News for North Texas
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

State Fair Of Texas Names 10 Finalists: Fat Smooth, Fried Sheet Cake, Fajita Fries And More

State Fair of Texas
The Funnel Cake Bacon Queso Burger — one of 10 finailsts for the 2017 Big Tex Choice Awards.";

The competition's heating up: Ten finalists for the 13th annual Big Tex Choice Awards were announced by the State Fair of Texas Wednesday morning.

Oreo Beer — an item some thought would be just crazy enough to eat (or drink?) — didn't make the cut. But, the even more perplexing Fat Smooth sailed through the semifinals. 

The competition began in July with 47 entries that were narrowed to 30 semifinalists earlier this month. Concessionaires whose creations didn't make the finals could be available at the fair if they choose to sell them. So there's still a chance to find out what Fried Texas Dirt is.

Finalists will compete in three categories: Best Taste — Sweet, Best Taste — Savory and Most Creative. 

Previously, the fair just had Best Taste and Most Creative. Last year, the winners for taste and creativity were Deep Fried Jell-O and State Fair Cookie Fries, respectively.

The winners will be named at 2 p.m. on Aug. 27 at the Tower Building in Fair Park. The fair runs Sept. 29 through Oct. 22.

Without further ado, here are the finalists, their creators and their competing category.

1. Deep Fried Chicken Noodle Soup on a Stick by Sherry and Chris Howard (Savory)

Credit State Fair of Texas
Perfectly spiced chicken noodle soup deep fried and served on a stick.

2. Deep Fried Froot Loops® by Gracie and Milton Whitley (Sweet)

Credit State Fair of Texas
Cereal folded into marshmallow, dipped in batter, fried and drizzled with glaze and powdered sugar.

3. Fat Smooth by Tami Nevins-Mayes (Sweet)

Credit State Fair of Texas
Three Belgium cream puffs dipped in Cafe Du Monde beignet batter. Dusted in powdered sugar and drizzled with a caramel and chocolate sauce.

4. Fernie’s Fried Texas Sheet Cake by Winter Family Concessions (Sweet)

Credit State Fair of Texas
Chocolate brownie cake coated in ground cocoa puffs, panko and cinnamon sugar. It's fried and then glazed with icing made with Dr Pepper. Served with chopped Texas pecans, whipped cream and a strawberry garnish.

5. Funnel Cake Bacon Queso Burger by Tom Grace and Edna Sutton (Savory)

Credit State Fair of Texas
A burger topped with bacon and queso with funnel cakes as the buns.

6. Gulf Coast Fish Bowl by Clint Probst (Sweet)

Credit State Fair of Texas
A drink that starts with Nerds candy as the gravel at the bottom. It's filled with blue alcoholic punch. Swedish Fish swim through the liquid. And a pineapple slice serves as the lid.

7. Pinot Noir Popcorn by The Parish Family (Sweet)

Credit State Fair of Texas
Santa Monica Kettle Corn dusted generously with Pinot Noir burgundy wine powder. Also has cheddar cheese flavors for the perfect pairing.

8. Surfin’ Turfin’ Tator Boat by Melissa and David Harrison (Savory)

Credit State Fair of Texas
Lobster marinated in lemon herb butter and pared with seasoned steak. Both are topped with cheddar and romano cheeses after being stuck into a baked potato with roasted garlic butter inside. Topped with single empress crab claw.

9. Texas Fajita Fries by Nick Bert (Savory)

Credit State Fair of Texas
Breaded and deep-fried fajita strips seasoned with Sriracha spice mix and served in a bread cone. Comes with fried onions and jalpenos plus pico de gallo and a cool, yet spicy sour cream guacamole hot sauce.

10. The Tamale Donut by Justin Martinez (Savory)

Credit State Fair of Texas
Starts with pork carnitas blended with masa that's then hand-formed into a donut shape and fried. It's drizzled with a homemade creamy jalapeno salsa.