Karen Barnaby: South American hot dogs are full of whimsy and charm

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It started with Duolingo and my quest to learn Spanish. That propelled me down the rabbit hole of South American hot dogs. Like Alice in Wonderland, I discovered fantasy, enchantment, and things that made me go “hmmm.”

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I was unaware that South America had a well-established hot dog culture and it sent me through a morass of heated opinions and debates on the internet as I searched for common threads in the hot dog culture of Chile, Colombia, and Venezuela. One thing they all have in common is their colossal size and luxurious ingredients.

This is by no means exhaustive. The hot dogs are also packed with salami, sausage, shredded chicken, bacon, pepperoni, corn, vegetables, various cheeses, a wide selection of sauces…anything seems fair game for a hot dog. The dogs themselves are slow-cooked, but can also be grilled, and the buns are usually steamed. Some vendors buy their sauces, others make their own secret recipes. I have included recipes for popular sauces from each country here. If you want to take your hotdogs to the next level, look no further.

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Although the adage says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, it’s not true at all. I learned a few more words in Spanish and my hotdogs are completely fixed.

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• Depending on the amount of sauce you use and the size of the sausages and buns, 1 cup (250 ml) is enough for 4 to 8 dogs. In addition to sauces and toppings, hot dogs are liberally slathered with mustard, ketchup, and more mayonnaise.

• For the potato sticks that are essential for Colombian and Venezuelan dogs, I used Hostess brand Hickory Sticks, or you can use kettle-style mashed potato chips.

• The hotdogs I used to test the recipes were 6 inches (15 cm) long and weighed 3 oz (80 g). The buns were 7 inches (18 cm) long.

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colombian dogs

A popular dog in the city of Medellin does not have a hot dog in the bun, it is stuffed with chopped bacon and topped with a slab of melted cheese. Another contains chopped hotdog bacon, mayonnaise, quail egg and potato sticks.

Typical ingredients: pink sauce, pineapple sauce, dry cured cotijo ​​type cheese (sub romano cheese), grated cheese, coleslaw, chopped onion, hard-boiled quail eggs, potato sticks. The dogs are sometimes simmered in a broth flavored with herbs, chili peppers, and vegetables.

Colombian Style Pineapple Salsa

1 tablespoon (15 ml) neutral-flavored vegetable oil

1/2 cup (125 ml) finely chopped onion

1 15-ounce can pineapple chunks

1/4 cup (60ml) sugar

big pinch of salt

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent but not brown. Transfer to a blender. Add the can of pineapple with its juice, sugar and salt. Puree until smooth. Return to the same pot, turn the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and reduced to about 1 cup (250 ml). Remove from heat and let cool. Store covered and refrigerated for up to a week.

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Makes about 1 cup (250 ml)

Colombian Style Pink Sauce

1/2 cup (125ml) mayonnaise

1/2 cup (125 ml) tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) granulated garlic

big pinch of cayenne

Mix all the ingredients together. It keeps for 5 days covered and refrigerated.

Makes about 1 cup (250 ml)

disgusting venezuelans

Asquerositos means “disgusting” or “disgusting little things”. How the name came about is not conclusive. It could be based on the actual dish or the state of the seller’s establishment.

Typical coverages: Corn sauce, garlic sauce, shredded cabbage, chopped onion, grated cheese, dry cured cotijo ​​type cheese (sub romano cheese), potato sticks.

Venezuelan Style Garlic Sauce

This sauce has a hint of garlic. Reduce the number of nails to make it smoother.

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1 cup (250ml) mayonnaise

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

1/2 cup (125 mL) coarsely chopped cilantro, leaves and young stems, packed

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

Place the ingredients in the order given in a blender. Pulse until cilantro is finely chopped. It keeps for 5 days covered and refrigerated.

Makes about 1 cup (250 ml)

Corn Sauce Venezuelan Style

Fritz brand corn sauce is a very popular Venezuelan condiment that does not contain corn, but does contain “aroma identical to that of natural corn”. Resourceful Venezuelans on the internet make their own using canned corn. Their versions are a bit sweeter than the recipe here, add the sugar if you like it sweet.

1 can (341 ml) of corn nuggets

4 tablespoons (60 ml) mayonnaise

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1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml) yellow mustard

1/8 teaspoon (0.6 mL) EACH Granulated Garlic and Granulated Onion

1/4 teaspoon (1ml) salt

1 teaspoon (5 ml) sugar, if desired

Drain the corn well. Transfer to a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. For a very smooth sauce, press through a fine strainer. It keeps for 5 days covered and refrigerated.

Makes about 1 cup (250 ml)

The Complete Chilean

Chile seems to be more orderly in its ingredients but, of course, there are multiple exceptions to the rule. Two of the standards are: the Complet, which typically contains sauerkraut, tomatoes, American sauce (finely chopped pickled vegetables), green chili sauce, and mayonnaise, and the Italian Complet consisting of chopped tomato, mashed avocado, and mayonnaise. The tomatoes on top of the Italiano are held in place by a huge strip of mashed avocado. It is finished off with a large strip of mayonnaise.

Avocado and Tomato for Italian Complete

Some people like chopped onion on this dog and I think it’s a welcome addition.

2 ripe avocados

2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon (1ml) salt

2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped

mayonnaise to taste

Just before serving, peel and pit the avocados. Mash with a fork in a deep dish until smooth but still thick. Season with lemon juice and salt. When assembling, remember to put the tomatoes on top of the dog and then spread the avocado to hold it in place. Garnish with mayonnaise to your liking.

Makes enough for 4-8 dogs.