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The Houston Rodeo’s Best New Food: Crazy Carnival Eats You Need to Try, Liquid Nitrogen Frozen Cotton Candy Whipped Cream Included

BY Annie Gallay // 02.27.18

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The Houston Rodeo's best food is shown off in the Gold Buckle Foodie Awards.

These pineapple fruit cocktails weren't the only inventive produce presentations.

Cayenne gives this carved-up mango a kick.

Not every dessert at the Houston Rodeo is fried--this one even has fruit.

These chocolate goodies are a nice break from the Rodeo's savory smorgasbords.

Old Bay potato chips: a carnival classic.

Jicama, apples, and cucumber make this an intriguing, refreshing juice.

You'd better believe jalapeños made an appearance.

Meat is the end-all be-all of fair food.

Judges enjoyed nitrogen-frozen whipped cream clusters.

These nitrogen frozen whipped cream balls taste like cotton candy.

An entire category was devoted to food-on-a-stick.

Judges were prepared to get their hands dirty.

The Houston Rodeo's best food is shown off in the Gold Buckle Foodie Awards.

All’s fair in love and war, especially when it’s a battle over most-loved fair food. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo opens today with far-out flavors that put a spin on traditional carnival concessions.

From ham hidden in sweet, sticky buns to mangos carved into crystals and dusted with cayenne, the Rodeo food vendors are not holding back with their sweet and savory offerings. The 10th Annual Gold Buckle Foodie Awards provided a sneak peek of the Rodeo’s wildest food.

The Gold Buckle Foodie Awards go out to the best of the best — and are voted on by Houston media members. Radio personalities, news anchors, reporters, Instagram influencers and more cast their ballots in eight different categories.

PaperCity tried out dozens of different foods in all shapes, sizes and flavors. The categories covered everything from On-a-Stick to Most Creative (a category that really means something in Rodeo eats).

Skeptics might not think “Rodeo” and “foodie” go together. But a little taste of the Houston Rodeo’s liquid nitrogen frozen, cotton candy flavored whipped cream dollops would set the record straight.

The Foodie Awards — a marathon, not a sprint, as seasoned veterans warned newbies — lasted several hours. There was as much to satisfy the eyes as the stomach. But aesthetics don’t always yield ribbons. Funnel cake double bacon cheeseburgers were eye-catching, but didn’t quite make the award cut.

Outdoor Dining with Bering's

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There was steep, salty, sugary competition in all categories. Best New Flavor ultimately went to a new take on the turkey leg, but it also attracted submissions as varied as a meat-stuffed pepper, an updated Cuban sandwich, and juice brimming with jicama, cucumbers and apples.

Judges went home after a full day with full bellies, but they shouldn’t feel too bad about their calorie intake. At least, RodeoHouston CEO and president Joel Cowley thinks they should feel just fine.

“There’s no such thing as good or bad food. There’s a good or bad diet,” Cowley says.

Enjoying a tasty treat (or dozens) every now and then is OK, so long as you don’t make a habit out of it. Rodeo season only comes once a year after all.

Here are your Gold Buckle Award Winners:

Best Specialty Food: (Out of 8)

1st: All of Us: Chocolate Cobbler

2nd: The Great White: White Chocolate Cheesecake

3rd: DGZ Chocolates: Toffarazzi (Toffee)

Classic Fair Food: (Out of 13)

1st: Biggy’s: Spicy Turkey Leg

2nd: Stubby’s Cinnamon Rolls: Cinnamon Roll with Icing

3rd: Aunt Edmoes Cookies: Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best Value: (Out of 8)

1st: Yoakum Packing: Bacon Blast Croissant ($9.00)

2nd: Saltgrass Steakhouse: Chicken & Ribs ($12.00)