DALLAS — If you're on a diet, close out of this story now! All you foodies, though, are more than welcome.
The State Fair of Texas has announced 36 semi-finalists for this year's Big Tex Choice Awards Food Competition.
The contest started off with 51 entries. Each dish undergoes a "blind judging" from start to finish, meaning the judges don't know the cooks behind the concessions.
None of the dishes have been tasted yet. The semi-finalists were picked solely for their names, descriptions and photos.
The menu is divided into Savory and Sweet categories, but it wouldn't be Texas if we didn't have fried and deep-fried options from both sides of the aisle.
On the Savory side, contenders include a Fried Charcuterie Board. Mozzarella, salami, and apples will be tossed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Italian herbs. They're all going to be put in a wonton wrapper, fried to a crisp, and topped with goat cheese and hot honey.
That's going up against other dishes like the Bayou Bowl - three-cheese macaroni with shrimp, crab, andouille sausage and a side of toasted French bread.
The Texas Slide, the Holy Biscuits, and the Deep Fried Texas Country Cookout are also in the running for the final savory menu.
One option that's raising eyebrows in the Sweet section is the Deep Fried Buc-ee's. They're taking the classic Beaver Nuggets, deep-frying them "to perfection," then covering them in powdered sugar, caramel, and "Beaver Nugget sprinkles."
There's also Deep Fried Rocky Road with Blue Bell Ice Cream. It's deep-fried Rocky Road Kettle Fresh Fudge topped with chocolate syrup, condensed milk, marshmallows, cinnamon glazed nuts and powdered. Vanilla Blue Bell will be served on the side.
Those are also up against some incredible edibles like Deep Fried Honey, the Fat Elvis, and Smoked Bacon Wrapped Cookie Dough Balls.
You can check out the full menu here along with descriptions for each food.
Each dish is fighting for one of three titles: Best Taste - Savory, Best Taste - Sweet, and Most Creative.
Over the next few weeks, judges will actually get to try each food. Ten dishes will need to taste as good as they sound in order to get to the final round at the Big Tex Choice Awards ceremony.
The options will be judged on at least four categories: Uniqueness, Presentation, Creativity, and Taste. The judges then have to back up their rankings against the question, "How likely is a fairgoer going to buy it?"
Finalists will be announced in mid-August. If your favorite dish doesn't make it to the finals, the concessionaires can still bring it to their stand as a "new food" this year.
The 2022 State Fair of Texas will run from Sept. 30 through Oct. 23.
Note: The following video was uploaded on June 23