Best Hot Dog

This isn’t just any hot dog…I speak of the infamous Sonoran Hot Dog. How these treasures haven’t spread internationally, is beyond me – but I’ve seen them start to pop up in places like San Diego and Salt Lake City, so I feel it’s only a matter of time.

Sonoran Dogs were born and live in the Sonoran Desert, an area that encompasses northern Sonora, Mexico and Southern Arizona. These dogs are extremely popular in cities like Tucson, Arizona; Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Mexico; and Hermosillo, Mexico among other places. The dog starts with a wiener wrapped in bacon, fried. Add mayonnaise, DICED tomato, onion, pinto beans and jalapeño sauce, and lay it all down in a (the most important part) fresh-baked Mexican hot dog bun. The bun is the most important, and is not your standard hot dog bun, but a fluffy, soft and pillow-like, freshly baked bun from a panedaria (Mexican bakery). The bun is everything and it’s not a real Sonoran dog without this bun.

IMPORTANT: Do not confuse the more-common, standard “Mexican hot dog” (from Los Angeles) or a Danger Dog (from Tijuana) for a Sonoran dog. Comparing the two is like comparing a Yugo to a Rolls Royce. And by the way: How Tijuana and L.A. haven’t completely adapted to the Sonoran dog, I will never comprender! Hasn’t anyone told them??? Okay, enough about Sonoran facts and history…let’s get to the award!

The award for Best Hot Dog goes to…BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs in Tucson, Arizona!

Truth be told, there are lots of places that can make a mean Sonoran Hot Dog. Some of my favorites came from no-name food carts on the streets of Nogales. But I think BK makes such an amazing and consistent Sonoran Dog, they get the plaque! Add the ambiance factor (I love their partially outdoor joint in the heart of Tucson’s south side) and throw in some extras point for my friend Olvia who works the window (¡Ay, dios mío!”), and BK is the clear winner, manos down!