The State Fair of Texas: Burgers, dogs and deep-fried everything

14 October 2019

The State Fair of Texas, which welcomes more than two million visitors over 24 days, is the longest-running fair in the United States. Established in Dallas in 1886, the fair has taken place almost every year since and is best known for its interesting food inventions. The BBC's Elizabeth Hotson viewed some of the traditional Texan fare on offer.

Big Tex is the symbol of the fair. There are two of them. The first stands 55ft (17m) high. This version, his neon little brother, a modest 38ft, comes into his own when the sun goes down.

A woman poses with a stuffed fried Mexi-cone

The food is the star of the fair, and every year vendors compete to come up with stand-out items. Ruth Hauntz, from Ruth’s Tamales, has won awards for her stuffed fried Mexi-cone: slow-cooked barbacoa served in a tortilla shell with black beans and cilantro-lime rice, topped with pico de gallo, queso fresco, and home-made salsa verde.

A churros stand brightly decorated with lights and flags

Texas shares a border with Mexico so it’s not surprising that there are lots of Spanish and Mexican influences.

A stand advertising different variations of Turkey legs

Considered by some as one of the best-value items, the gigantic turkey legs are more than in meal in themselves.

A man standing outside a corn-dog stand holds two corn dogs in his hands

Aaron Fletcher comes from a family considered royalty in corn-dog circles. Fletcher's has been selling corn dogs at the Texas state fair since 1942.

Two stall owners fry food in deep fat fryers

Edwin Lara has been frying at the fair for five years and is especially proud of the deep fried PBJ - two slices of white bread filled with peanut butter and jelly (jam), coated in batter and - you guessed it - cooked to golden perfection in the fryer.

Half a slice of a fried PBJ sandwich, oozing with jam

You might want to start with just one corner of the fried PBJ and see how you get on.

A woman behind a counter hands over a funnel cake in a paper plate

Christi Erpillo CFO (Chief Frying Officer), from the Winter Family Concessions dynasty, serves up a funnel cake.

A stand full of deep-fried food on the menu

Deep-fried cola, anyone? Or how about deep-fried butter? While not everything at the fair is fried, a lot certainly is.

Deep-fried butter balls drenched in syrup

Invented by Abel Gonzalez Jnr and making its debut at the State Fair of Texas in 2009, deep-fried butter balls are made using frozen battered butter, which are then put in the fryer.

A man in a cowboy hat stands in front of a fair ride

Rusty Fitzgerald is senior vice-president of operations for the state fair and oversees the midway - the cacophonous thoroughfare where rides, food concessions and toy stalls compete for business.

The Texas Star ferris wheel is the fair's most popular ride and provides a suitably impressive backdrop for the celebrations

Brothers, Brent and Juan Reaves from Smokey John's BBQ, proud creators of Big Red Chicken Bread.

Brothers Brent and Juan Reaves, from Smokey John's BBQ, are proud creators of Big Red Chicken Bread.

A fried chicken wing placed on a red doughnut wearing sunglasses

Stall-holders need to stand out, and one of this year’s most eye-catching creations is Big Red chicken bread; a doughnut incorporating Big Red soda - and topped with a fried chicken wing.

A woman holds a large paper cup filled with a red liquid. The rim has been dipped in spices

Carina Jaimez, from Dallas, enjoys a michelada - beer with spices, pepper, lemon and lime - which she says is the ultimate hangover cure.

With hundreds, if not thousands, of options to choose from, stalls have to stand out. And this potent-looking concoction, featuring several flavours of frozen alcohol, poured by Brandon Winn, certainly does.

Photography by Elizabeth Hotson.