2023 State Fair of Texas deep-fried food selections for 19th Big Tex Choice Awards

Brayden Garcia
·7 min read
10

If you’re on a diet, look away.

When the State Fair of Texas opens this fall deep fried pho, loaded fries pizza or a fried Fireball shot could be awaiting hungry attendees.

The fair announced the semi-finalists of the 19th annual Big Tex Choice Awards food competition Thursday. The annual competition pits concessionaires vying to have their food featured at the fair.

In total, 36 semifinalists will move to the next round comprised of 19 savory and 17 sweet entries. Each competitor is vying for one of the three winning titles: “Best Taste — Savory”, “Best Taste — Sweet” and “Most Creative”.

The Savory Section:

  • Butchers Block — A bowl of three-cheese macaroni and cheese is piled with smoked brisket, fried chicken, candied bacon bits, jalapeño peppers and sausage. The bowl is then drizzled with a brown sugar chipotle sauce.

  • Cornbread Sausage Bombs — Smoked sausage slices are topped with pimento cheese and jalapeño, then dipped into cornbread batter and fried up. Served with a jalapeño ranch sauce.

  • Creoloe Etouffee Beignets — An etoufee made up of shrimp, smoked sausage and steamed rice is dipped into beignet batter, fried and topped with powdered sugar.

  • Deep Fried Birria Bomb — Birria, Oaxaca cheese and mashed potatoes are rolled into a ball, dipped in batter and deep fried. The bomb is then topped with a poblano ranch dressing and cilantro.

  • Deep Fried Pho — Noodles, sliced beef, bean sprouts, herbs and a taste of pho broth is rolled up and deep fried. The dish is served with a side of pho broth, lime, jalapeños, cilantro, hosisin sauce and sriracha.

  • Deep Fried Surf and Turf Empanada — Lobster and crab meat, chorizo, sweet corn, heavy cream and spices are wrapped into empanada dough and fried. Served with garlic aioli.

  • Deep Fried Sushi Bombs — Sushi rice is topped with imitation crab meat and salmon and baked. The bake is then rolled in breadcrumbs, deep fried and serves with a side of seaweed and Yum Yum sauce.

  • Deep Fried Cheesy Crab Tater Bites — Minced crab meat, shrededd potato, cheese and spices are fomed into tater bites. The bites are then fried and served with a cheese Cajun crawfish sauce.

  • Fried Monte Qristo — A sandwich layered with brisket, American and swiss cheese and smoked turkey is fried. A dusting of powdered sugar and raspberry chipotle barbecue sauce finish the dish.

  • Fried Texas BBQ Shotgun Shells — Brisket, Velveeta cheese, cream cheese and spices are rolled into a pasta sheet. The sheet is then wrapped in bacon, rolled in jalapeño breadcrumbs and fried.

  • Loaded Fries Pizza — Pizza dough is ladled with buttermilk ranch, covered with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, add bacon bits and topped with french fries. Once baked, the pizza is topped with chives.

  • Ox’Cellent Soul Roll — Chunks of simmered oxtail, cornbread, butter, celery and onions are rolled into a spring roll and fried.

  • Raspberry Chipotle Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese — Jalapeños are filled with cream cheese and raspberry jam are wrapped in bacon and roasted. The mixture is sandwiched between bread and cheddar cheese, then grilled up until golden brown.

  • Taki Ramen Tostada — A ramen noodle cake is flash-fried, smothered with tacto meat and topped with Asian sesame seed slaw and garlic lime aioli. To finish, queso blanco and crumbled Takis are sprinkled over.

  • Texas Thai Up — Pork and beef are rolled in pad tahi noodles and deep fried. Served with a pad thai sauce, cashews and green onions.

  • The Balboa — An Italian baked loaf filled with garlic aioli, pepperoni, capricola, soppressata, smoked provolne cheese, tomatoes, banana peppers, artichokes, black olives, mushrooms, arugula and a balsmaic reduction.

  • The Tomayo-Tomahto Potato-Potatho Slyder — Fried green tomatoes are the buns for a beef patty, smothered provolone, bell peppers, pickles and lettuce. Served with a cup of queso on a bed of seasoned potatoes.

  • The Triple C — A homemade waffle cone is stuffed with Nashville hot chicken tenders and mac and cheese.

  • Turkey Ribs! — Turkey ribs are fried and served with stuffing seasoned fries, giblet gravy and salsa.

THE SWEET ENTRIES:

  • Biscoff Delight — New York-style cheesecake is coated with Belgian chocolate.

  • Bourbon Banana Caramel Sopapillas — Sopapillas are topped with vanilla-caramel infused bananas, bourbon syrup, crushed candied pecans, mascarpone cheese, Nilla wafers and powedered sugar.

  • Churreos — Mini churros are deep fried and tossed in cinnamon and sugar, drizzled with chocolate syrup and cream cheese icing. Finally, the churros are topped with crushed Oreos.

  • Cotton Candyrita — A pink sugar rimmed cup is filled with ice, cotton candy-infused margarita and topped witha dollop of cotton candy.

  • Deep Fried Honey Butter Brisket Swirls — Broskey is rolled into flakey dough and shaped into swirls. The swirls are then fired and glazed with a honey butter sauce.

  • Deep Fried Texas Oatmeal Pie — An oatmeal cream pie is dipped in Dr. Pepper-flavored pancake batter and fried up. A drizzle of Big Red soda reduction and marshmallow sauce finish the dessert.

  • Deep Fried Vietnamese Coffee — A coffee-inused cake is rolled into a ball, battered and deep fried. Finally, the ball is dusted with powdered sugar and served with condensed milk.

  • Deep Fried Candy Pecan Bacon Bread Pudding — Fried bread pudding is tossed in cinnamon sugar, candied pecans and chopped bacon. A topping of praline and caramel bourbon sauce finishes the dish.

  • Fried Cherry Pie in the Sky — A pie tart mold is lined with buttery pastry dough and layered with shortbread cookies, cherries, blended shortbread cookies and more pastry. The dessert is fried and served with Blue Bell ice cream, cherry preserves, whipped cream and dark sweet cherries.

  • Fried Fireball Shot — Angel food cake is fried and then Fireball Cinnamon whiskey is poured over the top. Served with another shot of Fireball.

  • Island Delight Deep Fried Piña Coloada — A rum cake is baked, smashed and formed into spheres with pineapple, creme de coconut and lime. The dish is then fried and decorated with piña colada-inspired buttercream, golden sprinkles and sugar glitter.

  • Not’Cho Average Nachos — A wonton wrapper filled with cherry or apple filling is fried and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Served with whipped topping, brownie crumbs, sliced fruit and chocolate sauce.

  • Rest in Heavenly Peach — Two slices of angel food cake are grilled in butter oil and charred. A dollop of peach pie filling is topped onto the hot cake to finish.

  • CKS-On-The-Stick — Four wings are dipped into funnel cake batter and deep fried. The funnel cake wings are tossed in honey and garlic, placed on a stick and sprinkled with lemon rub.

  • Sweet Encanto — A round waffle is sweetened with caramel dulce de leche, specialty cream and fresh fruit. The waffle is then topped with raspberry jam and sweet condensed milk.

  • The Fruity Pebble Pickle — A whole dill pickle is wrapped in a fruit roll-up, drizzled in sugar syrup and coated with Fruit Pebbles. To finish, strawberry snow cone syrup is added.

  • Trail-Ade — This non-alchoholic cocktail is made up of summer fruits, cucumbers and fresh mint blended with lemonade. Served with a souvenir coboy boot cup.

The contest kicked off in June with 57 entries from 37 concessionaires, all required to have at least one year of experience at the State Fair of Texas. Each entry is judged blindly by an internal panel, meaning they don’t know which concessionaire is behind the food.

Over the next several weeks, the second round of judging will begin. By mid-August, the top 10 entries will compete in the final round at this year’s Big Tex Choice Awards.

Even if a dish doesn’t make it to the main event, concessionaires can still choose to introduce their food at their stand as a “new food” during this year’s State Fair.

The State Fair of Texas opens on Sept. 29 and runs until Oct. 22.