Whole sausages roll slowly in a pan of red sauce. Small pieces of onion and green pepper drift around them, and a smoky smell of paprika comes up with the steam. Each sausage goes into a soft bun with a spoonful of that sauce, and then comes a handful of thin, crisp potato sticks that crackle against the warm tomato. That is cachorro-quente, the hot dog as Brazil makes it at home. It tastes sweet and tangy from the tomato and onion, a little green from the pepper and parsley, gently smoky, and salty and crunchy on top.
A Hot Dog Built Around the Sauce
Cachorro is Portuguese for "dog" and quente means "hot", so the name is a direct Brazilian translation of "hot dog". The dish itself is its own thing.
What sets the Brazilian version apart is the pot. In an American-style hot dog the sausage meets its toppings in the bun. Here the sausages simmer in the sauce, and the sauce goes into the bread with them, so every bite is wet, tomatoey and warm all the way through. The classic molho de salsicha, the sausage sauce, is built on tomato and onion, often with oregano. The version below uses tomato, onion, green pepper, garlic and parsley, with colorau and smoked paprika for colour and a hint of smoke.
One bun, many toppings
Across Brazil, only the bread and the sausage are fixed. Everything else changes with the region and the household. In São Paulo the hot dog gets a layer of purê de batata, smooth mashed potato, and a spoonful of vinagrete, the fresh tomato and onion salsa. Elsewhere, corn, peas, vinagrete or slices of calabresa sausage join the pile, and in some regions the finished hot dog is pressed flat on a hot griddle, the chapa.
Brazil even has a Dia do Cachorro-Quente, a day for the hot dog, and a newspaper marks it with a list of sauces, from the traditional tomato sauce to vegetarian ones. More on Brazilian cooking is on the Brazil page.
Ingredients (makes 5 hot dogs)
The sauce has no egg or dairy. Hot dog buns usually contain wheat and may contain soy or milk, so read the label. Check the sausage label for its ingredients too, along with the bouillon cube and the batata palha if you use them.
Equipment
- Cutting board and chef's knife
- Wide saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Serrated knife for the buns
- Tablespoon for serving the sauce
Choosing and Substituting
The tomato sauce decides the taste. Use plain tomato sauce from a can, jar or carton, and pick one that is unsalted or check the salt on the label, since the sausages and bouillon add salt as well. Ketchup or tomato purée will not do the same job. Ketchup makes the sauce sweet and sticky, and purée gives a different body.
The small cubes of onion, pepper and tomato are what make the sauce feel homemade. Keep them as dice, and leave the sauce uneven. A blended sauce loses that texture.
The other swaps are easy and each changes one thing:
| Brazilian item | Swap abroad | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Colorau | Sweet paprika | Same red colour, milder flavour |
| Páprica defumada | Smoked paprika from the supermarket spice shelf | Same ingredient |
| Batata palha | Thin potato stick snacks, or shoestring fries | Snack sticks stay closest; fries are thicker and softer, so the crunch is gentler |
| Salsicha | Precooked hot dog sausages (frankfurters or wieners) | Close match; choose ones you like plain |
| Salsinha | Flat-leaf or curly parsley | Same herb |
Stick with parsley. Cilantro would pull the sauce toward a different flavour. Brazilian shops and online stores carry colorau and batata palha if you want them exactly. Everything else is in an ordinary supermarket.
Method
Dice everything before you light the stove, because the sautéing goes fast: half a minute for the onion, half a minute for the garlic, two minutes for the pepper and tomato. After that comes the one hands-off stretch, about 15 minutes of simmering, and that is the time to open the buns and set out the toppings.
Simmering the sausages in the sauce, rather than adding them at the end, does two jobs at once. The sausages heat through, and the sauce picks up their savoury, smoky flavour while it reduces.
Batata palha softens quickly on wet sauce. Top each hot dog just before it is eaten, or set out a bowl and let everyone add their own.
These amounts are for precooked hot dog sausages, which must be hot to the centre before serving. If you use raw sausage such as fresh linguiça, cook it until it is fully cooked through. Hot tomato sauce spits and holds heat, so let a filled bun cool for a moment before the first bite.
When It Goes Wrong
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The sauce soaks through the bun | It did not reduce enough | Simmer a few minutes longer until it clings to the spoon, and serve with a slotted spoon so less liquid goes in |
| The sauce is too salty | Salted tomato sauce, bouillon and sausages add up | Leave out the bouillon, choose unsalted tomato sauce, and add salt only after tasting at the end |
| The sauce tastes bitter | The garlic browned | Keep the garlic to its half minute; if it is dark, start the onion and garlic again |
| The bun splits into two halves | It was cut all the way through | Cut from the side and stop before the far edge, so a hinge holds it together |
| The topping is soggy | The potato sticks sat on the sauce too long | Add them at the table, right before eating |
Serving and Variations
Bring them to the table on a board with plenty of napkins, because the sauce drips and they are eaten by hand. A cold soft drink sits well next to the tomato and salt. If people build their own, set out the pan of sauce and sausages with the buns, a bowl of batata palha, the ketchup and the mustard, and maybe a bowl of vinagrete.
Variations
- Corn and peas. A spoonful of sweetcorn and peas on top adds little sweet bursts and more colour.
- Calabresa. Slices of calabresa sausage added to the pile give a second, meatier layer.
- Pressed on the chapa. Pressing the filled bun on a hot griddle toasts the outside and packs everything together, so it holds its shape better in the hand.
- Mashed potato and vinagrete. The São Paulo way, described above, makes the hot dog softer, richer and fresher at the same time.
Frequently asked questions
Should I boil the sausages before they go in the sauce?
There is no need with precooked sausages, since the 15-minute simmer heats them through. Some cooks boil them for about 3 minutes first and then simmer them in the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes. Both ways end with hot sausages that taste of the sauce.
Can I leave out the bouillon cube?
Yes, it is optional. It adds savouriness, and it also adds salt, so skip it when your tomato sauce is already salted. The smoked paprika and the sausages bring plenty of depth on their own.
How do I make this for a party of ten?
Double every amount in the ingredient table, and the method stays the same. The simmer is still about 15 minutes, and each bun still gets 2 tbsp of sauce. A wider pan keeps the sausages in a single layer so they heat evenly.
What other herbs can go on top?
A handful of cheiro-verde, the Brazilian mix of fresh green herbs, scattered over at the end gives a brighter finish. Add it after the sauce is in the bun so it stays green.
