The Dominican Fritura Dog is the Big Tex Choice Award winner for Best Flavor – Savory at the State Fair of Texas. It was created by Justin Martinez. Martinez said his father inspired the dish and dedicated the award to him.

The celebrity judges were not very understanding this year, but consistently praised the texture and color of the dish. Leslie Brenner, the long-time Dallas Morning News A food critic who currently runs her own food advertising and consulting firm told Donovan Lewis, a host of SportsRadio 96.7 and 1310 the Ticket, that the extra crunch he found so appealing about the dish came from plantain chips.

The winner of the Best Taste – Sweet award is Russo’s Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick. Isaac Russo introduced his son to the crowd as judges tasted the dish and called him his retirement plan to take over the business.

This dish seemed to blow the judges away, and it’s a foot-long piece of bacon on a skewer, so of course it was. Calvin Golden, longtime Wingstop manager and Wingstop Charities board member, called it “sinful,” noting that he was lost for words when he first saw it. Nikky Phinyawatana, founder of Asian Mint and award-winning cookbook author, said the “presentation was absolutely amazing.” The overwhelming majority agree that this will be the dish people see on the show floor and will buy immediately.

The winner of the award for most creative creation is the Texas Sugar Rush Pickles. The dish received many interesting comments from the judges, but ultimately the award went to creator Heather Perkins, who said she was honored, grateful and ready for more. Perkins has been making pickles at the fair for the past three years and finally made it to the final round with this dish.

Surprisingly, the judges were universally enthusiastic and delighted. Lewis started laughing as he ate it, telling the crowd that he had found the pickle in the cup full of cereal, candy floss, sugar crystals and other goodies.

The State Fair of Texas opens on September 27th and runs through October 20th.