Six Mexican Hot Dogs to Try This Summer

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Hot dogs topped with Ruffles and carne asada from El Chunky.

Six Mexican Hot Dogs to Try This Summer

Frankfurter season is here, and what better way to indulge than with Mexican regional variations on the dish, which are often wrapped in bacon and topped with carne asada.

By José R. Ralat July 3, 2023

There is formal Spanish and then there is everyday, regional Spanish. The former is considered neutral and favors the imperial power on the Iberian Peninsula. The latter is composed of slang and borrowed words that give my native language a sense of wonder and humor. The varying degrees of intensity applied to profanity are a great example. Drinking straws are sorbetos in one part of the Spanish-speaking world, and popote, cañitas, and pajas in other regions. The same applies to food. 

The word hot dog is literally translated to perro caliente. No one really calls them that. Rather, they’re doggos, jochos, and—wait for it—hot dogs. Like other foods, hot dogs meet their full potential as a Mexican specialty, with most wrapped in bacon. Variations are found across Mexico, but the border is where some of the most exciting culinary mashups are born, hot dogs among them. They’re extremely popular there. 

The handheld snack came to prominence stateside after 1916, when Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker opened his namesake stand on New York’s Coney Island. https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/mexican-hot-dogs/