Chef Joel Pena and the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth have taken two American indulgences and elevated them to the next level. In a glorious combination of sweet and savory, chef Pena introduced Hawg Heaven Bacon Cotton Candy in April.
“When I moved here back in October of last year, the challenge was to come up with something new, something unique to the venue,” Pena said. “I started looking at what people love here … what people eat in Texas.” The answer? Bacon.
Pena then got creative with the breakfast staple; when he set bacon cotton candy as his target, the culinary team came up with about 25 different recipes. “We had many tastings to get the right flavor. Finally, after all these tests, we got it,” he said.
The chef creates a mixture of brown sugar, rice vinegar, salt, pepper and maple syrup. After cooking the bacon, he lets it sit in the mixture overnight. “It’s almost like candy,” he said. The process infuses the sugary mixture with bacon flavor. He removes the bacon from the mixture and then uses that bacon-flavored sugar to make the cotton candy. The cotton candy-making process is no different than what one might see at the fair, with the preparer tracing the bowl with a cone, evenly rolling the fluff into a sweet, pink cloud. Pieces of bacon are placed atop the cotton candy and also put into a small separate bag within the packaging for an extra treat.
The concoction made its debut at the venue in April, and the response was tremendous. In one weekend, the chef said they sold about 600 units, which “took a lot of people to make happen.” In addition to the cotton candy, the venue offered a bacon cotton candy martini in The Speedway Club. The martini is a mixture of citrus vodka and the bacon-infused sugar, garnished with candied applewood bacon. And adding to the bacon cotton candy craze, the venue sells scratch-and-sniff T-shirts that smell like bacon, commemorating fans’ epic foodie find.
“There were people of all ages trying [the cotton candy] and taking pictures with it,” Pena said. “The kids love it. … But I think there are more adults buying it than kids.”
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Executive chef Joel Pena
Texas Motor Speedway, Ft. Worth
Executive chef Joel Pena’s culinary career is a happy accident: He went to school for business administration and started off working in hotels, but an emergency forced him to “jump into the kitchen.” It’s been 18 years since that emergency, and he hasn’t looked back.
Despite his love of food, Pena’s business background remains deeply instilled. Event day jitters are something that he looks forward to. “My favorite part is crunching all the numbers and making sure we have all the bases covered,” he said. “I still get butterflies in my stomach. I think about every detail. Your mind is just rushing—making sure you check, double check … Then when you see all the people come and have fun and smile, you say, ‘OK. We’re OK.’ “
Hawg Heaven Bacon Cotton Candy $6
Pairs with Bacon cotton candy martini