Hold onto your hats — the 2019 State Fair of Texas Big Tex Choice Awards Semi-Finalists have been announced. And just about every style of food is fair game — Tex-Mex, Barbecue, Creole, Cajun, Southern and Asian.
The rich tradition of frying every food you can think of lives on, with some tantalizing exceptions, in this year’s semi-finalists. Made up of 20 savory and 13 sweet entries, these dishes are competing for one of three winning titles: Best Taste – Sweet, Best Taste – Savory, and Most Creative.
Everything from burnt ends to energy bites to Oreo gelato hit the fryer for this first round of judging. Not to be outdone, some stuffed entries combine an impressive amount of ingredients, like the PB&J Bacon Pickle Dog, Deep Fried Chicken Cordon Bleu Stuffed Waffles, and the Deep Fried Nutella Custard Stuffed French Toast.
But not everything is fried or stuffed. Some, like the BBQ Pork Rangoons, Calypso Island Shrimp Bowl and Peanut Butter Cup Snookie, sound deceptively simple.
The contest began with 49 food entries from 30 concessionaires. Over the next few weeks, these 33 semi-finalists will be put to the taste test. The top 10 concoctions advance to the final round in August. They'll compete in a live final round at the awards ceremony Aug. 25.
Here are the 33 semi-finalists:
SAVORY
- BBQ Pork Rangoons
- Cajun Crab Bombs
- Calypso Island Shrimp Bowl
- Chicks in a Cone
- Deep Fried 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
- The "Ain't No Lie it's Fried" Steak
SWEET
- 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
- Quick Fried “Black Gold” Truffles
The 15th annual Big Tex Choice Awards ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, in the Tower Building in Fair Park. Tickets are $125. Proceeds go to the Big Tex Scholarship Program.
