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These Sonoran Style Hot Dogs are seared and then topped with bacon, pinto beans, pico de gallo, and a delicious lime crema. You’ll love them!

I love the flavor of Sonoran Style Hot Dogs, but I don’t love how the bacon wrapped around the dog keeps them from getting super seared on the edges. I decided to try my hand at making these with the bacon flavor more dispersed throughout the beans. I also wanted to make the hot dogs like our favorite Hot Dog spot, J-Dawgs, with an X-patterned score to get lots of crispy edges.

If you’ve never had a Sonoran Style Hot Dog, you are in for a treat. These hot dogs are packed with flavor: salty, tangy, creamy, and fresh all in one bite. They start with a pan-seared all beef hot dog, topped with crispy bacon and pinto beans cooked together, fresh pico de gallo, and a tangy lime crema that ties everything together. This is a great sandwich-style easy dinner that you and your family will love.

This version is inspired by the Sonoran hot dogs that originated just across the Arizona–Mexico border. Traditionally, Sonoran dogs are wrapped in bacon before cooking, but I’ve found a little twist that makes them even better. Instead of wrapping the hot dogs in bacon, I cook the bacon and pinto beans together first. It gives you all that rich, smoky bacon flavor throughout the beans while still letting the hot dogs get that golden, caramelized sear on the outside.

For the hot dogs, before pan-searing, I cut shallow slices in X-patterns across each hot dog (similar to J-Dawgs! They do it the best!). This helps the hot dogs open up a bit while cooking and creates lots of crispy, caramelized edges (my favorite part!) on the meat. Cooking hot dogs this way really adds amazing texture and flavor.

Once everything’s cooked, all you have to do is pile it high: toasted buns, seared hot dogs, bacon-y beans, fresh pico, and a drizzle of lime crema. It’s the ultimate elevated easy meal.

Sonoran Style Hot Dogs

These Sonoran Style Hot Dogs are seared and then topped with bacon, pinto beans, pico de gallo, and a delicious lime crema. You'll love them!

This recipe serves 7-8. Feel free to multiply this recipe for bigger groups.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Serving Size 8

Ingredients

1 package Hebrew National hot dogs (7 hot dogs) (or other all-beef hot dogs)
1 package brioche hot dog buns
2 cups premade pico de gallo (I like to buy this premade from my grocery produce section)
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans
1 lb. bacon

Lime Crema

1 cup sour cream
1 lime (juiced)
2 tablespoons white sugar

For Serving

fresh cilantro, chopped
additional lime juice

Instructions

Lime Crema

Start by making the lime crema. Then this can chill while you get everything else made.
To make the lime crema, stir together the sour cream, lime juice, and sugar in a bowl or glass jar.
Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Pinto Beans & Bacon Mixture

Next, cut the bacon into 2-3 inch pieces. Separate and place in a large pot or pan set to medium heat.
Cover the bacon and cook until crispy, stirring to move the meat around and get everything evenly cooked.
Once bacon is cooked, don't drain the pan, but add in 1 can of drained pinto beans.
If you'd like the beans more in-tact you can simply stir them around with the bacon and bacon grease until they are cooked through.
However, if you'd like the beans more mashed, you can use the back of a spatula or wooden spoon to slightly press them as they cook and as you stir them into the bacon grease.
The bacon will give these beans so much flavor.
Continue to heat until the beans are cooked through and soft.
Once cooked, turn off heat, keep covered, and set aside.

Cooking the Hot Dogs

To cook the hot dogs, begin by scoring each of the hot dogs in an x-shape down the dog (about 4-5 scores each direction).
Heat a pan over medium heat. Once heated lightly spray with cooking oil and then place the hot dogs scored side down onto the hot pan.
Once the first side is browned, use tongs to turn the hot dogs to the next side. Repeat cooking and turning until the dogs have cooked on all sides, and the edges are slightly browned and crispy. The hot dogs should also start to puff up once they are cooked through.
Once done, turn heat off and leave hot dogs in pan until ready to serve.

Assembling the Sonoran Hot Dogs

If you'd like, you can toast the brioche hot dog buns (they taste great either room temperature or toasted).
Build the hot dogs by adding a hot dog to each bun, then topping with the beans/bacon mixture. Then add pico de gallo to each dog, and finish off with a drizzle of the lime crema.
If desired, top with chopped fresh cilantro and/or fresh lime juice.
Enjoy!