These 36 surprising dishes will compete for State Fair of Texas food awards

Just when we think the State Fair of Texas’ concessionaires have tried — and fried — everything, the season of gut-busting food returns. The 2023 list of Big Tex Choice Awards semifinalists shows us that the fried-food creativity is bubbling hot, once again.

Among the 19 savory and 17 sweet semifinalists that will be considered to win a Big Tex Choice Award in 2023, nearly all of them move beyond the typical Fried Thing On a Stick. This year, we have three fried dishes that claim to be drinks: fried Fireball, fried Vietnamese coffee and fried piña colada. We also see fourth and fifth drinks in the lineup, these not fried: a fruit sipper called Trail-Ade and a cotton candy margarita.

Among the list of 36, nearly half — 14 — have the word “fried” in them. It isn’t a requirement that Big Tex Choice Awards entries are fried, but it sure seems to be a winning formula. In 2022, all three of the winners had a fried component.

This summer, the State Fair received 57 entries and narrowed them down to 36 semifinalists, listed below.

In mid-August, these 36 dishes will be slimmed to 10 finalists. Winners will be announced a few weeks later, before the State Fair of Texas turns up the fryers for opening day on Sept. 29.

Tell us: Which of these, below, sound the most delicious? Which sound disgusting?

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19 semifinalists in the State Fair of Texas’ ‘savory’ category

Listed in alphabetical order

Butchers Block: These concessionaires dub the Butchers Block “the ultimate carnivore bowl.” It’s mac and cheese topped with smoked brisket, fried chicken, candied bacon bits and jalapeños. Sausage comes on the side.

Cornbread Sausage Bombs: This Southern treat stacks some Texas traditions in one deep-fried bite. It’s a slice of pecan-smoked Texas sausage, then pimento cheese, then a slice of jalapeño, all dipped in cornbread batter and fried. Served with jalapeño ranch dipping sauce.

Creole Etouffee Beignets: Shrimp and sausage etouffee is stuffed inside of a beignet, topped with powdered sugar. We can picture it now.

Deep Fried Birria Bomb: There’s a lot going on here, so allow us to quote the news release: “Birria bombs are stuffed with birria, Oaxaca cheese and home-style mashed potatoes. Then they are rolled into a ball of perfection, dipped in a special batter and deep fried until they reach a golden brown. Lastly, they are topped with fire-roasted poblano ranch dressing and fresh cilantro, which pairs perfectly with this family consommé recipe.”

Deep Fried Pho: How do you fry soup? We’re not sure yet, but this dish promises to combine noodles, beef, herbs, bean sprouts and pho broth in each bite. Each plate comes with a side of broth as well as lime, jalapeños, cilantro, hoisin and Sriracha.

Deep Fried Surf & Turf Empanada: These concessionaires combine lobster, crab and chorizo into a corn masa pastry that also includes corn, cream, cilantro, paprika and lime. It’s fried and served with garlic aioli infused with avocado oil.

Deep Fried Sushi Bombs: You’ve seen tempura fish at sushi restaurants, but this Big Tex Choice Award semifinalist fries the whole darn thing. Imitation crab, salmon and sushi rice are rolled up and fried in panko. Seaweed and Yum Yum sauce come on the side.

Deep Fried Cheesy Crab Tater Bites: Crab meat, shredded potato and cheese are formed into tater tots, fried, and topped with cheesy Cajun sauce.

Fried Monte Qristo: The concessionaire who made this dish calls it “Texas barbecue’s spin on the classic specialty sandwich.” The Qristo is stacked with brisket, American cheese, smoked turkey and Swiss, all fried, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. Similar to a Monte Cristo, raspberry chipotle barbecue sauce comes on the side.

Fried Texas BBQ Shotgun Shells: No guns were used in the making of these roll-ups on a stick. Shotgun Shells are brisket, Velveeta, cream cheese and a dash of Meat Church Texas Sugar Rub — hey, a nice plug for the Waxahachie celeb. All of that is rolled in a pasta sheet, wrapped in bacon and rolled in jalapeño breadcrumbs.

Loaded Fries Pizza: This pizza starts with ranch dressing on top of dough. Then comes shredded mozzarella, French fries, cheddar cheese and bacon. Right: Loaded fries on pizza.

OX’cellent Soul Roll: Here’s a first: We have never seen beef oxtail as a Big Tex Choice Awards entry, a State Fair team rep confirms. Oxtail is beef, cut from the tail of cattle. In the Soul Roll, the oxtail is simmered, chunked and combined with crumbled cornbread, butter, celery and sweet onions. This mixture is then put into a spring roll and fried.

Raspberry Chipotle Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese: This Southern sandwich offers sweetness, smoke and spice. Concessionaires fill jalapeños with cream cheese and raspberry chipotle jam, then wrap them in bacon — like a jazzy jalapeño popper. The peppers are sandwiched between white bread and cheddar cheese, then warmed on the griddle.

Taki Ramen Tostada: Takis have entered the chat! The creators of this dish explain it as a “ramen noodle cake [that] is flash-fried, smothered with made-from-scratch savory seasoned taco meat and topped with crispy Asian sesame seed slaw and a drizzle of garlic lime aioli.” Queso blanco and crumbled Takis go on top.

Texas Thai Up: This is basically deep-fried pad Thai topped with cashews and green onions. We have many guesses as to which local restaurateur might have created this dish, don’t you?

The Balboa: This sounds like the mother of all pizza sandwiches. The bread is slathered with garlic aioli and stacked with pepperoni, capicola, soppressata, provolone, tomatoes, banana peppers, artichokes, onions, black olives, mushrooms, arugula and a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

The Tomato-Tomahto Potato-Potatho Slyder: Say that three times fast. This Big Tex Choice Awards semifinalist is basically a State Fair-ized cheeseburger served with potatoes. The “tomato” part is fried green tomatoes, standing in for burger buns. Between the two is a beef patty with cheese, sautéed bell peppers, pickles and lettuce. It comes “drenched” in queso. The “potato” part is seasoned potatoes served underneath the burger.

The Triple C: Instead of chicken on top of a waffle, this rendition of the Southern fried favorite is Nashville hot chicken tenders served in a waffle cone. There’s mac and cheese in there, too.

Turkey Ribs!: We’re going to have to see this one to understand it. The quote: “Take the best part of turkey you never knew you loved, gently fry it and serve it with stuffing-seasoned fries, homemade giblet gravy and a secret salsa recipe. You can also order it Texas Style with BBQ sauce fries, jalapeños, and pickles.”

17 semifinalists in the State Fair of Texas’ ‘sweet’ category

Listed in alphabetical order

Biscoff Delight: This sweet treat is New York-style cheesecake with Belgian chocolate and Biscoff cookies.

Bourbon Banana Caramel Sopapillas: The name explains this dessert well. Sopapillas come topped with vanilla-caramel-infused bananas, bourbon syrup, candied pecans, sweetened mascarpone cheese and crumbled Nilla Wafers.

Churreos: That’s not a typo. Churreos are mini churros, tossed in cinnamon-sugar, then drizzled with chocolate syrup, cream cheese icing and crushed Oreos. Ah! Churro + Oreos = Churreos.

Cotton Candyrita: The concessionaires challenge: “Did you even go to the Fair if you didn’t have some iconic cotton candy?” And now, what if you put it in a margarita? That’s the Cotton Candyrita.

Deep Fried Honey Butter Brisket Swirls: A sweet dish that’s also savory? We can’t wait to try it. Buttery dough is laced with brisket, then rolled with honey-butter sauce and fried.

Deep Fried Texas Oatmeal Pie: Concessionaires take an oatmeal cream pie, dip it in Dr Pepper-infused pancake batter and fry it. It then gets topped with Big Red reduction, marshmallow sauce and powdered sugar. This sounds a bit like Peanut Butter Paradise — a winner last year and a favorite among our tasting panel — but with new, saccharine treats.

Deep Fried Vietnamese Coffee: Despite the name, this dish appears to be deep-fried cake, not a drink. The cake is served with sweetened condensed milk typically used in Vietnamese coffee.

Deep Fried Candy Pecan Bacon Bread Pudding: Bite-sized bread pudding is fried, then tossed with cinnamon-sugar, candied pecans and bacon. It’s finished with two sauces: New Orleans-style praline sauce and salted caramel bourbon sauce.

Fried Cherry Pie in the Sky: They call it “the best rendition of America’s favorite pie.” The fried cherry pastry has the addition of shortbread cookies and a butter-almond-shortbread crumble. It comes with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream and sugared cherries.

Fried Fireball Shot: We’re just going to let them explain: “The fluffy, airy, melt-in-your-mouth sweetness of angel food cake meets the red-hot and fiery cinnamon flavor of Fireball Cinnamon malt liquor. After deep frying to a perfect golden brown, Fireball Cinnamon is poured over the top and into a shot glass. You no longer have to choose between the angel or devil on your shoulder when you shoot back the Fried Fireball Shot at the great State Fair of Texas!”

Island Delight Deep Fried Piña Colada: Rum cake gets baked, then smooshed into balls with pineapple, creme de coconut and lime. After it’s fried, each piece is topped with golden sprinkles and sugar glitter.

Not’Cho Average Nachos: You don’t often see dessert nachos, but these are. A wonton wrapper is filled with cherry or apple filling, then fried and topped with whipped cream, brownies, fruit, citrus glaze and chocolate sauce. It comes with a churro filled with cajeta.

Rest in Heavenly Peach: Why the name? Because “this sweet treat will make you think you’ve died and gone to heaven!” This dessert has two pieces of angel food cake that are grilled until charred. They sit upon whipped cream, with a scoop of peach pie filling on top. We’re not sure which concessionaire this one comes from, but it reminds us of State Fair funnel cake queen Wanda “Fernie” Winter, who died in 2021. She was famous for her Fernie’s Deep Fried Peaches and Cream at the State Fair.

Strawberry Chicks-On-the-Stick: Call this a rare sweet-savory hybrid. Four chicken wings get dipped in funnel cake batter and deep fried, then covered in honey-garlic sauce. Then, they are “infused” with strawberries, sprinkled with lemon and powdered sugar and positioned atop whipped cream and strawberry syrup. Is it dinner? Is it dessert? You decide.

Sweet Encanto: This loaded waffle is topped with a swirl of caramel dulce de leche; a cream with slices of strawberry, kiwi, peach and shredded coconut; raspberry jam and sweetened condensed milk.

The Fruity Pebble Pickle: It’s a pickle wrapped in a Fruit-Roll-Up and Fruit by the Foot, coated with Fruity Pebbles. But wait, there’s more: The fruity pickle is then drizzled with strawberry snow cone syrup.

Trail-Ade: This non-alcoholic drink is a blend of fruit, cucumber, mint and lemonade. It’s served in a cowboy boot cup.

Which one of these would you want to try most? Tweet your opinions.