The 2015 Big Tex Choice Awards finalists are here
DALLAS, TX (KTRK) -- The State Fair of Texas begins next month, and that means all the fried food you can eat.
This morning, the eight finalists for this year's Big Tex Choice Awards were unveiled, and like always, there's something battered and deep fried for everyone.
PHOTOS: Big Tex Choice Awards Finalists
There's Isaac Rousso's 'Cowboy Corn Crunch,' which is a mix of sweet corn, jalapenos, cream cheese and bacon, all rolled into a ball, battered and deep fried to perfection.
Or you could get a little deep fried fancy with Abel Conzales' 'Chicken Fried Lobster with Champagne Gravy.' It's an entire lobster tail, deep fried of course, and served with cause made with lemon butter and champagne.
Feeling a little rajin' Cajun? Then Cassy Jone's 'Deep Fried Alligator's Egg Nest' is for you. It's a deep fried ball of alligator meat, cheese, jalapenos, onions and garlic served with a chipotle sauce.
Buffalo meat is among the firsts to this year's Big Tex Choice Awards thanks to James Barrera's 'Fried Beer-Battered Buffalo.' The smoked buffalo meat is rolled in chili pepper and corn flakes before being deep fried in Shiner Bock Beer batter.
There's also Justin Martinez's 'Lone Star Pork Handle,' which is a hand-cut bone-in pork chop marinate in Lone Star Beer. It's then deep fried to perfection before being coated in a bourbon barbecue glaze.
Need something sweet? Christi Erpillo's 'Holy Moly Carrot Cake Roly' will hit the spot. It's essentially a big piece of carrot cake, deep fried, and served with cream cheese frosting, powdered sugar and caramel.
There's also some Tex-Mex thanks to Allan Weiss' 'Pretzel-Crusted Pollo Queso.' It's a big, deep fried ball of shredded chicken mixed with various cheese, bacon, cilantro and Sriracha. Need an extra kick? Then get the jalapeno ranch dipping sauce on the side.
And you can't have all that fried food without something to wash it down with. That's where Isaac Rousso comes in to help. He's created a 'Smoky Bacon Margarita' for this year's state fair, which infuses freshly-cooked bacon with a frozen lime margarita.
At last year's state fair, it was the Fried Gulf Shrimp Boil and the Funnel Cake Ale taking home the Best Taste and Most Creative awards, respectively.
The 2015 Big Tex Choice Awards winners will be announced on Sunday, August 30. Tickets to try the food first are available now on the State Fair of Texas' website.
