Danny Trejo’s Danger Dogs recipe is the perfect dish for your Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.
“Invented in Tijuana and cooked by street vendors outside of L.A. bars and Dodger Stadium, it’s what culinary street-level Hispanic culture is all about,” the actor turned restaurateur, 79, exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “It reminds me of Gameday and gathering the familia together,” he notes, “and it’s the OG L.A. snack.”
The California native’s recipe comes from his latest cookbook, Trejo’s Cantina, which hit bookstores earlier this year. In addition to acting in over 400 movies and TV shows over the years — including the Spy Kids and Machete franchises — Trejo has also shared his passion for cooking via a number of cookbooks and through opening a chain of Trejo’s Tacos restaurants across Los Angeles.
Despite being over 50 years sober, Trejo is also a bit of a mixologist. Earlier this year, he shared his recipe for a Watermelon Agua Fresca mocktail exclusively with Us. “You can’t go wrong with our Watermelon Agua Fresca,” he shared in April. “It always puts a smile on people’s faces. It’s got the classic colors of the agua frescas [from] old-school taco stands with the added kick of a little cayenne and lots of fresh lime juice.”
The drink — which is also featured in his Trejo’s Cantina cookbook — is comprised of watermelon, sugar, lime juice, cayenne pepper and ice and is garnished with Tajín-dusted watermelon cubes.
“Non-drinkers will love it and folks who drink alcohol can always add a little smoky mezcal if they want,” Trejo added.
When it comes to hosting, Trejo noted that it’s best to prepare dishes and drinks ahead of time “so you can hang [with guests],” adding, “The morning of your party, mix up a batch of agua frescas for the people who don’t drink alcohol [and] for the folks who do drink, the Party Monster Margarita from the new cookbook is going to give you that classic frozen margarita flavor.”
He also highlighted the importance of partying “responsibly,” telling Us, “Make sure everybody has a designated driver, and if they don’t, call them an Uber, or, if you really like them, drive them yourself. One of the great things about being clean and sober all these years is I can drive anyone anywhere any time of day or night.”
Keep scrolling to check out Trejo’s Danger Dogs recipe:
Danger Dogs (makes 6)
Ingredients
For Onions and Peppers
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small medium onion, thinly sliced
- ½ medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- ½ medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
- 2 jalapeños, quartered lengthwise
For Danger Dogs
- 6 hot dogs
- 6 slices bacon
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Ketchup
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard
- 6 hot dog buns
Instructions
- Cook the onions and peppers: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the red and green peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are soft and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove the onion-pepper mixture from the skillet, season to taste with salt and set aside.
- Add the jalapeños to the skillet, skin side down, and cook over medium heat, without moving, for 5 minutes, until a char develops on the skin. Turn them over and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until tender. Set aside. Keep the skillet for the hot dogs.
- Make the Danger Dogs: Tightly wrap the hot dogs in bacon from end to end. Add the oil to the skillet, return the heat to medium, and heat the pan until the oil is shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add the hot dogs and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Give the hot dogs a quarter turn and cook for another 5 minutes. Repeat two more times until the bacon is crisped on all sides. (Alternatively, if you’re making lots of hot dogs for a crowd, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the bacon-wrapped dogs on a foil-lined baking sheet, and cook until the bacon is crisped, 20 to 30 minutes.)
- Spread ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard on each bun, top with some onion-pepper mixture, a jalapeño slice, then place a bacon-wrapped hot dog on top and serve immediately.
