{"id":33721,"date":"2025-11-03T22:16:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T22:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/33721\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T22:16:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T22:16:09","slug":"burn-notice-san-antonio-food-truck-petes-hot-chicken-brings-the-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/33721\/","title":{"rendered":"Burn Notice: San Antonio food truck Pete’s Hot Chicken brings the heat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pete'sPete\u2019s Hot Chicken isn\u2019t kidding when it gives you a heat indication. Credit: Instagram \/ peteshotchicken<\/p>\n

Chicken\u2019s a versatile bird.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It can be prepared whole, or dismembered into legs, thighs, breasts, wings and \u201cfingers.\u201d Some cultures even consume the feet and cockscomb. It can be roasted or rotisseried, skewered and grilled, ground and formed into meatballs or slowly simmered with leeks and other aromatics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the chicken preparation that\u2019s most captured America\u2019s attention, and no small part of the culinarily colonized world outside our borders, is frying. There are variations involving such ingredients as buttermilk and sweet-tea brine, the motherland of most of them being the South.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the case of Pete\u2019s Hot Chicken, a food truck now posted up on South Presa Street, the point of origin is Nashville. I\u2019ll spare you the history.<\/p>\n

You should probably know, though, that hot in Pete\u2019s case means hot. The menu offers six degrees of intensity, most of which is supplied by a lightly sweetened and lethal chili paste, and unless you are atoning for some truly egregious sin, it\u2019s hard to imagine ordering any chicken dish at a level higher than 4. \u201cHot \u2014\u00a0It\u2019s ridiculously spicy,\u201d the menu warns about that level.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the other hand, it\u2019s equally hard to imagine choosing level 1, or ordering the bird plain. Where\u2019s the fun in that?<\/p>\n

My first experience with Pete\u2019s \u201cHot\u201d level came with the Dirty Bird, a mashup of loaded fries, seriously fried chicken parts, mac and cheese, crumbled bacon and, somewhere in all that, aged cheddar. The upscale mac and cheese is a more sophisticated version than the usual, utilizing shell pasta and a light hand with the cheesy stuff. It would be worth ordering as a separate side.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also a welcome antidote to the craggy and crunchy chicken, which at \u201cHot\u201d teeters right on the edge of masochism. The buried and heavily seasoned fries are inevitably soggy and seem unnecessary. Maybe if they were piled on top, the story would be different.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I have never been a chicken and waffles fan. Never saw the point. But never have I had them with Nashville-style bird. Having learned my lesson, this time I picked \u201cMedium,\u201d and the combo of crisp waffle and just-spicy-enough chicken in a sandwich really worked. But what truly sealed the deal was the accompanying mix of hot honey and poblano butter. I\u2019d drizzle it over anything, including ice cream. I could, however, do without the dusting of powdered sugar. The honey provided plenty of sweetness.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s outdoor seating next to Pete\u2019s yellow food truck, but nobody was in the mood for that kind of heat on any of my visits, so the cool and dark interior beckoned. While waiting for your order, be sure to peruse the display shelves that are the focus of the space. Amongst the awards, including one from the Current\u2019s United We Brunch event, are several books that suggest a chef with, at the very least, an appreciation of the wider world of cuisine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are tomes from high-toned places the likes of Chicago\u2019s Alinea and Copenhagen\u2019s Noma and cookbooks from chefs as well-regarded as Thomas Keller. Mexican food doyenne Diana Kennedy\u2019s Oaxaca al Gusto is here as well \u2014\u00a0along with works by restaurant management guru Danny Meyer and cocktail capo Dave Arnold. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Chicken may be just a stepping stone.<\/p>\n

Which prompted me to return to Pete\u2019s for the chicken-fried steak with Akaushi beef. At least the beef choice speaks of aspirations. Know that that Pete\u2019s does a brisk after-church business and that the Sunday-best crowd has an apparent hankering for chicken-fried steak.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For that visit, I arrived at 12:15 p.m., only to find the CFS already sold out. Turns out that the fancy beef is often MIA. On my second try a few days later, the order taker assured me that this was not always the case. I also had to take into consideration that the same server accidentally took my name down as \u201cBruce\u201d on an earlier visit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One thing I\u2019ve learned in years of reviewing is that mistakes happen and there\u2019s often a need for a pivot. I subbed a selection of sides for the no-show CFS and wasn\u2019t disappointed. Indeed, the Chili Crisp Sprouts \u2014\u00a0of the Brussels variety \u2014\u00a0were almost meaty with their deep char, toasted pepitas and dusting of cotija cheese, all smoothed out with a side serving of chili-lime mayo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A slaw of finely shredded cabbage with prominent cilantro added slivered poblanos for a subtle, vegetal heat. It would be great alongside the waffle sando.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And red potato salad proved itself cool, tangy and another good chicken companion.<\/p>\n

So, the CFS scarcity and other minor deficiencies are forgiven except for one thing: I mean, really, Bruce?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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