Funnel Cake Ale, Fried Gulf Shrimp Boil Win Big Tex Awards

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The rides are nice, but the fair just isn't the fair without the food.

This year for the first time, the State Fair of Texas invited the public for a preview of all eight Big Tex Award finalists.

"We don't care about health," said Tom Simon, as he prepared to sample a smorgasbord of fried food.

A panel of judges was also on hand to taste and hand out awards for the "Most Creative" and "Best Tasting."

Taking home "Most Creative" honors was Funnel Cake Ale.

"I'm going to give this a really great compliment," said Dallas blogger Cynthia Smoot. "I am a girl who doesn't like beer and I like this."

>>CLICK HERE FOR A LOOK AT ALL THE FINALISTS<<

The "Best Tasting" award went to the Fried Gulf Shrimp Boil, a combination of shrimp, potatoes, corn, onion and lemon all fried into a ball.

"The ingredients are pretty easy to put together. It's like making meatloaf," explained the dish's creator, Clint Probst.

The family who won this year had a finalist in contention last year. They expect business to double.

"Elated! Elated! And looking forward to jumping back to work as soon as we leave here," said Probst about the win. "We have to double everything we had been planning on. We hoped it would happen, and now it has happened."

The 2014 State Fair of Texas runs from September 26 through October 19.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Latest News:

Top Trending: