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Brazilian Hot Dogs

Brazilian Hot Dogs

Brazilian Hot Dogs

This is a quick and easy recipe for Brazilian hot dogs that we eat quite regularly at home. They are so easy to make and this is my wife’s very simple version.

Though sometimes this can be a very varied dish in Brazil. In Brazil they call these ‘cachorro quente’ which literally means ‘dog hot’!

the Copacabana
Looking down the Copacabana beach to Sugar Loaf Mountain

Hot dogs all over the World

Hot dogs are a popular snack food that is enjoyed all around the world. They vary greatly in different countries. While the basic ingredients remain the same – a sausage served in a bread roll – the toppings, condiments, and even the type of sausage used can differ depending on where you are.

Mexican Hotdog

In Mexico, there is a hot dog known as “hot dogs estilo Sonora”. These come typically with bacon, grilled onions, beans, jalapenos and a variety of sauces such as mayo, ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce. The sausage used in Mexico is often made from beef and may be wrapped in bacon before being grilled.

Japanese Hotdog

In Japan, hot dogs are popular street food. They are often served with unique toppings such as nori (dried seaweed), teriyaki sauce, and even mayonnaise. The sausage used in Japan is typically made from pork and is smaller in size than the sausages used in the US and Mexico.

German Hotdog

In Germany, the real home of the sausage, sausages are called “würstchen” and are often served with sauerkraut and mustard. The sausage used in Germany is typically made from pork and may be smoked or boiled.

Some of the well-known names of hot dogs actually originated in Germany or Austria. The ‘frank’ comes from the Frankfurter Würstchen, or frankfurter. And the ‘wiener’ derives from the Wiener Würstchen, or Vienna sausage.

wiener sausage
A hot dog in Vienna with a frothy Glühwein

American Hotdog

In the USA, hot dogs are often served with ketchup, mustard, and relish, and the sausage itself is usually made from beef or pork. However, some cities like Chicago, have their own variations which may include additional toppings such as onions, tomato slices, pickles, and peppers.

american hot dog
A hot dog in the USA

Overall, while hot dogs may share a similar base, the different toppings and sausages used in different countries give each variation its own unique flavour and identity.

The Brazilian Hot Dog

And now, the Brazilian hotdog!

In Brazil, they have wonderful fast food places where you can order bespoke beefburgers and hotdogs to suit your wishes. They literally make your hot dog to order.

This recipe is a very simple one, with only a few ingredients. In practice, in Brazil, you will have many alternatives available to you, depending on where you are.

For example, in São Paulo (SP) you may have the option of mashed potatoes. And in Vitoria (ES), you may have quail eggs as an optional extra. But this all depends on where you are.

brazilian hot dog

Other places may have onions, mustard, parmesan cheese, bacon, ketchup, green bell peppers, peas or even pimenta as hot dog ingredients. You can of course add what you fancy. 

But what is ubiquitous to all Brazilian hot dogs are the shoestring potato sticks (or ‘batata palha’ in Portuguese), which belong in this meal, wherever you are. These are slightly thinner than the ones we are used to in Europe, so whenever we are near a Brazilian store, we tend to stock up and buy whatever we can!

If you are buying from a fast-food restaurant or stall in Brazil you will generally get the sausage as a single sausage in the bun. But this recipe calls for it to be chopped into pieces, which is how it would be served if you were to eat at someone’s house or at a party.

cachorro quente

It also means you can fit more than one sausage into your hot dog bun, if you are not worried about the mess and the calories!

For the tomato sauce, we used a smooth tomato sauce from Tesco, which is simple but good.

Which Sausage to use?

The Frankfurters we use in this recipe are very much like the German frankfurters used in an American hot dog. We also bought these in Tesco and they are simply cheap, cooked and smoked pork frankfurters. They are quite thin. 

In Portuguese, frankfurter-type sausages are known as a ‘salsicha’, as opposed to ‘a linguiça’ which is used to describe the more meaty sausage. These are also excellent in Brazil, by the way. But these tend not to be used in Brazilian hot dogs.

Linguiça is more likely to be found served together with Brazilian rice and beans (the staple dish in Brazil) or maybe as an ingredient in feijoada, a sort of bean stew.

brazilian hotdogs

We used some simple maize buns from Tesco for these hot dogs. But you can use any suitable buns you can get your hands on.

How to eat a Brazilian hot dog

These Brazilian hot dogs are really a challenge to eat, as they are a full meal. If you buy them on the street you will eat them out of a specific plastic bag. This plastic bag partly holds them together. But you are bound to drop some. It is a bit like eating a kebab on a British street on a Friday night!!

At home, we serve up on a plate. But though we always start with our hands we always end up using a knife and fork!!

If you try to make this dish, please let me know how you got on and which ingredients you used in your Brazilian hot dog!!

How to make a Brazilian Hot Dog

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brazilian hot dogs

Brazilian Hot Dogs

Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

This simple recipe for Brazilian hot dogs is easy and quick to make. It gives you a hot dog just like the fast food they eat at house parties in Brazil.

Ingredients

  • 100g tinned sweet corn
  • 200g smooth tomato sauce
  • 10 thin frankfurter sausages (350g)
  • 4 tbsp Hellmann's mayonnaise
  • 4 hot dog buns
  • 100g potato sticks
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  1. Slice the frankfurter sausages into coin-shaped pieces and briefly fry them in a pan on both sides to remove some of the oil.
  2. Then add the frankfurters to a saucepan with the sweetcorn, sugar and tomato sauce and heat until warm. If necessary, add some water to dilute the sauce.
  3. In the meantime spread the hot dog buns with mayonnaise. Then add the sausage mixture to the bun and sprinkle with potato sticks on the top.

Enjoy!!

Notes

You may want to start eating with your hands, but I suspect you will end up with a knife and fork!!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 850Total Fat: 62gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 35gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 1913mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 24g

This nutrition information was automatically calculated by Nutritionix, but may not be 100% accurate.

Did you make this recipe?

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Vinicius Abreu

Sunday 14th of May 2023

I'm from São Paulo so mashed potatoes is a MUST for me in hotdogs, they act like a kind of glue to connect all the other ingredients and when cooked with real potatoes (it's common to find mashed potatoes made out of those powders, especially in cheaper ones), it's even more special. I just got confused about the sliced sausage in the picture, this is not common here.

Gav

Sunday 14th of May 2023

Thanks for your comments Vinicius. You confirmed the text in my post! I have never tried a hot dog in São Paulo - it sounds interesting! My wife is from Vila Velha, ES and she is the one that came up with the sliced sausage. She may have picked that habit up in Ouro Preto, MG, when studying, I am not sure. Believe me it works! Try it!

Nicolle

Friday 25th of November 2022

I always tel all my friends about the Brazilian version of “hot dog”, sometimes they also call “dogão” which would be translated as “big dog”.

Fun fact: we do use “linguiça” for hotdog and but it’s the thinner one, which we call “linguiça fina”, like the ones you find at Aldi with cheddar inside? Usually at the street food venders they will ask you if it’s “salsicha ou linguiça”.

In kids party is more common to find the cutter version of the hotdog as well because it’s easier for kids.

Try the hotdog (exact same recipe) but add spaghetti noodles and let me know how you liked it! It’s a must have Brazilian dish.

Great post! 🙂

Gav

Tuesday 29th of November 2022

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