State Fair of Texas announces the 2023 Big Tex Choice Awards finalists

The State Fair of Texas has released the finalists of the 2023 Big Tex Choice Awards.

The Big Tex Choice Awards have been held at the State Fair of Texas since 2005. Each year, concessionaires create unique and tasty foods and compete for a chance to become a finalist in the annual Big Tex Choice Awards competition. Fairgoers will get a chance to sample the winning creations when the fair arrives this fall.

This year, the ten finalists were selected from 19 savory and 17 sweet entries. The contenders will now advance to the main event at the State Fair where they will compete for one of three winning titles: “Best Taste – Savory,” “Best Taste – Sweet,” and “Most Creative.”

State Fair of Texas 2023 Big Tex Choice Awards Finalists

2023 Savory Finalist

Deep Fried Cheesy Crab Tater Bites are golden-brown deep-fried bites that burst with minced crab meat, shredded potato, cheese and spices. Topped with a cheesy Cajun sauce made from American cheese, crawfish and a secret Cajun spice mix. Created by Isaac Rousso each bite is topped with ‘Cajun gold’ and evokes the South Texas spirit of seafood and culture.

Deep Fried Pho created by Michelle Le mixes the southern tradition of fried food with traditional Vietnamese comfort food. The combination is a balance of flavorful and refreshing with every bite. The pho is rolled up with noodles, slices of beef, fresh herbs and bean sprouts. Served with sides of pho broth, lime, jalapeños, cilantro, hoisin sauce and siracha that are typically found in pho restaurants.

Loaded Fries Pizza combines two greasy classics; pizza and loaded fries. A 16” pizza crust is covered in house-made buttermilk ranch dressing, a layer of freshy shredded mozzarella, then a pile of slaty French fries smothered in cheddar cheese. Lastly, topped with crunchy bacon and thrown in the oven to bake. The cheesy, crunchy pizza is one-of-a-kind pizza according to creator Tom Grace.

Ox’cellent Soul Roll is made with beef oxtails that are slowly simmered for hours to make them tender and juicy. Chunks of potatoes, smoked gouda, mozzarella, celery, bell pepper and sweet onions are rolled into a spring roll and deep-fried until crispy. Creators Kerston and Shawn Thorns serve the rolls with a side of hush puppies and garlic chili sauce to give a Southern staple a twist.

Turkey Ribs! make a holiday classic even better. Fry the ‘best part of turkey’ and serve it with stuffing seasoned fries, homemade giblet gravy and a secret salsa recipe. Make it even more southern by ordering it Texas Style with barbeque sauce fries, jalapeños and pickles. You’ll crave it come the holidays creator Abel Gonzales said.

2023 Sweet Finalist

Five sweet finalists compete to cure fair-goers' sweet cravings.

Biscoff Delight elevates the classic New York-style cheesecake with Belgian chocolate and cookies. The outer layer of the slice is covered with crumbled Biscoff cookies and drizzled in Biscoff spread. Creator Stephen El Gidi makes the dessert Instagram worthy it is topped with a Biscoff cookie.

Bourbon Banana Carmel Sopapillas, created by Cody and Lauren Hays, make the fluffy fried treat even better. Topped with vanilla-caramel-infused bananas, sweet bourbon syrup, crushed candied pecans, sweetened mascarpone cheese, crumbled Nilla Wafers and dusted with powdered sugar to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth.

Fernie’s Fried Cherry Pie in the Sky is a rendition of an American classic according to creators Christi Erpillo and Johnna McKee. A flakey, butter crust is layered with crumbled shortbread cookies, tart sweet cherries, a layer of blended shortbread cookies and topped with more pastry dough that is hand crimped. After being fried the pie is topped with almond shortbread crumble to make a mix between a pie and cobbler. The pie is paired with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream drizzled in cherry preserves, whipped cream and garnished with sugared dark sweet cherries.

Sweet Encanto combines the best flavors of Latin America according to the creators Tony and Terry Bednar. The dessert is made up of a thin round waffle sweetened with caramel dulce de leche. Topped with specialty cream, slices of strawberry, kiwi, peach and shredded coconut. Then a dollop of raspberry jam and a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk finishes it off.

Trail-ade is a refreshing mocktail severed in a souvenir cowboy boot cup. The drink is a blend of summer fruits, cucumbers and fresh mint mixed with homemade lemonade. The drink pairs perfectly with a stroll through the State Fair of Texas according to creator Ruth Hauntz.