For Hot Dogs With 10X The Flavor And Crunch, Make Them Brazilian Style

In Brazil, the hot dog takes on a much more exuberant flair. No longer is it just grilled sausage, ketchup, and mustard, but rather piled up in a hearty sauce and an abundance of toppings you probably never considered before. Far from subtle or repetitive, the Brazilian hot dog (or cachorro quente as it is called in Portuguese) is the dish to make if you want more flavors and crunch — due to common ingredients like cheese, mayo, onion, corn, peppers, or crispy potato sticks.

Cachorro quente has got to be one of the most fascinating hot dog variations from around the world. Its history presumably traces back to the mid-'20s in Brazil, when businessman Francisco Serrador began selling it in his cinemas, subsequently launching what would be widespread success post-World War II. These days, you can find it everywhere on the streets of Brazil, a slightly different variation within each new street cart and food stall.

Indeed, cachorro quente has no fixed recipe. Generally, there will be the tangy richness of a chunky tomato sauce at the base. Before that, however, you might be greeted by all kinds of toppings, from mashed potatoes and bacon to quail eggs and ham. As always, shredded cheese is welcome should you want the hot dog to be even more decadent than it already is. Landing on your taste buds, the combination of flavors and textures is almost chaotic, but that's what makes the hot dog so enticing.

A homemade simmered and loaded Brazilian hot dog has no creative limit. Starting with the sauce itself, which you can make by simmering tomato sauce with ground beef, aromatics, spices, diced veggies, and a broth. You can even cook the sausages in this sauce as well, rather than merely boiling it like usual for an even more intense taste profile. As rich and hearty as this combination already is, there's still room for a few more drizzles of mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, or perhaps even barbecue sauce as an additional topping later on.

Accompanying these sauces are often potatoes, in many different shapes and forms. Mashed potatoes are not only spread atop the sausages, but can also be lined along the inner sides of the buns to cushion the snapping bites with softness. For those who like extra crispiness, shoestring fries are a no-brainer. Similarly, batata palha (Brazilian potato sticks) will give your hot dogs the most delightful crunch.

Another Brazilian delicacy you can also try is farofa – cassava flour cooked with spices and occasionally bacon. The result is a nutty, smoky topping with a unique coarseness that will take your cachorro quente to the next level. Even sweetness is not out of the question, with caramelized bananas and Nutella as a shining example of why this unusual idea works perfectly. They might be one of the more unique hot dog topping combos out there, but if there's any hot dog that will make it work, it's cachorro quente.