State Fair Fried Food Finalists

Check out the outrageous finalists in the 2016 State Fair of Texas fried food awards

The State Fair of Texas has revealed the eight finalists for its 2016 Big Tex Choice Awards, more commonly known as the fried food awards. High-five to fried Jell-O! You made it.

Fried Jell-O is probably the most outrageous among the finalists, but it has plenty of competition. The list also includes hot pockets, food on a stick, and something called injectable balls.

Each year, State Fair concessionaires devise boundary-busting foods for a chance to compete for the winning titles of Best Taste and Most Creative. This year’s winners will be announced with much hoopla on August 28.

These eight finalists were culled from a larger list, released in July, that included lots of things on sticks and loads of bacon: bacon-wrapped churros, bacon-wrapped pork belly on a stick, bacon-wrapped tater dog, bacon burger dogs on a stick, a "Bacontilla," and Dorito bacon fried cheese stick. Only the bacon burger dog slider on a stick emerged from the bacon field.

Pineapple was a popular ingredient, as well, with three entries: Caribbean pineapple "Korn-a-Copia," fried "Pinatacolupa," deep fried Hawaiian hoops, and an entry called "Pina-A lot-Ta." One pineapple made it through.

These are the eight finalists for the 2016 Big Tex Choice Awards:

Caribbean Pineapple Korn-a-Copia
Marinated grilled chicken and shrimp are served over a bed of yellow Caribbean fried rice and topped with a tropical salsa and pineapple rum glaze. Served in a pineapple half shell.

Deep Fried Bacon Burger Dog Slider on a Stick
A miniature ground beef patty is stuffed with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, and a hot dog on a Hawaiian roll, then placed on a skewer topped with a pickle, dipped in a tempura batter, and deep fried. Served on a bed of shoestring fries with ranch dipping sauce.

Deep Fried Pulled Pork Funyun Dings
A Funyun is stuffed with pulled pork, pepper Jack cheese, pineapple slices, and bacon, then dipped in a batter and deep fried. Served with sweet barbecue sauce.

Fernie’s Down Home Chicken Pot Pie Pocket with Mac ’n’Cheese Dip
Shredded chicken, potatoes, carrots, peas, and corn in a white sauce is ladled into pastry dough, then folded Hot Pocket-style, and fried. Served with a side of mac-and-cheese-inspired dip.

Fried Jell-O
Cherry Jell-O in a panko-crusted breading, flash-fried, and dusted with powdered sugar. Served with whipped cream and a cherry.

Injectable Great Balls of BBQ
Beef brisket and bock barbecue sauce is molded into balls, rolled in seasoned breadcrumbs and fried. Served on a bed of coleslaw, each order comes with its own pipette of bock barbecue sauce to be injected into the brisket balls.

Southern Fried Chicken & Dumplins
Shredded chicken is mixed with seasoning, dough, and gravy; rolled into balls; coated with breadcrumbs; and deep fried. Served with fried biscuit bites and a side of gravy.

State Fair Cookie Fries
Looks like a classic crinkle-cut fry but offered in traditional cookie flavors like chocolate chip or sprinkles. Served with choice of strawberry or milk chocolate sauce.

Fried chicken and dumplings.

Photo by Jason Hays

Fried chicken and dumplings.

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Heirloom Pizza in Plano dishes up New York and Detroit-style pies

Heirloom Pizza

Heirloom Pizza in Plano

A pizzeria in Plano is slinging both New York-style and Detroit deep dish pizza: Called Heirloom Pizza, it’s a small shop at 2225 W. 15th St., where it's enjoying a second wind of sorts.

The shop first opened in 2022 under a different owner, then reopened in 2024 under new owner Justin Horton, a first-time restaurant owner and native of the area who'd worked in restauants, mostly as a waiter, for more than a decade.

“I saved up because I always wanted to own my own business and found this little place for sale,” Horton says. “A month later, I had my own pizza shop."

He had no previous pizza-making experience when he took over the place, but it didn't take him long to delve into a mastery of pizza — "it's like a work of art," he says. It helps that he's a quick study who researched pizza types and ingredients before arriving at his own recipe and style.

"Our classic is like a cross between a New York-style and New Haven, noted for its thin crust," he says. "But the one that has put us on the map lately is our Detroit deep-dish style. It's one I've been doing for the past few months. It has an airy, crunchy, crispy crust that people love. It's made in a trademark rectangular pan and I do them in limited quantity because I only have 15 pans, so we usually sell out."

His pizza hews carefully to the Detroit deep-dish style, with sharp squared-off edges that have a crispy caramelized "wall" of melted cheese while super soft and airy inside. For cheese, he uses the genre's standard, Wisconsin brick cheese, and makes his own tangy tomato sauce.

Heritage Pizza Detroit deep dish Detroit style deep dish pizza at Heritage PizzaHeritage Pizza

He's a true enthusiast, ready to talk about geeky pizza guy stuff like fermentation of the dough and the sourcing on his tomatoes.

Pizza options include creative options like an all-white pizza with white sauce, garlic, and three cheeses: mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Another called Fred's Steakhouse Special is a collaboration, using and cheesesteak from the Fred's Downtown Philly next door.

"All the dough is fermented from 48-72 hours," he says. "We use the same dough, but it gets proofed differently depending on what we're making."

Prices are affordable, ranging from $12 for a 12-inch cheese pizza to $22 for a 16-inch specialty pizza.

They also have four salads including a Caprese and a Greek; and desserts, like tiramisu, cannolis, and cheesecake. Horton emphasizes that he makes the cannolis with specialty ingredients.

"I get the shells shipped in from Sicily, then I make the cream myself," he says. "I try to put a lot of love and passion behind everything I do."

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