Jordan Maddox
Audio By Carbonatix
Big Tex’s mic hasn’t been checked yet, nary a “Howdy, folks” has floated across the fairgrounds. And there’s not a single corndog to eat. Yet. But the State Fair of Texas is already underway. (For those counting the days, the fair runs from Sept. 26 to Oct. 19.)
One of the most exciting things about the State Fair is the big reveal of the best of the best in fried-food land, known as the Big Tex Choice Awards. There are four categories: best sweet, best savory, and best overall. Plus, a new arrival this year, the best-tasting “sipper,” a drink.
The Big Tex Choice Awards started in 2005 to celebrate the crazy foods that concessionaires fry up each year. Since the awards began, it has been “game on.”
Winning one is sort of like getting the lotto numbers. Maybe five of the six; if you spin it right, you will hit a jackpot. The winners get a lot of promotion, and, more importantly, are literally put on the map of the fairgrounds. For 36 days, lines at these spots are usually long, as many folks are willing to wait hours for a bite.
This summer, we learned of the semifinalists for each category and gave our own six-word recap of each.
Then, today, five judges gathered at the fairgrounds as 15 vendors put their entire life’s work into creating an absolutely perfect version of their concoction.
The five celebrity judges this year were:
- Jeff Allen: Former NFL-er and co-founder of Cookie Society, which offers one of the best damn cookies in North Texas.
- Marissa Allen: co-founder of Cookie Society, which, if we haven’t mentioned, makes some of the best damn cookies in North Texas.
- Keandre Hopkins: Content creator and foodie who puts mustard on chicken-fried steaks.
- Alex Snodgrass: Cookbook author, The Defined Dish.
- Chris Meyer: General Manager of Karbach Brewing
Each judge takes a bite of each dish and gives tasting notes along the way. After everything is tasted, they tally votes and pick winners.
Winner of Best Taste Savory
Crab and Mazzarella Arancini, Stefan T. Nedwetzky
Our six-word review: crab, mozzarella, lemon, black pepper, fried.”
These hand-made Italian orbs of love are made with Maryland Blue Crab meat, white rice, mozzarella cheese, spring onion, red bell pepper, lemon and black pepper; all of which is dipped and rolled in a breadcrumb coating, then deep fried.
The Chill and Thrill is a refreshing drink.
Jordan Maddox
Winner of Best Taste Sweet
Chill & Thrill Delight, Tony & Terry Bednar
Our six-word review: Colombian-inspired sweet and tangy drink
Chill and Thrill Delight is a twist on Colombia’s famous Salpicon de Fruta. A Texas-sized cup is packed with juicy, diced mango, pineapple, watermelon, grapes, cantaloupe and strawberries, all soaked in fresh watermelon juice with a splash of lime. It doesn’t stop there – it’s topped with a shaved mango sorbet that melts into the mix.
Winner of Best Taste Sipper
Cookie Chaos Milkshake, Brad Weiss
Our six-word review: cookies, cookies, cookies, cookies, cookies, unapologetic
This cookie batter milkshake is loaded with snickerdoodle chunks, Golden Oreo Cookies and classic Oreo Cookies with a fluffy swirl of whipped cream, a scoop of edible cookie butter cookie dough, a perfectly perched Biscoff cookie, cookie drizzle and a rim coated with Biscoff cookie.
It’s all in the name with the Wagyu Bacon Cheeseburger Deviled Egg Sliders.
Jordan Maddox
Winner of Most Creative
Wagyu Bacon Cheeseburger Deviled Egg Sliders, Kendall Williams
Our six-word review: six-word name does the trick
This wagyu bacon cheeseburger sprinkled with Cajun spice has two deep-fried, panko-crusted deviled egg halves instead of a bun. The judges kind of went crazy over this one. This is Kendall Williams’ first year to enter food in the Big Tex Choice Awards, and second year as a vendor.
