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State Fair of Texas considering fried Jell-O, bacon-wrapped churros for fried food finalists

Deep fried cheeseburger-stuffed onion rings, bacon-wrapped churros and fried Jell-O are just some of the crazy concoctions fairgoers may be able to try at this year's State Fair of Texas.

Friday, the crew behind the event released the list of semi-finalists for the Big Tex Choice Awards, which is annually one of the biggest talkers of the fair. A panel of judges whittled down the list of more than 50 entries to 34 potential items that they will then taste-test to procure the top eight.

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Past Big Choice Awards winners include fried Cuban roll, Fernie's Holy Moly Carrot Cake Roly and fried Gulf shrimp boil.

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In the first round of judging, foods were evaluated strictly on name and description. And although many sound delicious, fairgoers may not see all of them for sale — if a dish does not crack the list of top contenders, concessionaires can still choose to serve it at the event, though they are not obligated to, according to a press release.

The list of Big Tex Choice Awards finalists will be released in mid-August ahead of the awards ceremony Aug. 28. That event is open to the public and includes samples of the top foods.

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Which of these 34 semi-finalists would you most like to try?

  • Bacon-wrapped churros
  • Bacon-wrapped pork belly on a stick
  • Barn yard burger
  • Buffalo chicken jalapeno poppers
  • Caribbean pineapple korn-a-copia
  • Crunchy fried oinkers
  • Dallas' fried bacontilla
  • Deep fried bacon burger dog sliders on a stick
  • Deep fried bacon-wrapped tater dog
  • Deep fried cannoli bites
  • Deep fried cheeseburger-stuffed onion rings
  • Deep fried Hawaiian hoops
  • Deep fried nachos
  • Deep fried pulled pork "Funyun" dings
  • Deep fried smoked salmon and bacon croquettes
  • Dorito bacon fried cheese stick
  • Down home chicken pot pie pocket with mac 'n cheese dip
  • Fried cookies and cream sundae
  • Fried Jell-O
  • Fried prime rub quesadill"O"
  • Fried funnel cake sundae
  • Holy guacamole balls
  • Injectable great balls of BBQ
  • Loaded bacon mashed potato egg roll
  • Lollipop fried bacon-wrapped quail breast on a stick
  • Pina-a lot-ta
  • Seductive fried sea salt caramel wrap
  • Shrimp fritters
  • Southern fried chicken and dumplin's
  • State Fair cookie fries
  • State Fair edible colas
  • Texas fried buffalo quail
  • Texas fried Pinatacolupa

The State Fair of Texas runs Sept. 30 to Oct. 23 at Fair Park in Dallas. If you think it's too early to start planning, think again. We have your back on everything Big Tex, from ticket discounts to concerts.

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Visit our State Fair hub for all your fair needs. 

Cowboy corn crunch at the State Fair of Texas was chef John Tesar's favorite.
Cowboy corn crunch at the State Fair of Texas was chef John Tesar's favorite.(DMN file photo)