New State Fair Foods We're Excited (and a Little Scared) to Try

By Food & Wine
Updated June 28, 2017
Credit: © Fried Specialties
Grab the tums and put on your most forgiving pair of stretchy pants — it's State Fair season! Along with the live animal births, butter sculptures and slightly suspicious mechanical rides, the food-on-a-stick scene continues to break new boundaries. From crispy pig's tail to pretzel-crusted cheese curds, here are new fair foods that we'll be first in line for. — Julia Heffelfinger
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Minnesota Wild Rice Benedict Muffin, Minnesota

Credit: © Minnesota State Fair

Lulu's Public House knows the key to any true Minnesotan's heart: wild rice add-ons. This English muffin “cup” is studded with wild rice and then filled with sliced ham and a soft-cooked egg before it's smothered in hollandaise. Um, yes please. Aug. 27th – Sept. 7th, mnstatefair.org

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Hot Tail, Minnesota

Credit: © Minnesota State Fair

This dish from Minneapolis hot spot The Rabbit Hole is taking state fair food to a new level. It's a Korean-style roasted pig's tail coated in an umami-rich scallion ginger sauce. Don't miss it; it's only available from Sept. 2-7. Also from The Rabbit Hole, a Kimchi 'n' Curry Poutine topped with a runny soft boiled egg. mnstatefair.org

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Corn in a cup, Iowa

Credit: © Iowa State Fair

This seemingly simple fair food is much more impressive than it sounds. You can go for Mexican-style (corn niblets, pork chorizo, butter, mayo, coyote cheese (?) and lime with "spicy magic dust" (??) or eat like the locals do and try The Iowan (corn niblets, cheddar cheese, pork sausage, mayo, butter, lime, and "spicy magic dust"). Either way, if it has corn in it, we're there. Aug. 13th – 23rd, iowastatefair.org

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Ultimate Bacon Brisket Bomb, Iowa

Credit: © Iowa State Fair

You know that if a dish has the word "bomb" in it, it's worth your time. Ground brisket is smoked and mixed with onions, jalapeños, and pepper jack cheese before it's shoved on a stick, wrapped in bacon and glazed with a sweet and spicy chili glaze. Aug. 13th – 23rd, iowastatefair.org

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Elephant Ear Ice Cream, Ohio

Credit: © Nicole Arnold / Velvet Ice Cream

Ohio-based Velvet Ice Cream is swirling its classic vanilla with caramel sauce and crispy nuggets of fried, cinnamon-coated elephant ear pastry. July 29th – Aug. 9th, ohiostatefair.com

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Smoked Pig Patty, Indiana

Credit: © Indiana State Fair

Winner of the fair's Signature Food Contest, this porky burger from the Indiana Pork Association is smoked, smothered in BBQ sauce and topped with dill pickles from local company, Schleckler's. Aug. 7th – 23rd, in.gov/statefair

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Beer-Battered Pretzel-Coated Cheese Curds, Wisconsin

Credit: © Wisconsin State Fair Park

It's hard to imagine a more fitting Wisconsin food: yellow cheddar cheese curds dipped in a pilsner-based batter, then coated in crushed pretzels and panko before being deep fried. Aug. 6th – 16th, wistatefair.com

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Schweinefleisch Frites, Wisconsin

Credit: © Wisconsin State Fair Park

You don't need to be able to pronounce this dish to enjoy it. Strips of pork belly are battered and fried - of course - and served with a franziskaner hefe-wessbier dipping sauce (naturally). Aug. 6th – 16th, wistatefair.com

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The Cheesy Charlie, Oregon

Credit: © The Patty Wagon

This burger is not for the faint of heart (or the lactose-intolerant, for that matter). At the Patty Wagon booth they'll be serving a beef patty topped with blue cheese, cheddar cheese, nacho “cheese” (!), mac and cheese (!!) AND bacon. It's all sandwiched in a pretty awesome house-made bun. Aug. 28th – Sept. 7th, oregonstatefair.org

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Tot-chos, Oregon

Credit: © B2 Eats

Tater tots? Good. Nachos? Good! Totchos? Obviously. The B2 Eats booth will be serving these smothered tots with all of the nacho fixings. Aug. 28th – Sept. 7th, oregonstatefair.org

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The Defibrillator, New York

Credit: © Fried Specialties

If you're not sweating just looking at this photo, then props to you. This monster from the aptly named Fried Specialties booth is a half pound deep fried Angus burger that's topped with six strips of deep fried bacon, deep fried pickles, cheese and then sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches. Side note: the guy behind this booth will also deep-fry whatever you bring him. Deep fried pepto bismol, anyone? Aug. 27th – Sept. 7th, nysfair.org

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