Later in August, winners will be crowned in the savory, sweet and most creative food categories, putting them on the foodie map. Each year after the gates to the State Fair of Texas open, the lines at these stands are long. When they execute their dishes smartly, these vendors can expect a big payday. So, while it's all fun and fat for most of us, it's also big business.
On Aug. 7, the fair announced the names of the 10 finalists. Each creation is judged on four elements: uniqueness, creativity, presentation and taste. A panel of celebrity judges will crown the three winners on Aug. 22.
Here's what they'll be judging:
SAVORY FINALISTS
Dominican Fritura Dog by Justin Martinez
This double deep-fried corn dog is filled with fritura cheese and Dominican salami, served split open and topped with garlic plantain chops, a secret sauce and cilantro. It's both salty and sweet.
The Drowning Tacos by Tony and Terry Bednar
We need more cups! Here hand-rolled corn tortillas are stuffed with a generous amount of shredded chicken, deep fried, and then dunked in a cup of cream sauce, jalapeños, guacamole salsa, lettuce, avocado, tomatillo, pico and cotija cheese.
Hippie Chips by Rose and Tom Deschenes
Wavy potato chips are topped with a from-scratch ranch or blue cheese dressing, bacon bits, green onions and a drizzle of Sriracha. These are surprisingly good for a somewhat simple dish.
Hot Chick-in-Pancake Poppers by Palmer and Amanda Fortuna
This is from the same couple behind Palmer's Hot Chicken restaurant on Mockingbird Lane. Here, they take their Nashville hot chicken and roll it into a ball with pimento cheese, then dunk it in pancake batter and deep fry it. These poppers are covered in Sriracha honey and "Nashville hot powdered sugar."
Texas Fried Burnt End Bombs by Nick and Vera Bert
Nick and Vera Bert take the best part of a brisket — the burnt ends — mixed with shredded potatoes, bacon and cheese then deep fry it. The concoction is topped off with a drizzle of a chipotle glaze. The Berts have a long history at the fair with eight previous finalists in the Big Tex Choice Awards and one winner.
SWEET
Nevins Nutty Bar-laska by Tami Nevins Mayes and Josey Mayes
The Nevins are celebrating their 75th anniversary as concessionaires, and perhaps they'll celebrate a winner with their Oreo-topped chocolate ice cream bar loaded with toasted marshmallow fluff and dried strawberries.
Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick by Isaac Rousso
We'll go ahead and call it: This will likely be a winner. It just has the panache of a Vegas showgirl that the fair needs. People pull their kids out of school and call into work sick for food on a stick like this. A thick piece of bacon is skewered and given a twirl through a cotton candy machine, then torched to caramelize the sugar onto the bacon. Genius and tasty. Rousso has had nine previous Big Tex Choice Awards finalists and three winners.
Strawberry Pop-Tarts Beignettfle by Justin Martinez
This is a New Orleans-inspired beignet, strawberry Pop-Tart and waffle all smushed together and put on a stick topped with vanilla icing, whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles. Bring wet wipes.
Texas Sugar Rush Pickles by Heather Perkins
It's cotton-candy flavored pickel slices mixed with three kinds of cereal (Lucky Charms, Froot Loops and Cap'n Crunch), then layered with blue cotton candy, cotton candy crystals and powdered sugar, strawberry syrup and ice cream and more candy on top of all of that. And pickles. Did you get that?
Tropical Two-Step Punch by Binh Tran
This can be served with Fireball! (or not, you ol' party pooper). This drink has citrus, passionfruit and mango and is touched off with a bit of Tajin for a tangy, sweet, sour and spicy blend. With Fireball!
