It’s almost time for the State Fair of Texas and that means it’s time for fair food.
The 13th Annual Big Tex Choice Awards, presented by Visit Dallas, semi-finalists have been announced and this year there are more awards to look forward to. The Big Tex Choice Awards have added a 3rd category. The news release said that at the 2017 Big Tex Choice Awards ceremony on August 27, the awards handed out will be:
– “Best Taste – Sweet”
– “Best Taste – Savory”
– “Most Creative”
There were 47 entries when the contest started in mid-July. The news release said that contestants are required to have one year of experience as a State Fair concessionaire minimum. The judging is done by an internal panel of judges and is “blind judging” from the beginning all the way until the end. This means that none of the judges know which entries are from which contestants.
The news release said that “these contenders are more than just successful food aficionados; they have proved themselves to be authentic representations of the dedication and passion brought each year to the Big Tex Choice Awards.”
While the finalists will be announced in August, the news release said that the semi-finalists are:
– Beer Battered Beef Jerky
– Cajun Fried Deviled Eggs
– Crawfish Lollipop
– Deep Fried Bacon Wrapped Mozzarella with Jalapeno Ranch
– Deep Fried Breakfast Cupcake
– Deep Fried Chicken Noodle Soup on a Stick
– Deep Fried Fruit Loops
– Deep Fried Reuben
– Deep Fried Root Beer Float with Dragon’s Breath
– Dreamy Drunken Sopapilla Cheesecake Bar
– Fat Smooth
– Fried Arroz con Pollo
– Fried Cheesecake Stuffed Apple Sundae
– Fried El Paso
– Fried Mango Loco
– Fried Redneck Wedding Cake Balls
– Fried Sloppy Joe Flautas with ‘Not Cho’ Fries
– Fried Texas Dirt
– Fried Texas Sheet Cake
– Funnel Cake Bacon Queso Burger
– Gulf Coast Fish Bowl
– Oreo Beer
– Pinot Noir Popcorn
– Ramen Grasshopper Cookie
– Southern Fried Chicken Monte Cristo
– Surfin-Turfin-Tator Boat
– Texas Fajita Fries
– Texas Fried Cowboy Fritters
– The Tamale Donut
– Tipsy Topsy Catfish on a Stick
The first round of preliminary judging required that contestants come up with a name and description of their food. Then the judges looked only at the name and the description of the food. Judges then chose based on which name and description were most appealing personally to simulate a fairgoer’s choice at the Fair.
A representative for the organization said that some of the official descriptions for this year’s contest were:
“Fat Smooth
Three delicious Belgium mini cream puffs on a skewer, dipped in a Café Du Monde beignet batter. Fried until golden brown, then dusted in powder sugar and drizzled with a chocolate and caramel sauce. Bring you to your knees goodness.
Oreo Beer
Dark and delicious, Oreo Beer will change your perception about what a great American milk stout can be. Poured hard into a cup rimmed with Oreo cream filling and crumbled Oreo bits. Flavors rise up of vanilla, brown sugar, and cream with hints of roasted coffee. An Oreo cookie lays upon it’s pillowy head and floats towards your upper lip leaving you with a creamy Oreo beer mustache. The rest is pure bliss of milk chocolate fullness.
Fried Redneck Wedding Cake Balls
Imagine a French vanilla wedding cake ball with a Texas twist. French vanilla cake batter, mixed with Frank’s Red Hot® Sauce marinated bacon, rolled and fried to perfection. Dipped in a redneck glaze of butter cream icing infused with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and sprinkled with bacon pieces. A Texas Howdy to the bride and groom!
Ramen Grasshopper Cookie
Ramen Noodles are combined with sweet ingredients and formed into the shape of a cookie, coated with cookie butter, topped with cotton candy and sprinkled with grasshoppers. It’s both delish and daring. A cookie not to forget.”
The 30 snacks moving on to the semi-final judging round will actually be tested for taste as one of the four qualifications. The news release said that the other four components include uniqueness, presentation and creativity. The news release said that the judges will then have to defend their ranking against a common question: “how likely is it that a fairgoer will buy the item?”
Since the introduction of a new category, there will also be a larger number of finalists for this year. The news release said that there will be 10 finalists to compete in the final round and that if a food item doesn’t make it to that round it is still able to be introduced as a “new food” at this year’s State Fair.
The 13th Annual Big Tex Choice Awards, presented by Visit Dallas, will be held in the historic Tower Building at Fair Park on Sunday, August 27 at 2 p.m. Tickets to the event cost $100 and can be purchased here (http://www.etix.com/ticket/v/11680/state-fair-of-texas-online?partner_id=1385&_ga=2.72784858.815896875.1495809796-1554380768.1451931048). The news release says that all proceeds from the ceremony will go to the State Fair of Texas Youth Scholarship Program. Attendees will get to cheer on and sample the treats.
For more information about the State Fair go to bigtex.com