In a World of Made-Up Food Holidays, National Texas Twinkie Day May Be Our Favorite

We’ll be the first to admit that the number of “food holidays” might be getting out of hand. Hardly a day goes by that a we don't see a press release or a tag on social media pronouncing that some obscure food is being recognized or a pedestrian edible is being celebrated.

For example, Sept. 29 is National Coffee Day, but your humble author needs at least two cups daily just to function like a normal human, so having a specific day to sing its praises feels superfluous. Other holidays appear to be plugging food that clearly needs help to stand on its own. (National Artichoke Heart Day on March 16, we’re looking at you.)

Just as our cynicism was about to max out, we came across a food holiday that actually has us excited. We may not be in the know as to who comes up with holidays, but when we heard Oct. 16 has been declared "National Texas Twinkie Day" by no less an authority than Hutchins BBQ, we snapped to attention.

Most barbecue joints in Texas have some kind of barbecue-stuffed jalapeño in their repertoire, but Hutchins claims the credit for coming up with the idea for the original Texas Twinkie. Leftover brisket is a fact of life for most barbecue restaurants, but in 2014 the staff at Hutchins decided to blend leftover chopped brisket with some cream cheese, stuff it into a seeded jalapeño, wrap it in bacon and toss the works onto the smoker. When the peppers are adequately smoked, they're brushed with a bit of Hutchins barbecue sauce then placed on a hot grill to crisp up the bacon.

Texas Twinkies are serious business for Hutchins. The work that goes into slicing and seeding jalapeños, then stuffing them with cheesy brisket goodness has always been labor intensive, so much so that the concoction used to be available only on the weekend. But demand always outpaced supply, so Hutchins expanded production. These days, there are four full-time employees focused solely on making around 7,000 Texas Twinkies each week for both Hutchins locations.

October 16 is the halfway point between Texas Independence Day and National Barbecue Month, and Hutchins decided there would be no better day to honor the venerable Texas Twinkie. As part of the event, patrons at both Hutchins locations (Frisco and McKinney) can buy a Texas Twinkie for just $2. In this economy? That's a resounding, "Yes, please."

Hutchins will sell raffle tickets during the day, with proceeds going to a pair of community partners: Frisco Family Partners and Samaritan Inn. Raffle prizes include Hutchins gift cards, Scheel’s gift cards and tickets to the Dallas Cowboys game versus the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 10. The first 100 people who purchase a raffle ticket will also take home a Hutchins Texas Twinkie Day T-shirt.

“We have a longstanding commitment to giving back to the neighborhoods we serve, and National Texas Twinkie Day is no exception,” says Hutchins co-founder Trey Hutchins. “This celebration is a way to say thanks to our community and have a blast while doing it.”

National Texas Twinkie Day is Oct. 16.
Hutchins BBQ Frisco, 9225 Preston Road, Frisco
Hutchins BBQ McKinney, 1301 N. Tennessee St., McKinney