I’ve gotten a couple of emails recently asking me to re-run an article about international “hot dogs” that I published a couple of years ago. Requests for meat in tube form? Must be tailgating time! So here you go:

Autumn may mean fall foliage to some… For others, thoughts turn to sweaters and cozy evenings by the fire…

But for many people, fall means just one thing. Football.

Whether it’s your favorite NFL team, an office fantasy pool, your college alma mater, or your kid’s school team – it seems that each and every weekend is now completely full with all things gridiron.

If you’re looking for an alternative to everyday hot dogs for your next tailgating feast, try these fun variations from here, there and yonder. The basic idea is the same – tube-shaped meat, grilled, wrapped in some kind of bread, with toppings. But these three recipes are deliciously different from a plain old chili dog (not that there’s anything wrong with a chili dog!).

Once you have the grill fired up, you could fairly easily make all the recipes below – or save one for each weekend and then keep going with your own ideas to make a complete hot dog-themed football season of it!

The first variation is a typical Brazilian street food called Choripan. It’s a grilled chorizo link in a crusty french roll topped with chimichurri sauce. Here, you want to find a good quality chorizo link sausage – not the greasy, bulk sausage that is often used in Tex-Mex sauces and cheese dips. And it’s important to use a sturdier bread than a typical hot dog bun, which will just get soggy and gummy with the chimichurri sauce.

Sticking with the street food theme, the second variation is classic example of a south-of-the-border influence in Los Angeles. Perros Caliente (a literal Spanish translation for “hot dog”) is a bacon-wrapped hotdog served with grilled onions and poblano peppers. As much as we love mustard on our dogs, we followed the example of a few LA street vendors and went with mayo – with delicious results.

Finally, we’ve got a unique cross-cultural treat from San Antonio, via the old country. The home of the Alamo is also home to a significant Polish population that dates back to settlers in the mid-1800s. Anyone who’s visited and eaten in the area has experienced the Polish (and German and Czech) influences that include towns like nearby New Braunfels, kolache pastries, and Tejano music. Our Tex-Mex-Polish dog combines delicious grilled kielbasa with a flour tortilla and guacamole. Easy and delicious!

As for beverage matches, let’s face it. Beer is the obvious choice for all of these. But don’t count out wine completely! It can be done – and we’ve made suggestions for each recipe.

Recipe: Choripan
Makes 4 servings.

4 good quality fresh (not dried) chorizo link sausages
4 crusty French rolls (or 1 long baguette cut into fourths), split like a hotdog bun without cutting all the way through

Chimichurri Sauce (makes 1 cup)
1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
3 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat side of a knife
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
½ smallish jalapeno pepper, chopped and seeded (if desired)
½ cup water
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender of food processor and puree. Don’t over-process or it will get watery!

Grill or broil chorizo links for about 10 minutes, turning often. Grill rolls briefly, cut side down.

Brush rolls lightly with chimichurri sauce, then stuff with chorizo links. Top with additional chimichurri. Or you can serve extra chimichurri alongside for dipping!

Wine Match: Try a lightly chilled Portuguese red.

Recipe: Perros Caliente
Makes 4 servings.

4 beef hot dogs
4 hot dog buns
4 pieces bacon
1 onion, thickly sliced
2 medium poblano peppers
vegetable oil, salt and pepper
Mayonnaise

Wrap each hot dog in a piece of bacon. Brush onion slices and poblano peppers with a little oil, then season lightly with salt and pepper.

Start with peppers and grill until well blackened on all sides. Place in a paper bag to steam while you grill the dogs and onion slices. Give the buns a quick grill, cut side down.

Remove blackened skins from peppers. Core and remove seeds, then slice the peppers. Slice the onions.

Spread some mayonnaise inside the bun, then stuff with the bacon-wrapped dog. Top with grilled pepper and onion slices.

Wine Match: Chilled Pinot Gris works nicely with the smoky bacon!

Recipe: Tex-Mex-Polish Dog
Makes 4 servings.

1 lb. kielbasa sausage, cut into fourths
4 flour tortillas
1 cup guacamole (homemade or store-bought)
1 cup pico de gallo (homemade or store-bought)

Grill kielbasa until edges are nicely crisped. Wrap in warmed tortillas and top with generous dollops of guacamole and pico de gallo.

Wine Match: Sauvignon Blanc does the trick here!