We tried the spiciest tamales in San Antonio with heat that ‘creeps up on you’

During the cooler months, nothing says San Antonio like a dozen tamales. Jalapeño is a fairly standard tamale filling often paired with chicken, pork or cheese, but one local tamale company stuffs something a little hotter on the Scoville Scale inside one of their specialty tamales.

Delicious Tamales, which has been around since 1980, offers an assortment of tamales in its lineup, from savory to spicy to sweet, but its “atomic” tamales are made using the notorious ghost peppers. These tamales combine the extra-hot peppers with pork and spices encapsulated in flavorful masa, all wrapped up in a traditional corn husk. We visited the location on Culebra Road to learn more about these fiery tamales directly from the source.

Once there, Delicious Tamales owner Valerie Gonzalez explained that the atomic tamales came about as the extreme spice trend has grown more prevalent on social media. Think Hot Ones – but make it San Antonio.

“Everybody is starting to like that hot pepper. The hotter, the better. But these are real hot!” Gonzalez said. “It’s a ghost pepper, so it creeps up on you.”

The tamales come frozen by the dozen for $12.50, allowing you to purchase a sealed package to heat up at your convenience in the comfort of your own home. We decided to do just that, and as expected, it led to some spicy results.

After heating up one of the atomic tamales on a more traditional comal, it was time to give it a taste test. As Gonzalez said, these guys creep up on you with a slow heat that builds, especially as you take additional bites. Be cautious not to get too handsy with these tamales (using a fork is recommended), as the spice can transfer, and the last thing you want is to spread that heat elsewhere.

The seasoned pork flavor is still there, so you’ll definitely be inclined to take a second and third bite of these ghost pepper tamales. If you’re sensitive to spicy food, there will be after-effects, like a runny nose, maybe some light coughing and a desire to wash it down with lots of water. But once you get past the initial shock, the spice level eventually plateaus, and you can enjoy the savory pork and soft masa with minimal discomfort. In other words, it’s worth it if you can take the heat.

Delicious Tamales has six locations in San Antonio and two in Austin. The business also offers online ordering and shipping nationwide.

This article originally published at We tried the spiciest tamales in San Antonio with heat that ‘creeps up on you’.