Starting August 23, bring an empty stomach to this 11-day feast of fried desserts, nostalgic favorites, and everything on a stick.
The Colorado State Fair (August 23 to September 2) celebrates 152 years in 2024, and thousands are gathering in Pueblo for horse shows, carnival rides, rodeos, and monster truck rallies. In the middle of it all lies an avenue of food vendors, slinging everything from corn dogs and cotton candy to cowboy quesadillas and fried cheesecake. Here, five can’t-miss Colorado State Fair foods to try this year.
Fried Cookie Dough
What looks like a corn dog but cooks up like a soft gooey chocolate chip cookie? Bribiesca Concessions’ fried cookie dough on a stick, of course. Kids and adults line up for this treat that begins with frozen Pillsbury dough that’s thawed and rolled into a hot dog shape, skewered with a stick, and dipped in funnel cake batter before it’s fried and dusted with powdered sugar. Kansas-based vendor Matthew Bribiesca and his wife have traveled to the Colorado State Fair since 1989 and say the fried cookie dough ranks high on their menu must-tries—right alongside the fried Snickers bar. Bring your sweet tooth to this booth.
Passkey Italian Sausage Sandwich
A Pueblo tradition that began as a carhop in 1952, Passkey on the Go is the mobile food truck version of this local treasure. The Pagano family’s famous homemade Italian sausage sandwiches are a fair hit year after year. Karen and Bobby Pagano started serving the secret family recipe at the fair in 1996, creating the sandwiches using Pueblo-based Schusters Bakery hoagie buns and mild pork sausage from Frank’s Meat Market. They sizzle the handmade square patties on a flat top grill and top them with Swiss, American, or provolone cheese, serving the dish with banana peppers on the side.
Not a sausage eater? The fried mac and cheese carries just as much clout. The walk-and-eat gooey treat consists of three breaded and deep-fried mac and cheese triangles on a stick. Kiddos love this crunchy, cheesy snack.
Gourmet Caramel Apples
Fairtime Fudge vendors Paul and Lisa Patterson come from Garden Valley, California, with their coveted fudge, four kinds of peanut brittle, and frozen chocolate-dipped bananas and cheesecakes on a stick. But it’s their turtle caramel apples that keep crowds coming back. The stepped-up throwback is built with premium organic honey crisp apples, dunked in caramel, rolled in candied pecans and a layer of chocolate and drizzled with caramel and chocolate. Paul Patterson reminds us, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Choose from 14 caramel and candied apple styles and enjoy yours on a stick while you stroll. Or get them sliced in a bag to take home for later.
Pork Chop on a Stick
When German Specialty Foods owner Horst Schacht heard about pork chops on a stick selling like hotcakes at the Minnesota State Fair 25 years ago, he knew he had to bring them to Colorado. The Fort Morgan vendor was on to something—fairgoers went bananas over the chops and he sold out of the juicy, meaty hand-helds the first weekend. Schacht, who has appeared on the Food Network’s Carnival Eats, attributes the popularity to the smoky flavor imparted from his seasoned charcoal grill. The seven-ounce pork chops are sliced thick and receive a coat of specialty seasonings before landing on a six-inch stick. Schacht sells around 200 chops a day on a busy fair Saturday and says they’re best enjoyed with an order of his legendary German fried potatoes.
Monster Corn Dog
There are regular corn dogs, jumbo corn dogs, and chili dogs. But for the ambitious fan of this golden-fried and oh-so-satisfying fair staple, it’s all about the monster dog. Father-son team Milo (who sadly died this year in April) and Travis Franks introduced the behemoth culinary delight to Colorado State Fair fans in 2023 and said the 13-inch-long dogs spread like wildfire; once you see someone flaunting and nibbling on one of these monsters, it’s almost impossible not to order one for yourself. Travis will be returning to the fair to keep the tradition going, bringing the corn dog batter his father spent months perfecting and hand-dipping half-pound hot dogs before frying them to their fluffy-inside-crunchy-outside fame. “I’ve seen five-year-old girls eat the whole thing,” he says. “I don’t know how they do it.”
Pro Fair Tip
On Fridays (August 23 and August 30) during the Colorado State Fair, select food vendors offer an item for $5 until 5 p.m. Look for discounted treats ranging from funnel cakes to jalapeño poppers.
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