Crunchy, salty, decadent: We rank the best new foods at this year’s NC State Fair

First and foremost, the North Carolina State Fair is a sensory smorgasbord. Nowhere else will you find the air changing from fried sugar to smoked turkey to roasted corn in a matter of three steps.

There are acres of turkey legs and fried Oreos and culinary creations that push the limits of digestion, decency and deliciousness. You’ll find wonders, and corndogs, great and small.

We got a sneak peek at the new foods served up at this year’s NC State Fair, from new takes on snack foods to breaded and fried country ham. Some new foods are marvelous to behold, pushing our understanding of what can be tasty while also on a stick. And some bites, well, couldn’t even be saved by a deep fryer.

Here’s our ranking of the best new fair foods this year, starting with our favorites. (Note: not all new foods were available to sample on Media Day):

1: DoriEsquites by Douglas Farms:

This Doritos take on the walking taco should make it onto the menu of every bar in town. Crushed up Doritos of the nacho cheese variety are mixed with off-the-cob esquites, packing all the flavor of Mexican street corn, but eaten with a fork. Fair food is about innovation as well as indulgence and this snack seems to be having more fun than everyone else.

2: Salmon Pops by Oak City Fish & Chips:

Fish at the fair seems like a dubious idea, but Raleigh’s Oak City Fish & Chips should put every diner at ease with these salmon-on-a-stick creations. Essentially a kebab of salmon morsels, the fish here is flavorful, aggressively seasoned and just crisped at the edges, as the salmon flakes away from the stick. If this is fair eating you may never look at a corndog the same way again. This dish already has a legion of fans, winning the State Fair Media Day tasting.

3: Pumpkin Spice Mini Pancakes by Hot Chix Hotcakes & Chicken:

These bite-sized pancakes prove why we’re drowning in pumpkin spice around this time every year: sometimes it’s magical. Fluffy and flavorful, these pancakes are diner-worthy, but at 1/1,000th scale, and topped with maple syrup and a restrained dusting of pumpkin pie spices.

4: Banana Cream Pie Donut by Fluffys Handcut Donuts:

Banana cream by another name is simply banana pudding, and that’s what these filled yeast doughnuts are in their hearts. These doughnuts are filled with a potluck-worthy pudding and topped with a Nilla wafer crumble and banana chips.

5: Quesabirria Tacos by South Raleigh Civitan:

It’s no surprise the trendiest taco of the moment makes its fair debut this year, and it’s easy to see why this taco is a phenomenon. With a tortilla griddled and crisped in bright orange fat, there’s a decadence to quesabirria tacos that feels right at home at the fair. Seek out this version if you’re looking for tacos that can rival the best trucks in Raleigh, and don’t mind strolling around with a cup of fiery orange consomme for dipping.

6: Jerk BBQ Pulled Pork Bowl by Cool Runnings:

Instead of pumpkin spice season, we should have jerk sauce season. In this pork bowl, the warm spices of jerk sauce usher in the savory side of fall, plus a kick of pepper to ward off the chill creeping in the air. The pork is marinaded in jerk sauce and is finished with a jerk barbecue sauce, served together with a garlicky mac and cheese for a truly worthwhile indulgence.

7: Pepsi-Glazed Mini Donuts by S2 Concessions:

This could be the fair’s version of the black and blue or white and gold dress controversy. Do you taste Pepsi or not? Our staff was divided, but as a Pepsi-taster, these doughnuts were charming, bite-sized and topped with peanuts, recalling the great North Carolina snack of peanuts dropped into a bottle of Pepsi.

8: Pork Chop on a Stick by Rockin’ Comet Diner:

There’s a primitive beauty to this dish: just a grilled pork chop on a stick. No sauce. No deep fryer. Just a well seasoned slab of pork with a handle and some grill marks.

9: Korean Corn Dogs by Golden K Dog:

Perhaps the most Insta-worthy new dish at the fair, these behemoth corn dogs come stuffed with either cheese or hot dogs — or both — and dusted with sugar, plus a drizzle of sauce, with a spicy mayo or sweet chili. Clocking in at nearly a foot long, the breading can also be stuffed with crinkle cut fries for a full balanced meal on a stick. With all that, some bites can come up with breading only, but like any good food on a stick, it’s about the journey.

10: Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels by La Farm Bakery:

These fancy, fairtastic croissants are one of the most playful additions to the menu this year. From acclaimed bakery La Farm, the croissant dough is light and buttery, but the buffalo chicken is equally light and not quite able to shine through. But chicken wing fans will appreciate this carby ode to the mother sauce of Buffalo.

11: La Sabrosa Taco by Arepa Loca:

This tasty arepa is kind of magical in the way it stays crispy on the outside and fluffy and corny on the inside. Stuffed with pork and plantains, there’s a rich play between sweet and savory in one of the highest quality bites at the fair.

12: Smokin’ Bovine Roll by Fat Boys BBQ:

Offering the Johnston County answer to the Maine lobster roll, this brisket burnt ends sandwich takes the hottest trend in barbecue and puts it on a bun. Fans of fatty brisket will find lots to love in this roll, absolutely stuffed with succulent beef nuggets and topped with slaw.

13: Fried NC Flounder Tacos by Waypoint Oyster Bar:

A fried fish favorite gets the taco treatment here, with crispy nuggets of flounder topped with a bean and corn salsa and drizzle of salsa verde. With a fish this mild, the salsas are having to do a lot of heavy lifting, but there are probably more flavorful bites out there.

14: My Mom’s Magic Punch by OMG! Banana Pudding:

This deep red blend of juices and soft drinks might remind you of many a punch sipped in a church fellowship hall or baby shower living room, quite sweet and tart with a little carbonated bite.

15: Oreo Crumble Cookie Dough on a Stick by Kora’s Cookie Dough (Emma’s Cookie Kitchen):

This cookie dough on a stick is really a triple chocolate bomb. Fans of cake pops will swoon at the rich chocolate cookie dough dipped in chocolate sauce and coated in crushed Oreos. But beware, these sticks are for the sweetest of sweet tooths.

16: Fall in a Cup Green Apple Loaded Slushie by Moose Joose Slushie:

The electric green hue of this slush might glow in the dark, but it does live up to its name, calling to mind apple picking or dipped slices in caramel sauce, but also a 7-11 Slurpee on the way to a football game. In this battle of sweet and tart, sweet pummels tart into submission.

17: Cornbread & Chili Savory Funnel Cake by Gobblin’ Gourmet:

Chili and cornbread are one of the classic pairings as we cozy into stew season. This version is updated for the fair, with a cornbread funnel cake topped with chili and fixins. The cornbread here is fried up tasting more like an unsweeted funnel cake than something crumbly and just out of the skillet. The chili is hearty and done up with diced jalapeños, melty cheese and sour cream.

18: Sweet Potato Country Ham Biscuit by Somethin’ Good (Ezzell’s)

Ham biscuit fans are free agents this year, following the announcement that the Cary United Methodist Church biscuits won’t return to the fair. These biscuits offer a different perspective altogether, with a somewhat overly spiced biscuit filled with salty country ham.

19: Pig Mac by Woody’s Sports Tavern & Grill:

Every year the fair promises the next great innovation in egg rolls, but every year the creations struggle to improve on the classics. This one, stuffed with pork and mac and cheese is filled with two beloved tastes in North Carolina, but when deep fried, it can come out chewy and tough. The great egg roll experiment continues.

20: Deep Fried NC Country Ham with Bourbon Peach Jam by Ragin’ Cajun:

Here slices of country ham are breaded and deep fried and topped with a peach glaze. Sweet and salty is one of those harmonious marriages of flavor that elevates bites to new heights. Here that sweet and salty combination may have ended in divorce, with the two never seeming to blend — tasting sweet, then salty and exaggerating each.