Skyler Bouchard: The State
Fair of Texas sells over half a million corn dogs per year. That's because they claim to have sold the first corn dog ever back in 1942. Everyone in Texas will
tell you that the corny dog is the most delicious
corn dog they've ever had. Today, I'm gonna try the OG corny dog, along with some
traditional saltwater taffy and a funnel cake bacon cheeseburger to tell you which is my favorite. The winner might surprise you. Let's dig in. I'm Skyler Bouchard. For the past eight years,
I've been traveling the world and learning about different cuisines. I've taken everything I've
learned to my kitchen, and now I'm on the hunt for the best festival and
fair foods in North America. Today, I'm at the State Fair of Texas, the longest-running fair
in the entire country. The State Fair of Texas is the biggest state fair in America, with over 2 million people
attending each fall. They also offer more food than almost any state fair in the country. Karissa Condoianis: The State
Fair of Texas was founded in 1886 as a livestock exposition. We have hundreds of
concessionaires out here with thousands of food
items on their menus. Even if you're not from
here, you know, as they say, I may not have been born in Texas, but I got here as quick as I could. Skyler: I tried everything
from fried butter to fried peanut butter and jelly, but I narrowed it down to
three final contenders. One of the reasons the State
Fair of Texas is so famous is because it debuted
one of the most important fair foods of all time: the corn dog. In 1938, brothers Neil and Carl Fletcher claimed to have invented the corn dog, which they called the corny dog. That year, the idea of a
hot dog covered in corn and deep-fried was so unheard of that they had to walk around the fair giving them away for free in order to get people to try them. Aaron Fletcher: First year they sold a couple hundred of them, once they finally got people to try them. And now we sell about anywhere between 500,000 and 600,000 corny dogs a year. We go through about
1,600 gallons of mustard. About 800 gallons of ketchup. I've heard people say that
they've waited up to an hour, hour and a half, back in the line. We got generations that come out here year after year after year after year. Customer: They're actually hand
dipped in cornbread batter. And I know, it's a Southern
thing, it's delicious. There's none other that tastes like this. Customer: They're the best. They're crunchy, good, always hot. They just taste better than any corn dog you're gonna get anywhere else. Skyler: I grew up eating
corn dogs all the time, so I'm really excited to try
the one and only corny dog. Mm. All right, there's a lot
of flavor happening here, and it's not as sweet as the other corn dogs I've had before. The hot dog is smoky and savory. All in all, this is a winner. I can definitely see why
people would wait hours for this corn dog. While this corn dog was delicious, I'll be interested to see
if it's really my favorite since it's so simple. And I have two other
unique contenders to try. Time to see how the hidden gem compares. Sutter's Taffy started back in 1919, and they still use old-fashioned
methods and machines to make their delicious saltwater taffy. Ed Sutter founded Sutter's Taffy after working at an
amusement park as a kid. He saw the taffy pullers there making small pieces of taffy,
which they called kisses. And then he bought his
own taffy-pulling machines and went on the road. Sutter's Taffy quickly
became extremely successful, selling over 1 million boxes of taffy at the 1939 World's Fair. Tony King and his family
bought the business from Sutter's granddaughter in 2008, but they still use the same methods that Sutter did back then. Tony King: So, we bring in
660-pound barrels of corn syrup, and so we batch each pot
with corn syrup, sugar, and butter, and then we
put it on our taffy pullers to aerate it, and that's
where we flavor it. At the State Fair of Texas, we will make over a million kisses. Skyler: So, I go in like this? Tony: Yep, pull it straight down. Skyler: Pull it down, and whew! Tony: It's fresh. We make candy every day right here on the State Fair grounds. This is the candy you made. Skyler: That we just made?
Tony: Just made. Skyler: Oh, my gosh! All right, I have to try one. We just made these. This
is the peanut butter? Tony: Yep, peanut butter. Perfect. Skyler: It's so sticky and smushy. Tony: Yep, salty and sweet. Skyler: Salty, sweet, creamy, delicious. It's like peanut butter
and marshmallow spread. Tony: Yeah, it's great. Skyler: Mm-hmm. Finally, I'm heading to a fair stand that's known for its
bizarre flavor combos. Time to see which will
take the final crown, the classic corny dog,
simple saltwater taffy, or our wacky snack. The wackiest snack at
the State Fair of Texas is the funnel cake bacon queso burger, which won the Most Creative Big Tex Award and the Best Savory
Dish Award back in 2017. This burger is an
estimated 2,100 calories. I got in the kitchen to see how it's made. Tom Grace: Are you ready to make it? Skyler: I am ready to make
a funnel cake queso burger! With bacon!
Tom: Let's do it. Every year, we're looking
for the most fantastic, outrageous thing we can
find to put out there that will make fairgoers say, "Wow." Little funnel cakes,
awesome grilled burger, crispy strips of bacon, and then some really hot queso sauce. So, the simplicity of it is
what works so well together. Here we go. [Skyler cheering] Now the only other thing
we need is our little knife that holds it all together. Do you want to? Skyler: Stab it in the center? Tom: Yeah, right down the middle. Skyler: All right, ready? Tom: Yeah, push it.
Skyler: There you go. Tom: Oh, you did it. Skyler: Yeah, nice work! That was awesome. Let's see here. OK. All right, some thoughts. The funnel cake is crispy and sweet. It's char-grilled,
smoky, delicious burger. The bacon adds that fat, which is flavor. Everybody loves a waterfall of cheese. This all came together so well. Honestly, I always get skeptical of those sweet and savory burgers. This is better than I thought it would be. And it had way more flavor
than I thought it would have. It really is a
once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's really a competition
between the old and the new. We had the first-ever corny dog, Sutter's historic saltwater taffy, and then this new fusion of
the funnel cake queso burger. But I have to say my favorite one was the funnel cake bacon queso burger. I love saying that. You know, you come to these fairs, and you want to eat foods
that are an experience, and it was really just that. It had so much going on, and obviously it had some fried food, some meat, some cheese, things I love. I loved getting behind the counter and learning how it was made, and eating it was truly an experience that you could only get at
the State Fair of Texas. We'll see you next time. Stay hungry.
Funnel cake bacon queso Burger 🍔 😵. I'm definitely going to the fair next year.