State Fair of Texas

Last weekend I went to the State Fair of Texas hosted on the fair grounds in Dallas, TX. It's the epitome of everything is BIGGER in TEXAS. For one, it's the largest state fair in the U.S. The marketing icon is a big statue and it's home to the tallest ferris wheel in the U.S. It's also Fried Food heaven for all the big people of Texas (inside and out!).

It's an annual ritual for many Texans, especially for fans of University of Texas (my alma mater) and Oklahoma University. The cotton bowl is in the middle of the fairgrounds where the UT v.s. OU game is held every year - called the Red Rivalry. If you go the weekend of the game, you will see floods of burnt orange and red. I love all the game day outfits.

The iconic things of the fair are:

Auto Show:

2014 Chevy Corvette

A showcase of new models of Chevy, Ford, Buick, and more 

Big Tex:

Big Tex

The 55 foot cultural icon of Texas. This year was his début since his burn down in 2012

Texas Star:

The Texas Star

The tallest ferris wheel in the U.S. at 212 feet

Fried Food:

Fried Food Heaven
1. Fried Texas Frito Pie, 2. Deep Fried Cuban Roll, 3. Fried Mexican Firecracker, 4a. Fried Oreos, 4b. Fried Oreo inside, 5. Fried Nutella

There is no absence of fatty and fried foods at the fair. Practically anything you can imagine fried is fried here. From savory: fried pizza, fried hot dogs, fried pork ribs, fried frito pie; to sweet:  fried nutella, fried bubble gum, fried oreos, fried twinkies, fried snickers; to liquids: fried coke, fried lemonade, fried margarita, fried beer.

The foods I chose to indulge in were:

1. Fried Texas Frito Pie - Winner of Best Tasting in 2010 and is my all time favorite.
2. Deep Fried Cuban Roll - Winner of Best Tasting in 2013. It's filled with shredded pork shoulder. Manny loved it. I did not.
3. Fried Mexican Firecracker - Essentially a fried chicken tamale, pretty decent
4a. Fried Oreos - Oh so freaking good. Imagine an oreo and funnel cake in one. So freaking good I had to make some for myself. And it's so freaking easy! - see recipe here
4b. Fried Oreo inside - nom nom nom nom nom
5. Fried Nutella - This was a pastry with nutella spread. It was the least worth it to me. I could get the equivalent with a croissant with nutella on it.

...but wait, there's more!

I've barely scratched the surface to the plethora of foods available. Each year new fried goodies are introduced and compete for the Big Tex awards for "Most Creative" and "Best Tasting". There are lots of great lists and pictures of additional foods for your viewing pleasure. Try not to lick your laptop screen. Trust me, not a cute look.

Gizmodo - 11 Weirdest Fried Foods at the Texas State Fair - this list actually has all the new ones introduced this year. Fried Thanksgiving Dinner won most creative and Fried Cuban Roll won best tasting. 

Ultimate Guide to Texas State Fair by a Taste of Koko - my lovely friend Jane, has put together an amazing list of fried foods at the Fair.