A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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Entry from July 03, 2008
Sonoran Hot Dog (bacon-wrapped hot dog)

“Bacon-wrapped hot dogs” have been featured in newspaper recipes since at least the 1960s. Usually these were bacon-wrapped, cheese-filled sausages.
   
The “Sonoran hot dog” (also called a “Mexican hot dog”) is a bacon-wrapped hot dog, usually with jalapeño sauce, mayonnaise, mustard, tomatoes, and beans. While the hotdog is named after Sonora, Mexico, it is a specialty of Tucson, Arizona. The south side Tucson establishments of El Guero Canello and BK’s helped to popularize the “Sonoran hot dog” from the early 1990s.
 
The “danger dog” (Tijuana hot dog) is a California name for a bacon-wrapped hot dog; the “danger dog”—when it is not another name for the same thing—usually has fewer ingredients, such as just onions and peppers. The Mexican bacon-wrapped hot dog is claimed by some to have originated in Mexico City.
   
   
Wikipedia: Hot dog variations
Tucson & Phoenix, Arizona, United States
The Sonoran hot dog, found in Tucson, Metro Phoenix, and in neighboring Sonora, Mexico, is a hot dog grilled in a processor or on a griddle, wrapped in Mesquite-smoked bacon, topped with freshly-chopped tomatoes, onions, shredded yellow or cotijo cheese, tomatillo salsa or red chile sauce, pinto beans, mayonnaise, ketchup and/or mustard, and served on a bread. Often served with a fresh-roasted chile.
   
AOL Food
Arizona Sonoran
This Arizona-by-way-of-Sonora dog is wrapped in bacon, then topped with tomatoes, onions, cheese, salsa, beans, mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard, then traditionally served with a fresh-roasted chile on the side.
 
26 July 1962, San Antonio (TX) Light, pg. 24, col. 1:
Party foods to rain cheers at an all-boy gathering are these frankfurters. They are plump ‘n meaty hot dogs filled with peanut butter and bacon wrapped, broiled and then served in frankfurter buns.
 
FRANKFURTERS DIXIE
8 frankfurters
1/3 cup peanut butter
8 bacon slices
8 frankfurter buns, sliced
Slit frankfurters, lengthwise. Spread about 2 teaspoons of peanut butter in each slit. Wrap a bacon slice diagonally around each frankfurter and fasten bacon with toothpicks. Broil, turn so bacon cooks on all sides. Remove toothpicks and serve in frankfurter buns.
   
31 October 1963, Hagerstown (MD) Daily Mail, pg. 7, col. 1: 
Concoct a menu something like this: hot milled cider, bags of buttered popcorn, baked beans, bacon-wrapped cheese-stuffed hot dogs,...
 
2 August 1967, Pocono (PA) Record, pg. 6, col. 3:
On the skewers are bacon wrapped hot dogs, called “Quails.” Notice that they are cooking at a high distance from the heat so that the bacon gets done without charring.
“Quails”
Split hot dogs and insert a piece of cheese. Wrap each hot dog with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Spear quails on skewers or long handled forks. Cook slowly over charcoal until bacon is cooked and hot dogs and cheese are hot. Serve in buns.
 
28 May 1969, Fresno (CA) Bee, pg. 1C, col. 5:
Bacon wrapped frankfurters stuffed with cheese are sure to be a favorite. Make a lengthwise cut in each frank, slip in a strip of American cheese and wrap each with a strip of bacon. Fasten with round wooden toothpicks and grill.
 
Tucson (AZ) Weekly (June 19, 1997)
One Of The Best-Kept Secrets In Local Dining? Try BK’s!
By Rebecca Cook
(...)
Originally, BK’s was not much more than a hot-dog cart specializing in a Sonoran version of this popular ballpark food. Even though asada seems to be the name of the game now, the hot-dog cart is still operating at the front of this modest establishment, providing customers with a viable alternative if they’ve hit their max on asada and quesadillas.
 
Here’s the routine at BK’s:
(...)
The hot dogs ($1.75) are unbelievably good. Grilled franks are wrapped in a crispy strip of bacon and dropped into a specially made bun boat topped with freshly chopped tomatoes and onions, and a colorful striping of ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and a green chile salsa that, depending on the mood of the cook that day, can set your mouth on fire.
 
Tucson (AZ) Weekly (Best of Tucson ‘97)
Best Taco & Hot-dog Stand
BK Hot-Dogs
5118 S. 12th Ave.
STAFF PICK: It was just a few short years ago that folks caught their first glimpse of Bennie Galaz pushing his bright-red hot-dog cart along the streets of Tucson’s south side. His Sonoran hot-dogs were addictive—large frankfurters wrapped in crispy bacon, fresh chopped onions and tomatoes lovingly placed inside the doughy cleft of a specially made bun. Topped with a patriotic striping of ketchup, mayonnaise and green chile salsa, who could resist? Now the tubular meat entrepreneur has permanent digs on South 12th Avenue. He’s expanded the menu slightly to include his secret recipe for carne asada
     
Tucson (AZ) Weekly (Best of Tucson ‘98)
Best Sonoran Hot-Dog
Gorilla
22nd Street east of South Sixth Avenue
STAFF PICK: A hot dog al estilo Sonora is one of Tucson’s cheapest, most profoundly satisfying treats. For $1.50, Gorilla will fix you up with a tasty weenie cooked with bacon and stuffed in a fresh bolillo with beans, salsa, lettuce, tomato, chopped onion, mustard and mayo. Wash it down with a syrupy, pungent Mexican Coke. !Exquisito! Open until midnight on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends, Gorilla is there even in your darkest hour. Behind the little cookstand are a few tables with a romantic view of the Tucson Mountains and the Santa Cruz Church, easily one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.
 
Tucson (AZ) Weekly (Best of Tucson ‘99)
Best Sonoran Hot-Dogs
BK’s Hot-Dogs
5118 S. 12th Ave.
STAFF PICK: Picture a solid, pure-beef frankfurter, grilled until brown and plump, and wrapped in a strip of crispy mesquite-smoked bacon. This dog nestles gently into a fluffy bun baked fresh that day by the bakery down the street. And if there’s any doubt remaining about the origin of this delicacy, a Mexican flag of ketchup, mayonnaise and green chile salsa tops the whole, before it’s turned over to the customer for any additional ingredients: grated cheddar cheese, finely chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeños or salsa. This is the most perfect form of ballpark food known to humankind; and you can get it six days a week at BK’s (closed Mondays), a funky al fresco place on the south side. BK’s also serves some of the finest carne asada in town, encased in scrumptious homemade corn or flour tortillas. This may be the last holdout in town where you can find such singular indulgence for only three bucks.
 
19 July 2000, Arizona Daily Star, “Two ex-amigos: a friendship lost”:
It all started with two friends and a taco stand. Two amigos with a common dream - to start their own successful businesses. And they did. Daniel Contreras and Benjamin Galaz opened their first small food stands side-by-side on South 12th Avenue. Galaz sold Sonoran-style hot dogs - wrapped in bacon and grilled, then covered with whole pinto beans, onions, chopped tomatoes, jalapeno sauce, mustard and mayonnaise - and called his stand BK. Contreras sold carne asada tacos under the…
   
Google Groups: alt.food.mexican-cooking
Newsgroups: alt.food.mexican-cooking
From: “sdrogue”
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 03:54:07 GMT
Local: Wed, Feb 21 2001 11:54 pm
Subject: street food: bacon wrapped hot dogs
 
When going to TJ in the evening, we always made it a point to visit a street vendor for the bacon wrapped hot dogs…. anyone have any tips cause now that i am 8,000 miles away from there,  am
totally craving one
   
Phoenix (AZ) New Times
This Dog Won’t Bite
Oscar Mayer’s got nothin’ on the weiner Mexicano

By Silvana Salcido Esparza
Published on August 22, 2002
(...)
Mexicans have a wonderful way of taking culinary treats from other countries and making them very “Mexicano.” The hot dog Mexicano has been part of Mexican street folklore for many years. You usually find a much skinnier rendition of the plump puppy than you find in the states; it is uniquely Mexican.
 
A hot dog wrapped in bacon is placed on a bun and topped with mayonnaise, cilantro, onion and pinto beans. The condiment tray provides a further selection of Cheddar, Parmesan, pickled jalapeños, mustard, ketchup, diced tomatoes, guacamole, green tomatillo salsa, habanero salsa and canned sliced mushrooms.
(...)
If you’ve never tried a Mexican hot dog, I recommend that you put your fears aside and take the plunge at Nogales Hot Dog No. 2. I wonder where No. 1 is located?
 
Google Groups: alt.native
Newsgroups: alt.native
From: “Jack Strong” <>
Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 17:42:02 GMT
Local: Thurs, May 29 2003 1:42 pm
Subject: Re: The Deodorant Cos. Are Hiding A Big Secret
 
Lately my wife and I have been going to these little taco carts in Tucson. Mexican immigrants from deep in Mexico make these amazing dishes.  My favorite is the Sonoran hot dogs with bacon wrapped around the dog and then beans, guacamole, mustard, catsup, mayonnaise, salsa, and cheese are placed on top.  Sounds bad, and it is bad for you, but the flavor is amazing.
   
Tucson (AZ) Weekly (August 21, 2003)
Hot Diggety Dog!
A Jag, a sunny day and Mexican hot dogs make for a wonderful lunch experience.

(...)
We chose the Lucky Dogs cart over other southside hot dog stands, primarily because it’s close to our office, located along busy Valencia Road just west of Country Club Road outside of Dynamic Audio and Tint. The cart is owned and operated by BK, the popular southside joint located at 5118 S. 12th Ave. The sign along Valencia promises the dogs are “estilo Sonora”—Sonora-style.
 
The dogs are simple: a weenie is wrapped in bacon and placed in a bun. Then, they top it with chopped tomatoes, chopped white onions, grilled onions, cold pinto beans, mayonnaise, mustard and jalapeño sauce. They are also served with a guerito pepper—all for the price of $2.25. Two very pleasant men staff the cart, and they also sell cans of soda, bottles of water (kept in a beat-up cooler) and chips.
 
We each ordered a dog and sat down at a portable table. (Five-star dining, this ain’t, especially during the summer months when it’s scorching outside.) But it was unanimous: The dogs were delicious. Scott’s raving about them was justified. The bacon adds a bit of salty flavor, while the two types of onions each bring a different taste. The jalapeño sauce adds a bit of a kick to things.
     
eGullet Forums - Those Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs
esperanza
From: Central Highlands, Mexico
Nov 6 2004, 09:47 PM
Okay, gang, here they are as promised: Mexican hot dogs from a Mexican cart on the plaza in the town where I live.
 
I asked the vendor how she prepares the hot dog for cooking. It’s sliced lengthwise about halfway through and slathered with mayonnaise. The slightly pre-cooked bacon is wrapped around it. The whole thing is then grilled on a flat top until the bacon is pretty crispy. The bun is opened and slapped with more mayonnaise and grilled till it’s toasty brown. Then the vegetables are piled on—shredded cabbage, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, jalapeños—and it’s hit with some mustard and handed to you.
 
What I want to give you in the photo is the fragrance, the sublimely wafting hot dog/bacon sizzling essence. Scratch your monitor and sniff deeply. Ahhhh…so worth waiting for. 
 
Roadfood.com - The Sonoran Hotdog
BT  
Posted - 03/04/2007 :  13:25:01
FLAVORS OF THE SONORAN DOG
There are many varieties of this South Side staple, but here is what you will likely get if you order one “with everything.”
Jalapeno sauce
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Tomato
Bacon
Hot dog
Beans
Steamed bun
 
quote:
Sonoran hot dogs date back as far as the 1960s, but they did not become popular in Tucson until the 1980s, said Maribel Alvarez, a University of Arizona folklorist who has researched the common street food for the Tucson Meet Yourself festival.
 
There are many variations, but in general, all Sonoran dogs are wrapped in bacon, placed in a soft Mexican bun and topped with numerous condiments such as beans, mustard, mayonnaise, onions, tomatoes, cheese and jalapenos.
 
There may be as many as 260 Sonoran hot dog stands in Tucson, Alvarez said.

 
Check out http://www.azstarnet.com/business/171839 and be sure to watch the video showing a master making a Sonoran Hotdog
 
11 March 2007, Scottsdale (AZ) Tribune, “Mexican restaurants’ appeal spreading; Tucson’s northern section gets taste of south side fare” by Christie Smythe, pg. A6: 
Cody Thompson, 26, is a loyal follower of the Sonoran hot dog. (...) Thompson recently visited the new northern location of the popular south side eatery El Guero Canelo to get his fix of the messy, bacon-wrapped Sonoran specialty.
(...)
El Guero Canelo and BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs are two newcomers to north Tucson.
(...)
The original El Guero Canello and BK’s, which bear more resemblance to open-air stands than their newer counterparts, are both located in the south side, where Galaz and Contreras have been selling hot dogs, tacos and the like since 1993.
 
The life and times of an average nobody
Thursday, April 12, 2007
12:58:00 PM MST
Sonoran Hot Dogs
Lunch today consisted of 2 Sonoran hot dogs.  This was a first for me.  I’ve heard people talk about them, but never have had the time to stop off and grab one for myself.  That all changed today.  What is a Sonoran hot dog you may ask?  Let me explain…
 
The Sonoran Hot Dog:
You start off with inexpensive hot dogs of your choice as well as bacon of your choice.  Wrap the hotdogs with bacon and you may grill, broil or pan fry them.  The hotdogs are then served on very soft buns
 
Add salsa/pico de gallo/hot sauce, chopped onions, beans, lime juice, chopped jalapenos/green chile, grated cheese and red chili mayo.  Garnish with a roasted chile on the side (jalapeno or other small pepper).
 
So good.  So very good.  But I fear for my rear come tomorrow.  That was a lot of chile. 
 
Kelly the Culinarian
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Food find: Sonoran hot dog
Until a few days ago, I hadn’t found anything that Tucson does better than Chicago. There’s the dismal pizza situation, the scary wildlife that’s always on the offensive and the crappy baseball.
 
But then, I met the Sonoran hot dog. Sonora is a Mexican states right across the border that America is very friendly with because it’s a port of entry. Chicago dogs hold a special place in my heart; there’s just something about a hot dog dressed with all the hamburger fixings that hits the spot.
 
But that spot has now been filled with the Sonoran hot dog. Let me set the scene for you: my boss took the office to this little stand called BK’s, which took me back to my days of living in the Dominican Republic. It was an open-air cafeteria with picnic-style seating and crates all around where you were expected to deposit your glass Mexican Coke and Sprite bottles at the end of the meal. Polka music blasted on the PA and vagrants roamed the parking lot. It was a real classy joint, but super nostalgic.
 
And then there was the food. Everyone always harps on Chicago for having unhealthy food and obese people. Chicago hot dogs have nothing on Sonoran hot dog when it comes to general fat consumption. The hot dig itself is wrapped in bacon and then cooked on the grill. Then it’s topped with beans, tomatoes, onions, mustard, mayonnaise and green salsa, and sometimes avocado or guacamole. Here’s some more information about the assembly and ingredients.
 
The hot dog is messy and highly caloric. But it was so, so good. I highly recommend it. There are so many textures and flavors in one of these puppies: you get the crunch and smokiness of the bacon, the pasty texture of the beans, the crunch of the onions and moisture and freshness of the tomatoes, along with the creaminess of the mayo and tang from the mustard and salsa combination.
 
If you’re ever in these parts, you have to try one. But just one, otherwise, it may give you a heart attack.
     
Google Groups: alt.slack
Newsgroups: alt.slack
From: Fellow Citizen Fwap


Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:09:12 -0800 (PST)
Local: Thurs, Feb 21 2008 1:09 pm
Subject: Re: (hURL) Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs ILLEGAL in L.A.!
 
> WTF???  Mexican roach coach vendors are being jailed in Los Angeles for
> selling bacon-wrapped hot dogs!
> http://www.laweekly.com/eat+drink/dining/the-bacon-wrapped-hot-dog-so...
 
They seem to think that’s some sort of exotic Mexican invention? I don’t believe it. I’ve been addicted to bacon-wrapped cheese sausage for years. All the tobacconists, newspaper kiosks and delis have them. Huge, throbbing Germanic-style sausages made from real red meat and goat intestines. They’re nearly as long as the inside of my lower arm. You bite into them and feel that lovely thrill as the skin go “pop” in your mouth, exploding delicious warm sausage juice and melted cheese into your mouth. The bacon preserves and adds to the sausage’s natural greasyness, and adds that lovely hint of fatty, dead swine-flesh which no meal is complete without. I usually go for potato salad, raw onion, maybe a bit of relish and honey mustard as an accompaniment. I used to be able to pile on about four fingers’ worth. The sour cream of the salad enhances the flavour of the other elements, the spicy sweetness of the mustard perfectly complementing the relish and onions. Most
places stopped letting people apply their own garnish a couple of years ago. The trick was to fill the heavy stuff into the bun and put the sausage on top, leaving plenty of top room for the lighter
materials. Then just walk out of the vendor very carefully, taking care not to move or in any way jostle the resulting edifice.
 
Despite all that - it just isn’t the same without the bacon. This is a clear breach of the social contract. The government may take extraordinary liberties with its citizens’ life, freedom and property
in the name of the common good. But you just don’t mess with a citizen’s beer, the regional delicacy of his/her choice, and his/her sausage. Taking away bacon is going too goddamn far, and I don’t care what sort of ethnophobic, trembly-arsed reason they’ve cooked up to justify their crimes in their own heads so they can face their wife and children when they come home after work. I can see from HERE that this an A-Class fucking outrage committed by the stormtrooper vanguard of an evil anti-baconist empire.
 
FUCKING L.A. health-department inspectors.

Posted by Barry Popik
Texas (Lone Star State Dictionary) • Thursday, July 03, 2008 • Permalink


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