Cachorro Quente (Brazilian Hot Dog)

Carnaval is a huge time for celebration in Brazil. Thousands of tourists visit to take part in the festivities, especially from the Friday to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The streets are filled with parties, parades, costumes, dancing, and food. A great street food sold around the clock during Carnaval is the Cachorro Quente- Brazilian Hot Dog.

The hot dog links are placed in either a hot dog bun or French roll, then topped with a seasoned beef sauce and cheese. I made my hot dogs with just the basic toppings. Based on the region of Brazil, there are many other topping choices available. Add your favorites, mix and match, or add everything you can for a “completo”. Popular topping include ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, corn, peas, shoestring fries, mashed potatoes, lettuce, olives, grated carrots, bacon bits, tomato and parsley vinaigrette, Catupiry cheese and/or Parmesan. This has the ability to become quite the messy street food.

You can use hot dog buns or French rolls, store-bought or homemade. I used this hot dog bun recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride.

Do not assemble the hot dogs until right before serving. The beef sauce will cause the bun to become soggy if it sits for too long.

Cachorro Quente (Brazilian Hot Dog) Recipe

Adapted from Easy and Delish

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Cachorro Quente (Brazilian Hot Dog)

A recipe for Cachorro Quente (Brazilian Hot Dog)

Course Main

Cuisine Brazilian

Keyword Brazil, Brazilian, hot dog, meat, South America

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

0 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 8 Hot dogs

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 hot dogs
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 8 hot dog buns or French rolls
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella

Additional Topping Ideas:

• ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, corn, peas, shoestring fries, mashed potatoes, lettuce, olives, grated carrots, bacon bits, tomato and parsley vinaigrette, Catupiry cheese and/or Parmesan

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, mix ground beef with salt, pepper, and cumin.
• Make a lengthwise slice along the top of each hot dog no more than halfway through the link. Place in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Keep in water until they have doubled in size.
• In a large pan, drizzle oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften and the onion becomes translucent. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the ground beef. Once browned, mix in the tomato paste, broth, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Cover partially and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add the lime juice and cover to keep warm until ready to assemble the hot dogs.
• Place a cooked hot dog link in each bun. Top with 2-4 tablespoons of the beef mixture, then shredded cheese. Add additional toppings if desired. Serve immediately.