There’s sweet, there’s savory and then there’s the State Fair of Texas. That, and 33 semifinalists for the 15th annual Big Tex Choice Awards.
The State Fair of Texas is gearing up to swing open its doors at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 25 in Fair Park. But there’s plenty to do beforehand to get ready for the big day, including picking the finalists for the Big Tex Choice Awards.
A panel of blind judges reviewed state fair entries earlier this month to see which of the 49 entries would be considered for the final round of the Big Tex Choice Awards. According to a media release, the first round required cooks to create a fun, catchy name for their crispy-fried creation to move on to the second round. Judges will taste the semifinalist selections for consideration in the next few weeks to decide which 10 dishes will go on to compete in the final round.
Finalists will compete for one of three awards, Best Savory: Taste, Best Sweet: Taste and Most Creative. The savory entries include BBQ Pork Rangoons, Cajun Crab Bombs, Calypso Island Shrimp Bowl, Chicks in a Cone, Deep-dried Chicken Cordon Bleu Stuffed Waffles, Deep-fried Mexican Mole, Deep-fried Street Corn, Deep-fried Texican, Fried Burnt End Burrito, Fry Rub & Rye, Good Ole Creole Boudin Egg Roll with Pepper Jack Cheese, Loaded Baked Potato Funnel Cake, PB&J Bacon Pickle Dog, Pig in a Cannoli, Southern Fried Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Ball, Stokin-Smokin Cowboy's Bacon and Brisket Egg Roll, Stuffed Fried Mexi-Cone, Texas Cream Corn Casserole Fritters, Texas Fried Fritos Pie Burrito Dog and the “Ain't No Lie it's Fried” Steak.
Sweet entries include the Big Red Chicken Bread, Champagne Jell-O Hot Shot, Deep Fried Bayou Fruit Bites, Deep Fried Cracker Jack, Deep Fried Energy Bites, Deep Fried Nutella Custard Stuffed French Toast, Extreme Fried Bananarama, Fla'Mango Tango, Fried Crème Brulee Berry Crunch, Fried Oreo Gelato Pop, Fried Southern Bourbon Bread Pudding, Peanut Butter Cup Snookie and Quick-Fried “Black Gold” Truffles.
The 10 finalists will be announced next month for consideration in the final round, which will be on opening day August 25.