A FLAIR FOR FAIR FLAVORS

HERE ARE THE TOP TEN FINALISTS AND WINNERS OF THE 2024 BIG TEX CHOICE AWARDS

STATE FAIR OF TEXAS

BACK IN JUNE, A RECORD-BREAKING 65 ENTRIES REPRESENTED BY 40 FAIR CONCESSIONAIRES WERE NARROWED DOWN TO 24 SEMI-FINALISTS, WITH EACH ENTRY HAVING BEEN EVALUATED ON FOUR FAIR-FOOD ELEMENTS: UNIQUENESS, CREATIVITY, PRESENTATION, AND TASTE. After testing some tasty dishes, votes were cast, and the results are in. Don’t worry — if your favorite semifinalist didn’t make the final cut, many concessionaires may still choose toinclude their creation at their stand as a new food item at this year’s Fair.

SAVORY Finalists

DOMINICAN FRITURA DOG, Justin Martinez – This savory dish brings an explosion of flavor that starts with fritura cheese and Dominican salami. Taking classic Fair food up a notch, this dish is then double deep fried with their famous corn dog batter. Split open and topped with garlic plantain chips, top-secret Dominican sauce, and cilantro, the Dominican Fritura Dog will bring you the best of salty and sweet with an explosion of Dominican flavor.

THE DROWNING TAQUITOS, Tony & Terry Bednar – Served in a cup, these fresh, hand-rolled corn tortillas are stuffed with tender shredded chicken and then deep-fried to perfection. To further encapsulate the savory flavor, the taquitos are then “drowned” with a tangy cream sauce, jalapeño, guacamole salsa, shredded lettuce, avocado, tomatillo, pico, and Cotija cheese.

HIPPIE CHIPS, Rose & Tom Deschenes – These far-out wavy potato chip nachos promise to deliver “every flavor profile” with your choice of either zesty homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing, topped with bacon bits, fresh green onions, and a tangy drizzle of sriracha. You can be extra funky and add blue cheese crumbles if you’re so inclined.

HOT CHICK-IN-PANCAKE POPPERS, Palmer & Amanda Fortune – They’re savory, they’re sweet, and they’re easy to eat. Authentic Nashville hot chicken and pimento cheese are rolled into a ball, dunked into pancake batter, and fried to a golden brown, then topped with a drizzle of Sriracha honey and a sprinkle of Nashville hot powdered sugar.

TEXAS FRIED BURNT END BOMBS Nick & Vera Bert – These bombs take mouthwatering brisket wrapped with shredded potatoes, bacon, and cheese, deep fry it, and top it with a raspberry chipotle barbeque glaze drizzled to add the perfect touch of sweetness.

SWEET Finalists

NEVINS NUTTY BAR-LASKA, Tami Nevins Mayes & Josey Mayes – This sweet treat takes the classic nutty bar and adds toasted marshmallow, two Oreos, strawberry sauce, and freeze-dried strawberry pieces. “It’s on a stick! What’s more Fair food than that?” said Josey Nevins-Mayes, co-creator of the Nevins Nutty Bar-laska.

ROUSSO’S COTTON CANDY BACON ON A STICK, Isaac Rousso – This masterful combination of sweet and savory flavors comes to life with the Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick — a thick, 12-inch piece of bacon cooked to perfection with a cotton candy glaze on top. The bacon is spun inside a cotton candy machine and torched to caramelize the center and lock in that sweet flavor.

STRAWBERRY POP-TARTS® BEIGNETTFLE, Justin Martinez – This sweet treat was inspired by the flavors of New Orleans beignets and the childhood nostalgia of Pop-Tarts and waffles, all put together on a stick. The Strawberry Pop-Tarts Beignetffle is a heavenly combination of a fluffy beignet and a crispy waffle topped with homemade strawberry filling, a sweet vanilla icing drizzle, fresh whipped cream, and garnished with colorful sprinkles.

TEXAS SUGAR RUSH PICKLES, Heather Perkins – These cotton-candy-flavored pickle slices are coated in three cereal varieties — Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, and Cap’n Crunch — and then layered in cotton candy, cotton candy sugar crystals, and powdered sugar before being drizzled with strawberry sundae syrup. As if that wasn’t enough, these dressed-up pickles are served with a helping of vanilla ice cream, adding a perfectly cool touch to this crazy concoction!

TROPICAL TWO-STEP PUNCH, Binh Tran – To give fairgoers a taste of paradise, this punch marinates fruits like citrus, passionfruit, and mango overnight to create a crisp cooler that’s fresh, tangy, sweet, sour, and spicy. Available in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, this thirst quencher is sure to help you cool down on a hot day at the Fair.

The 2024 State Fair of Texas themed, “24 Days of Fun,” will open on Friday, September 27, and runs through Sunday, October 20, 2024. Head over to BigTex.com for schedules and tickets.