Food Trailer Review: Dang Hot 89 – Food

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19 Luglio 2024

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The bone-in chicken platter (left) and chicken tender sandwich at Dang Hot 89 (photos by John Anderson)

Before I begin, dear readers, I must make a confession: When it comes to spicy food, I am definitely one of Those People. I roll my eyes when celebs’ eyes water during Hot Ones and insist that I would handle that level of heat way better. I put XXX hot sauce on absolutely everything and consider sriracha about as spicy as ketchup. I’ve been banned from making chili for potlucks and football watch parties because when my friends take a bite, they immediately cough and reach for their water bottles.

So it was with great interest that I headed to North Austin’s newest mobile chicken shack, which includes the phrase “dang hot” right in its name.

This truck is the newest arrival at Celis Brewing’s beer garden on Metric Boulevard. Occupying the space right next to Con Todo – Joseph Gomez’s celebrated taco truck that features dishes from the Rio Grande Valley – might seem like an intimidating prospect, but the Dang Hot 89 team seems ready and able to maintain their new home’s lofty reputation. That said, because they only just arrived at Celis over the July 4 weekend, there are some timing-related kinks to work out. Celis sees a lot more action than Dang Hot 89’s previous location (at a lesser-known truck park off of McNeil Drive), and in that first opening weekend, wait times were long and the truck staff needed to cut off orders for a time to catch up to the demand. Dang Hot 89 operates under the oversight of a tiny skeleton crew of one or two, and luckily, their upbeat attitudes and driven commitment to filling orders made it easy to settle in at a picnic table with a crisp beer and wait for my chicken.

If even the brightest smiles and friendliest conversation won’t make you feel better about a lengthy wait for expertly seasoned fried chicken, Dang Hot 89 does offer the option to order online ahead of time. Be forewarned, though: Their website doesn’t always reflect the most accurate information about which items are still in stock. If you’re craving something that shows up as “out of stock” online and you have enough free time to wait for your order, consider heading to the truck anyway and trying your luck there.

I was immediately impressed by the depth of pepper flavor; Dang Hot 89 clearly gives the paste a chance to hang out for a while until it fully imbues the chicken with numerous layers of spice.

And now for the chicken itself. Dang Hot 89 offers a spare and focused menu centered around one single dish: Nashville hot chicken. This Tennessee specialty, which consists of chicken pieces marinated in buttermilk, dredged with flour, fried, and then rubbed with a paste of lard and hot peppers, is having a moment in Austin these days. Music City icon Hattie B’s recently opened an outpost on South Lamar, Tumble 22 has gone from hot chicken cult favorite to mini-chain, and Dang Hot 89 is ready to take up this already very competitive mantle.

Dang Hot 89’s signature dish has to be the bone-in platter, which comes with a thigh, a drumstick, and a wing, all plated in classic Nashville style on a slice of bread with coleslaw, dill pickles, and “Dang Dip.” The exact recipe for Dang Dip remains shrouded in mystery, but it eats like a sriracha aïoli with a sweet undercurrent that’s reminiscent of Memphis barbecue sauce.

While Dang Hot 89 does robust takeout business, the advantage to eating on-site involves the remarkable crispiness of this fried chicken. Fresh out of the fryer, with no spare time to soften and gather moisture, each piece boasts a shattering crunch. But that snappy texture doesn’t come from excessive breading; Dang Hot 89 keeps the focus on the juicy meat and the vibrant pepper paste.

I was immediately impressed by the depth of pepper flavor; Dang Hot 89 clearly gives the paste a chance to hang out for a while until it fully imbues the chicken with numerous layers of spice. The pepper emphasis is a Nashville hot chicken tradition, but I did find myself wishing for a hint of salt or a trace of tang from the buttermilk marinade. The contrast would help the pepper lacquer really come into its own and may also boost the chicken’s heat quotient.

Dang Hot 89 gives guests four heat levels to choose from: Mild, Medium, Hot, and “Dang Hot.” Because I’m a spice sadist, I of course opted for Dang Hot. And here’s the thing, fellow capsaicin lovers: Dang Hot isn’t really all that hot. Yes, you’ll get some lip-tingling sensation, and you’ll want to have a cold beverage handy. But the heat doesn’t linger, and it’s remarkably easy to go right back in for a second bite. The chicken platter’s coleslaw and pickle add-ons also help to offset the spice; the zingy dill offers some welcome acidity, while the coleslaw tastes clean and briny and unobtrusive. In a clever twist on the classic Nashville recipe, Dang Hot 89 swaps in Texas toast for standard white bread; the thicker slice effectively absorbs the grease, juice, and pepper residue from the chicken, and its slightly sweet flavor provides balance.

If a hefty platter of chicken with plenty of leftovers feels a bit much for a midday meal, Dang Hot 89 also serves sandwiches. I ordered a chicken tender sandwich that came stacked with two large strips, a hearty scoop of coleslaw, and some pickle chips. The flavors and textures and temperatures meld together nicely with each bite, but I wonder whether a sturdier roll might be a better vessel than a flimsy hamburger bun. This is a knife-and-fork sandwich without a doubt, and if you believe that sandwiches must be handheld, your mileage may vary here.

I may not have found the fiery sensation I hoped for from Dang Hot 89’s spicy chicken, but the robust portions, the deep pepper layers, the crisp coating, and the tender meat all bring something better than heat for heat’s sake: a bold, unapologetic, in-your-face burst of flavor that makes a long wait at a North Austin beer garden feel very worthwhile.