Taste test: Texas Rangers' tater tot nachos (good); bacon cotton candy (not good)

Know before you go, folks: Bacon cotton candy, one of the many new concessions coming to the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Park this year, didn't hit it out of the park. Rangers writer Evan Grant and I tested of many of the new dishes including the dreaded bacon cotton candy:

This year, ballpark chefs are cooking up new fair-themed fried foods and a whole menu dedicated to bacon.

The concessions are the latest in a string of wacky stadium items over the years that have included a pizza burger and a 24-inch hot dog called the Boomstick.  (The Boomstick was so humongous it came with its own carrying case.) Another recent stunner was bacon on a stick, which is what inspired food service group Delaware North Sportservice go to whole hog with the bacon concessions.

A standout new item is the Holland Hot Tot'chos named for pitcher Derek Holland. The $17.50 dish available in section 32 is essentially a plate of nachos topped with steak, bell peppers, jalapeños and buffalo sauce, though it has tater tots in place of tortilla chips. The Tot'chos come with a side of spicy queso hollandaise served in a "mini dutch oven." (It's a ramekin, really, but they call it a dutch oven after Holland's nickname.)

Some of the odder items you'll find this season at Globe Life Park will include bacon cotton candy ($7.50), bacon sunflower seeds ($4.50) and bacon beer ($12). The beer comes from Oregon-based Rogue Breweries, no stranger to unique beers: They are the purveyors of a Sriracha stout and a "yellow snow" IPA.

On the list of fried foods honoring the State Fair of Texas are fried Twinkies ($7), fried S'mores ($8) and funnel cake fries ($6).

Find the bacon items at a Just Bacon stand on the main concourse. The fried foods will be at the State Fare concession stand, also on the main concourse.

Interestingly, fried foods hadn't been a big hit at the ballpark in years past, says Shawn Mattox, general manager of the Rangers' concessions company. Beyond corn dogs, other fried foods "never really got the traction we hoped they would," he says. The idea with the state fare stand is to advertise the new fried foods all in one location.

Based on social media reaction so far, the fried S'mores have the potential to be one of the most popular new items, Mattox says.

Other newbies will include brisket mac and cheese balls ($10) and a nacho hot dog topped with queso blanco, pico de gallo and sour cream ($10).

Mattox says they "don't count calories" at the ballpark. Good thing: The deep-fried Twinkies come two to an order.

Here's a look at the new concessions coming to Globe Life Park:

Candied bacon ($8.25) is coated with a layer of cinnamon and chili powder.

Bacon cotton candy ($7.50) is flavored with artificial bacon flavoring. No pigs were harmed in the making of this snack, but humans might be.

Fried S'mores ($8) have three parts: on the outside are two chocolate cookies. On the inside is a marshmallow breaded in graham cracker crust, then deep fried.

Chicken-fried corn on the cob ($5) is served on a stick, with a lime on the side.

The Holland Hot Tot'chos is one of the most expensive new items, at $17.50

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The bacon lollipop ($8.50) apparently tastes like cured meat.

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If you're watching your waistline, the bacon sunflower seeds ($4.50) are coated with "zero fat, no calorie bacon salt."

Chicken-fried bacon on a stick ($8) contains maple glazed bacon, deep fried.

Fried pickle chips ($7) come -- of course! -- with ranch dressing.

The nacho dog ($10) is an all-beef frank topped with queso, pico and sour cream. Y'know, the healthy stuff.

Funnel cake fries ($6) are made with deep fried dough and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Some of the other items you'll find at the ballpark but aren't pictured here:

• Fried Twinkies ($7)
• Fried chicken breast on a stick ($7)
• Brisket mac and cheese balls ($10)
• BLT on a bun ($10)
• Bacon quesadilla ($8)
• Bacon and corn "saute" -- similar to elotes ($8)
• Bacon mac and cheese ($8.50)
• Bacon beer ($12)

Evan Grant contributed (greatly) to this story.