dogs, so preparing both dishes at the same time is pretty easy!

Homemade Spanish rice is another great side dish option that pairs well with these bacon wrapped hot dogs.

Of course, a simple side of potato chips is always great with hot dogs. My spicy potato chips start with a bag of potato chips that you jazz up into something special.

Don’t forget the drinks!

I love a tequila mojito for those who want a cocktail with their Sonoran hot dog, and agave lemonade for those looking for something zero proof.

Note: This recipe was originally published in 2014. The post was updated in 2022 to be more informative and improve the photos. The original photos appear below.