Twenty four concessionaires are semi-finalists in the Big Tex® Choice Awards presented by Karbach Brewing Company. A State Fair of Texas staple since 2005, the Big Tex Choice Awards program encourages concessionaires to introduce new and unique foods each year. The awards are now a world-renowned food competition that puts the Most Texan Place on Earth on the map for innovative creations.
After tallying the scores from the first round of judging, these 24 semi-finalists will move forward in the competition. Comprised of 10 savory and 14 sweet entries, these semi-finalist contenders are one step closer to the main event, where they will compete for one of three winning titles: “Best Taste – Savory,” “Best Taste – Sweet,” and “Most Creative.”
SAVORY Semi-finalists
Deep Fried Crispy Vietnamese Crepes-a golden, crunchy crepe filled with savory meat, shrimp, and fresh veggies with homemade sauce. Dominican Dog-blending crispy queso frito and salami frito, fried in corn dog batter, with red Dominican sauce, crushed garlic plantain chips and chopped cilantro. The Drowning Taquitos-corn tortillas stuffed with shredded chicken breast, fried and served in a cup, and topped with our tangy cream sauce, jalapeño, guacamole salsa, shredded lettuce, chunks of avocado, tomatillo, pico and Cotija cheese. Fat Bacon Pickle Fries-slivers of dill pickles battered and fried, dusted in spicy ranch pepper seasoning plus queso topped with caramelized bacon chunks, sour cream, jalapeños, and chives.
Hammy Pimento Meltdown-grilled pimento cheese sandwich with black forest ham on Texas Toast for a savory, cheesy treat. Hippie Chips-crispy, wavy potato chips covered in homemade ranch or blue cheese dressing, topped with chopped green onions, crispy bacon bits, and a drizzle of sriracha sauce plus blue cheese crumbles. Hot Chick-in-Pancake Poppers-Nashville hot fried jumbo chicken topped and mixed with pimento cheese, rolled into a ball, dunked into pancake batter and fried, topped with a drizzle of Sriracha honey and a sprinkle of Nashville hot powdered sugar.
Oktoberfest Pizza
Handmade pizza dough topped with spicy mustard-infused white cream sauce plus blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, topped with sliced German sausage, crispy, skillet-fried German potatoes, sautéed onions, green peppers, and sauerkraut.
Texas Fried Burnt End Bombs- tender beef burnt end wrapped with shredded potato, bacon, and green onion mixture, fried and served with a side of raspberry chipotle barbeque sauce. Triple Meat Big Back Snack-Base of Abuela’s cherished elote street corn, smoked chopped beef brisket, smoked gouda mac and cheese, buttermilk biscuit crowned with tender cubes of Hogzilla Pork Belly Burnt Ends, coated in house-made sauce, topped with loaded nacho beef brisket sausage link and maple waffle-flavored potato slices.
SWEET Semi-finalists
Beso De Angel-Taco base made from a sugary fritter filled with sweet crema, delicious strawberry preserves, splash of whipped cream, cajeta caramel, and sweet condensed milk and topped off with fresh slices of strawberries. Caramel Macchiato Fritters-Coffee cake balls fried in beignet batter, garnished with whipped cream, caramel, and white chocolate drizzle. Inject your shot of espresso into every bite.
Cookie Butter Nachos-fried flour tortilla chips coated in cinnamon sugar with cookie butter cheesecake filling, plus dollops of cream cheese icing on top, and drizzled with caramel sauce and crushed Biscoff® cookies. Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick-bacon on a stick, dipped in cotton candy syrup glaze and spun in the cotton candy machine.
Crookies-Croissant sliced and filled with cookie dough, topped with more cookie dough, baked and drizzled with syrup. Frozen Limoncello-Italian classic gets a deep freeze, lemon peel is filled with limoncello sorbet to quench your thirst and give you an all-around cool-down.
It’s Bananas…B-A-N-A-N-A-S
Combine a-banana shake with banana pudding on top and topped with whipped cream, Nilla wafers, chocolate-covered bananas, and a caramel drizzle. LAY’S® Potato Chip Drink-crispy LAY’S® Potato Chips combined with mango and citrus juices with hot honey, jalapeño infused syrup, and strawberry drizzle, sweet foam and LAY’S® Sweet & Spicy Honey Potato Chips.
Nutty Bar-Laska- Chocolate-dipped nutty bar rolled in peanuts, smothered in creamy marshmallow fluff and toasted, with two whole OREOS®, delectable strawberry sauce, and freeze-dried strawberry pieces. Standing on Business-Salted caramel ice cream from Howdy Homemade Ice Cream in a waffle cone bowl, topped with a dark chocolate cookie created for the State Fair of Texas by Cookie Society. A slice of deep fried sweet potato pie dusted with powdered sugar, drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce, and topped with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
Strawberry Pop-Tarts® Beignetffle
No idea how to pronounce this entry, but it’s a mouthful. Beignet and croissant dough dipped and cooked to a crispy exterior with fluffy interior honeycomb waffle is topped with homemade strawberry filling, vanilla icing drizzle, fresh whipped cream piping, and multicolor sprinkles, served on a stick. Texas Sugar Rush Pickles-cotton candy-flavored pickle slices coated in Lucky Charms™, Froot Loops®, and Cap’n Crunch®, layered in cotton candy, sprinkled with sugar crystals and powdered sugar, drizzled with strawberry sundae syrup and topped with vanilla ice cream. Tropical Two-Step Punch-alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage combines citrus, passionfruit, and mango. Whole Bundt of Kisses-deep fried 7UP® Bundt cake fried in batter and filled with Belgian chocolate, with crumbled homemade chocolate chip cookies and miniature kisses, dusted with powdered sugar, crowned with a full-sized Hershey’s® on whipped cream and sprinkle of edible silver glitter.
Big Tex Choice Awards Concessionaires
An impressive 65 entries by 40 concessionaires kicked off the Big Tex Choice Awards competition in June. Competitors are required to have at least one year of experience as State Fair concessionaires to enter. With food as a cornerstone of the annual State Fair, these contenders are more than just successful small business owners; they have proven themselves to be authentic representations of the dedication and passion brought to the table each year.
The unique selection process used in the annual competition is headed up by a panel of internal judges and requires “blind judging” from start to finish, meaning the panel does not know which concessionaire is behind each recipe. This allows for the scoring to be entirely based on the food entry itself and leaves no room for bias toward concessionaires since their identities are not revealed to the panel. Faced with a solid lineup of treats, the judges base scores on three main ingredients: fairgoer appeal, creativity, and, of course, taste.
Then There Were Ten
In mid-August, the semi-finalists will be further narrowed down, with the best of the best from these sweet and savory treats earning a spot in the finals. The anticipation will be at an ultimate high when the Fair-food finalists are announced. The top 10 entries will compete in the final round at this year’s Big Tex® Choice Awards ceremony later in August.
Start planning your visit to the Most Texan Place on Earth, the 2024 State Fair of Texas, now at BigTex.com/Plan. The Fair opens on Friday, September 27, and runs through October 20, 2024.
