"state fair of texas" news and stories

This year's State Fair of Texas drew a lot of press over fried beer and the 2010 Big Tex Choice Award winner fried frito pie (let's not forget last years winner -- fried butter). While the Slashfood team wasn't able to make the trip down, a fellow AOL colleague attended this past weekend and snapped some shots of the fried-food lineup this fair has to offer.

This year's Big Tex Choice Award winners were chosen by a three-judge panel who sampled all of the deep-fried food entries before crowning the Fried Frito Pie the best in show.

Entries in the contest must be new to the fair, as well as "unique and taste-tempting," the fair's Web site says. Fair food vendors are sent invitations to participate in mid-summer and interested parties can submit menus to a committee for consideration. Those chosen to participate vie for the Big Tex Choice Awards on Labor Day.

The awards were created in 2005 to draw attention to the bounty of creativity in the fair's fried food offerings.

Founded in 1886, the State Fair of Texas is a 24-day-long exhibition and competition featuring food competitions, live entertainment and an auto show.

Photo: Jessica S. Ralat.

Deep frying improves all. But at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, fried really hurts. On Opening Day, Slashfood set out to eat all eight of the Big Tex Choice Awards finalists, including the nationally heralded, light and not greasy Deep Fried Butter by Abel Gonzales Jr. (voted Most Creative) and Fernie's Deep Fried Peaches & Cream by Christi Erpillo (voted Best Tasting).

Both fried-food creators have State Fair pedigrees. For several years, each has placed as a finalist or won top prizes. These include Fernie's All-American Fried Grilled Cheese Sandwich in 2008 and Gonzalez's Fried Coke in 2006.

"I go on these kicks where I have to eat the same food, prepared in the same way for weeks," Gonzalez said. "Toast was one of them. I thought, 'What's so great about toast? Not the bread; it's the butter.' "

See the butter after the jump!

Deep-Fried Butter. Photo: State Fair of Texas

Behold the deep-fried butter!

Last week, Slashfood reported that Abel Gonzales planned to best his fried-food record at the State Fair of Texas with a concoction that shuddered even those with the most hardened of arteries -- Deep-Fried Butter.

The dish -- which comes in four flavors: original, garlic, cherry and grape -- took top honors on Monday when fair officials gave it the Most Creative nod in the Big Tex Choice Awards.

"It's similar to having a dinner roll with a lot of butter," Sue Gooding, a spokeswoman for the fair, told us last week. "It's very good."