Fried pho, bourbon sopabelas, turkey ribs

When the expected 2 million visitors — or more — flock to the Texas State Fair in Dallas in September and October 2023, many will head straight to the concession stands. History is made here, as franchisees fry things we never thought possible.

On August 9, 2023, more than seven weeks before the gates to Fair Park open, fair executives have named the ten finalists for the Big Tex Choice Awards. These 10 new ingredients often bring in big bucks for franchisees who have spent months—or years—perfecting the recipe.

It is fair food property. As in: If a state fair were a high school, these ten finalists would be the class president, the homecoming kings and queens, the drum majors, the stars of the football team, and the lead in the high school musical.

However, you might be thinking!

Below are 10 finalists for the Big Tex Choice Awards at the Texas State Fair in 2023. The menu includes five delicious items, five of which are dessert. one drink.

Fried cheese crab

Crab meat, shredded potatoes, and cheese are formed into a fried tarter and topped with Cajun cheese sauce. Isaac Russo, a Texas State Fair winning franchisee and one of the most innovative, is the chef behind Deep Fried Cheese Crab Tater Bites. It’s his tenth consecutive year at the Big Tex Choice Awards.

“We’re bringing Cajun cowboys to the Texas State Fair,” Russo says of his new dish.

His booth inside Magnolia Beer Park at the fairgrounds will be renamed Cajun Cowboy, and his menu will include shrimp and grits, poboy, boudin, maffalita, and cheese crab.

Deep fried pho

How do you fry the soup? Franchise Michelle Le takes all the ingredients in her husband’s pho recipe, wraps them in tortillas, and deep-fries the whole thing. This is noodles, pork, herbs and bean sprouts in every bite, with faux broth, hoisin and sriracha on the side, for dipping.

The Le family has been at the State Fair since 2011, though 2023 is their first year with a Big Tex Choice Award winner. Their stand, Eat Crispies, is known for selling fried chicken skin.

Loaded fries pizza

Is it loaded with fries or pizza? It’s Monday. Franchisee Tom Grace puts ranch dressing on top of the dough, then layers shredded mozzarella, French fries, cheddar cheese and bacon. It tastes like loaded potato skins.

OX’cellent soul roll

Here’s a first: We’ve never seen a cow’s oxtail as an entry for the Big Tex Choice Awards. Oxtail is beef cut from the tail of cattle. In a Soul Roll made by Kerston and Shawn Thorns, oxtail is simmered, shredded and mixed with butter, celery, onion and smoked gouda. All stuffed into spring roll and deep fried. Those who want spice should try the chili garlic sauce on the side.

The Thorns serve oxtail at their home on Sundays, and Kerston Thorns often uses a recipe from her late grandmother, Pearlie Mae Daughtrey. The family pored over ideas for months after last year’s fair, trying to come up with the Big Tex Choice Awards that were right in front of them.

“Listen, my dear,” Kirston Thornes remembers telling her husband at the end. “It’s the tail of the bulls.”

Türkiye ribs!

The friendly face of Abel Gonzalez in cute food, he’s back with another final entry, Turkey Ribs! You may know him by his nickname, “Fried Jesus,” because he’s the winner of the inaugural Big Tex Choice Awards for his fried peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwich—which he still sells at his restaurant near Love Field.

Now, what is a turkey rib? It’s a shoulder cut. Each large “rib” has a bone in the middle and a texture similar to the pork ribs often served at barbecue joints. Turkey ribs are “the best part of turkey you never knew you loved,” Gonzalez says.

Customers can choose the “holiday style,” which is topped with turkey gravy and a side of cranberry-chipotle sauce; Or the same cut as turkey ribs, but with BBQ sauce. Both taste like fried chicken.

Ever the inventor, Gonzalez says he knew the name might confuse some customers — but it would also sell.

“I don’t know anyone selling this cut of meat in Dallas,” he says. “So I did what I do: I fried it.”

Peskov Delight

This delicious dessert is a New York-style cheesecake dipped in a layer of Belgian chocolate, then sprinkled with Biscoff and buttercream cookie dust. It comes from franchisee Stephen El Jedi, a first-time Big Tex Choice Award contestant.

Al Jedi grew up in Canada and swam in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. His next job was as an environmental engineering consultant. He moved to the US with an entirely new plan: to start a cheesecake business, first at Six Flags Over Texas and now at the Texas State Fair.

His booth at the fair sells cheesecake in five flavors, none of which have been fried. “I wanted to present something As good as friedwithout frying it.”

Bourbon Banana and Caramel Sopabelas

Franchisees Lauren and Cody Hays combine Tex-Mex and New Orleans influences with vanilla-caramel-topped sopapillas, bourbon syrup, nut pecans, sweetened mascarpone cheese, and crumbled Nilla Wafers.

In 2023, they will open a new pastry shop in Cotton Bowl Plaza that specializes in sobabellas and beignets. The Bourbon Banana Caramel is a generous portion of four sopapillas, good for sharing.

Verney’s Fried Cherry Pie in Heaven

The family that made Fernie’s Fried Peaches is back with another treat they call “the best take on America’s favorite pie.” The cherry shortbread dough contains cookies, almond butter cookies, and shortbread. Comes with blue bell vanilla ice cream and sweet cherry.

It was created by franchisee Kristi Erbello, one of the daughters of the late “Queen of Funnel Cake” Wanda “Vernie” Winter. Erpillo’s sister and franchise partner Johnna McKee cherishes a voicemail from their late mother that brought them joy during the state fair.

“You did really well,” says the late Vernie Winter on the recording. Erpillo and McKee think their mom will love this year’s Cherry Fried Pie.

Sweet Incanto

Franchisees Tony and Terry Bernard spent six years trying to get a booth at the Texas State Fair. They finally got one in 2021, and Sweet Encanto was the first finalist for the Big Tex Choice Awards. This loaded dessert contains a swirl of caramel dulce de leche; a drizzle of cream topped with sliced ​​strawberries, kiwi, peaches, and shredded coconut; Raspberry jam and condensed milk is a family recipe.

Trail Addi

Drink! Ruth Hawntz—famous for her award-winning JELL-O stir fry—created a non-alcoholic drink that blends fruit, cucumber, mint, and lime juice. It’s a refreshing sip inspired by the hot Texas summer, Hauntz says.

She is the show’s oldest franchisee, at 89 years old. I partnered with Smokey John’s BBQ family in the ’90s, and they run booths across the gallery together.

Their Trail-Ade is presented in a box-shaped plastic cup. It’s cute, but it has a purpose: In 2021, the group made brisket crisp at the fair and it didn’t sell as well as they’d like. They have a “warehouse full of shoes,” Brent Reeves laughs. Shoes have a new purpose in 2023.

The history of fried food

Although fried foods have been a part of State Fair talks for years, they took center stage in 2005, when the Big Tex Choice Awards kicked off. Since then, fried Coke, fried bacon with chicken, fried pilaf and fried Thanksgiving dinner have become state fair celebs.

The fair has also hosted generations of franchisees—those who remember the 24-day event long before there was a fried food contest. Long-termers include Fletcher’s original dogs Corny, who’s been selling hot dogs since 1942; Nevins franchises since 1948 and Sutter’s Saltwater Candy since 1950.

Some veteran franchisees don’t participate in the Big Tex Choice Awards, but they can. The Nevins, for example, created the fried charcuterie in 2022 and won the “Best Taste” award.

This year’s ten finalists were selected from among 36 semi-finalists. The larger menu included a surprisingly exciting list of delicacies such as pickles encased in Fruity Pebbles, cotton candy margaritas, and Vietnamese fried coffee. Some of these semi-finalists will continue to be sold at the state fair, and some will not; This is the choice of franchisees. The show will release details at a later date.

For now, I’m left to dream (or shiver?) about what atypical and enticing items will draw crowds at the 2023 Texas State Fair.

The Texas State Fair runs from September 29, 2023 through October 22, 2023 at Fair Park in Dallas. All 10 Big Tex Choice Awards finalists will be sold out at various locations around the fairgrounds. Upcoming locations and prices.

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovitch on Twitter at @employee.