Sonoran hot dog

The arena is ready!  The challengers have been chosen!

(Cue drum roll)

In one corner is El Guero Canelo.  The cinnamon blonde is ready and snapping his tongs.

In the other is BK Carne Asada and Hots Dogs, wielding a mesquite log.  He whispers something in Spanish to his sister and translator outside the ring.  She yells, “Bring it on!”

The fans go wild!

These two establishments are very similar.  They both have 12th Avenue restaurants on the south side that appear to have sprouted around humble hot-dog carts.  Each opened second restaurants on the north side about the same time.  Both serve Sonoran dogs.  You would think a Sonoran dog is a Sonoran dog.  However, many Tucsonans seem to have very strong opinions that one is better than the other.

And so, these restaurants have been in an epic hot dog battle since the early 90′s.  Tucson print and electronic publications usually list these as the top two, and they often take turns in the #1 spot year to year.

So, the debate may be settled once and for all next weekend when the Travel Channel comes to town to shoot an episode for a new series that will be visiting towns across the country and featuring their iconic food dishes.  The show will be a companion to their popular Man V Food series and will air in the spring.  They will pit food establishments against each other, interview fans, and choose Superfans.

So if you are one of those Tucsonans with a strong opinion in the Sonoran dog debate and consider yourself a big fan of either establishment, you are welcome to attend the shoot of your favorite (show your love), and have a chance to be crowned a Superfan.

They will be shooting at their 12th avenue locations:
January 28th (Thursday):  BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs
January 29th (Friday):  El Guero Canelo
January 30th (Saturday):  Both restaurants.

Exact times have yet to be announced but will be early afternoon or evening.  I will update this post with the times if I hear more.

If you think you qualify as a Superfan for either restaurant, email FoodFanCasting@gmail.com and let them know about your love.

Local restaurant El Guero Canelo (Guero is pronounced: weh doe) has been getting a lot of attention lately – due to the increasingly popular Sonoron hot dog.  Take a look at when it gets visited by Travel Channel’s Man v. Food in this video.

By the way when you watch that video, I love the shot of “The Old Pueblo, Tucson, AZ.”  It looks like we are just a collection of about fifty structures in the the middle of the desert.  Can anybody identify what they got a picture of?

Sonoran hot dog stands are often found here in Tucson, Phoenix, Nogales, Douglas, and Sierra Vista.  Residents of these cities don’t have to drive far to find a cart or restaurant serving up these dogs.  In Douglas, many city parks are regularly lined with hot dog trucks.  Here in Tucson, we could quite easily have over 250 hot dog stands serving Sonoran hot dogs.   These stands are also popping up outside of Arizona, from New York to San Francisco.  In comparison, they make chili dogs seem bland and boring.

These little babies are thought to date back to at least the 1960′s, but didn’t become more mainstream until the 1980′s.

The basic make-up of a Sonoran hot dog is a bacon-wrapped hot dog shoved into a soft Mexican roll topped with pinto beans, chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeno sauce, cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard.  They usually come with a roasted chili on the side – sometimes even with roasted green onions.

There are many variations and these hot dogs continue to evolve.  It is rumored some Tucson vendors have even started topping theirs with crumbled potato chips.  In Mexico, the variations become more elaborate with the option of chorizo, sour cream or crema, avocados, pineapples and more.

Some stands here in town use regular hot dog buns.  However, many feel the roll is important for the true taste experience.  Usually it’s a Mexican bolillo roll (pronounced: bo lee yo roll), that is sometimes steamed to make it extra soft and fluffy or it’s toasted.  The roll is so soft and fluffy, sometimes they seem to go down like cotton candy.

Of course you don’t have to go to a hot dog stand, these dogs are really easy to make.  I once served them to a large crowd for my son’s birthday party at a park ramada.  We just grilled the bacon-wrapped dogs and had pre-chopped and prepared toppings ready to go.  It was cheap and easy.

Sonoran hot dog recipe

• Get a beef hot dog and wrap it like a mummy with bacon.  Mesquite bacon is good.
• Fry it on a griddle until the bacon gets crisp.  Some people like to fry the bacon a little first and then wrap it around the hot dog and then fry them both in the bacon grease.
• Take a hot dog bun or bolillo roll that has been slit to make a pocket in the middle.  If you want you can toast them a little or, in the case of the bolillo roll, steam it for a minute to make it soft.  Work with what you have on hand or what you feel like.
• Put mayo, mustard and ketchup on the bun and insert the bacon-wrapped dog.  If you want to squirt the mayo on top, like they do at the stands, mix it with a little lemon juice or water to thin it out.  Put it into a squeeze bottle or sandwich bag with a corner cut off and squeeze it on top when you are done, along with the mustard and ketchup.
• Add warm pinto beans, cheese (shredded Mexican cotijo cheese, cheddar, whatever), chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, sliced or blended jalapenos or some type of jalapeno/green chili salsa.
• “Just stick whatever you want on there, and whatever amount, to make it taste good.”  (You hear this talking to many Mexican cooks)

Roast a chili pepper to go on the side and have some cold coke ready (even better if in a glass bottle) for the complete experience.

If you don’t feel like cooking, take a trip to a Sonoran hot dog stand.  Yesterday my sister and I had lunch at El Guero Canelo on the southside on 12th avenue.  It was her first time there.  She had been fearful of trying them for some reason. One bite and she was hooked.  She was also amazed by the price.  She got a Sonoran hot dog, chips, salsa, bottled water, grilled onions and jalapenos, and a buffet of salsa and veggie condiments for around 4 bucks.  I got a Sonoran dog, a large quesadilla, a diet coke, a bottled water, onions, jalapenos, and the salsa/veggies for about 8 bucks.  The hot dogs were on special yesterday for under 2 bucks each.

Here are some pics.  Ordering can be confusing, but after you get the hang of it, it’s a piece of cake:

Sonoran hog dog from El Guero Canelo on 12th Avenue

Roasted green onions, chilis and other condiments

Ordering can be confusing. You order at one of these windows and get your drinks.....

You pick up cooked food items at this window - except for the hot dogs. I love the sign "Do not forget your hot dogs. We are not responsible anymore." haha

You get your hot dogs from the hot dog cart.

You stroll out to the condiment bar and get your veggies and salsas. The roasted onions and peppers are to the far right and covered. In the meantime listen for the order number to be called in both English and Spanish.

From what I’ve been told, this restaurant started as a simple hot dog stand and was added onto.  You are kind of sitting outside, kind of not.  You’ll have to go to know what I’m talking about.  I told my sister it wasn’t hard for me to imagine the place on the beach in Rocky Point.  I closed my eyes and imagined hearing the surf.  Then I gulped down my dog.

"Writing Fren-Zee" poster

I attended a screening of two locally-made low-budget films:  “HUNNYBEAR” and “Writing Fren-Zee.”

HUNNYBEAR a short comedy horror from local filmmaker Peter Leon exploited some of the worst fears I’ve had of remote desert areas at night.  Those fears were more tangible seeing the familiar dirt roads, mesquites and dry washes on the screen.  I had a “wow, that could really happen” feeling in the pit of my stomach.   For a low-budget film, it was very well crafted and acted, and it had all the earmarks of a good hacker and slasher flick.  The plot:  People running away from a killer.  What more do you need from a comedy horror?  I was very satisfied with my fear level after 20 minutes.

HUNNYBEAR was followed by “Writing Fren-Zee.”  The latter did not wash HUNNYBEAR completely off  my palate.  Let me explain.

I attended the screening with my sister.  Leaves and trash swirled around the car on the way home while the howling wind shook and tried to penetrate the car.  It was a spooky night.

At her house as we chatted and giggled about the night, the front door swung open very slowly.  Suddenly silent, we both held our breath in surprise and looked at each other and started to crack up.  The wind.  We began to hear knocking on the side of the house and what sounded like car doors opening and closing.  Each noise paused our conversation and we stared at each other wide-eyed.  “Damn movie,” I said.  “We should write a script for a movie about two ladies who go see a scary movie and get scared by the wind but then something real gets them.”  Right when we should have laughed, something hit the window behind me – HARD.

Now there was no more laughter and I told her I was going to use the bathroom and go.  As I entered the dark hallway, I pleaded, please don’t let the cat or her husband come out of the darkness and scare me.  I flipped on the light in the bathroom and glanced at the frosted window to the outside.  Again I thought, please don’t let a gecko run across that or I’ll be having a heart attack.

Having survived the hallway and bathroom, I told my sister to walk out with me.  I scanned the dark streets and bushes.  I looked at the window for a clue to what hit it and saw nothing.  I quickly got into my car and started to back out.  Then my brain kicked in:  Hadn’t I heard a car door before? Was someone in the back?  I was too embarrassed to get out and look, so instead I tried to listen and ascertain whether I smelled anyone hiding back there.

In the midst of scanning, listening and sniffing while simultaneously backing out and shifting into drive, I  suddenly saw a man right outside my car window.  My heart clenched and my skin started to crawl with adrenaline.  I went into a mindless panic, floored the gas and started to scream.  I maintained eye contact with the man while my back tires spun and screeched.  They finally found traction and my vehicle shot off, almost losing the suspension on a speed bump.

I looked into the rear-view mirror and the man’s hands went up in a “what the hell” gesture.  He was on the sidewalk and a party was going on.  He apparently had been wanting to cross the street, waiting on me to back out.

“Bjay, you idiot!” I scolded myself.  “That man probably thinks you are insane.  Ohmygawd!”  I pulled over a block later to reassure myself nobody was in the very back.

When that was over, I was able to reflect on “Writing Fren-Zee” a romantic comedy written and produced by Clif Campbell and Marty Ketola of Pondo Enterprises, and directed by Marty Ketola.  This film had a $2000 budget and was filmed entirely in Tucson over a span of 13 days.  The film premiered at the Crossroads Festival and the 200-seat theater was almost packed.

I don’t know Marty Ketola personally – but I have to say, I’m very proud of him.  He started out with shows on Access Tucson in 1990.  They weren’t works of art, but you could see he was experimenting and learning.  You could also tell he loved it.  Later he started to dabble with short films.   I saw his previous films “Marijuanos” and “La Llorrona.”  They all have developed a cult following but they aren’t masterpieces by any means.

I had seen the trailer for “Writing Fren-Zee” and it didn’t do it justice.  The movie went beyond my expectations, and I’m very happy and excited to see how Marty Ketola has progressed.

The story is  about a writer nearing a high-pressure deadline to write a script based on a comic book series.  He’s out of touch with the material and suffering from writer’s block.  He ends up seeking help from two guys who own the comic-book store where the comic book author died (and perhaps still resides).

There were some really good laughs throughout and it was entertaining.  Stiff acting reared it’s head a few times, especially  in the supporting cast, but with $2000 you aren’t going to get Meryl Streep and you have to remember projects like this are about learning too.

Local prominent actors  Jonathan Northover and Eric Schumacher played the writer and a store-co-owner, and they did very well.  Northover is a delightful Hugh Grant/Dick Van Dyke smoothie.  I look forward to seeing more of his work.

I was very impressed by newcomer Nate Campbell who played Pete, one of the store owners.  I was suprised to learn this was his first role.  His delivery is very natural,  relaxed yet funny and he has a very strong presence.  He seemed uncomfortable in a scene where he visits the girlfriend of his partner, in an attempt to explain he was at fault for a misunderstanding (that she overreacted to) and begs her to give his partner a second chance.  I personally don’t know any men who would do this in real life, so he probably didn’t have any experiences to draw from, haha.

Marty has come a long way from his beginnings at Access Tucson.  I am very excited to watch as he continues to grow and experiment.  His work has developed a cult following and the fact that his low-budget films actually make a profit is an accomplishment itself.  If this film had a bigger budget and more resources, I wonder at what he could have done.

I am no stranger to Access Tucson, and I am thankful it is there for people like Marty to provide a learning lab and outlet for expression.  Eons ago I was a cast member of a soap opera that aired regularly on the station.  I also did a karaoke show (hopefully those tapes remain buried forever).  I wish I could have taken advantage of that opportunity more but I was suffering from the logistical problems of a car-less teen and young adult.

The future of Access Tucson has been questionable, and recently some shows aired good-bye episodes when it was thought Access Tucson would close.  I hope when my son is older and he wishes to express himself this way, that the opportunity is still there for him to learn just as Marty did.