At this year's Minnesota State Fair, bacon comes in all forms: wrapped, topped or on a stick. And you can get it on some 50 menu items all across the fairgrounds. In ice cream, in a waffle, in a sandwich. Around a tater tot, around shrimp, wrapped around a turkey leg. On a pizza, on a baked potato, on a doughnut.
There is no end to what can be done with bacon, and State Fair purveyors get brownie points (bacon points?) for trying everything. Some of it works, some of it could be better, but all of it is bacon. Here are 9 fair foods we tried for our over-the-top food video series, Outta Control.
Use these guides to explore the fair
1.Bacon Fluffernutter: This sandwich from the Sandwich Stop (West side of Clough St. between Carnes & Judson avenues) is a super-sweet take on a grilled cheese. The bread is a cinnamon bun, and the filling is bacon, peanut butter and marshmallow cream. New to the fair this year.
2.Bacon Ice Cream: This brown-sugary treat from Lingonberry Ice Cream (Southeast corner of Carnes Ave. & Underwood St.) is almost Scotch-like in its smokiness. And it's studded with chunks of bacon.
3.Bacon Up Pup: A bacon-bit-filled waffle-on-a-stick from Granny's Kitchen Fudge Puppies (East side of Underwood St. between Dan Patch & Carnes avenues) is dipped in chocolate and topped with maple syrup, whipped cream and more bacon. New to the fair this year.
4.Lefse with Bacon Brown Sugar: The most Scandinavian way to go at the State Fair, only more bacon-y. Lynn's Lefse (Food Building, south wall) offers this traditional crepe smeared with butter, brown sugar, and juicy chunks of bacon.
5.Bacon On-a-Stick: Big Fat Bacon (South side of Dan Patch Ave. between Nelson & Underwood streets) is a master at, well, big fat bacon. The thick cut piece is lightly glazed for a bit of sweetness on the ultimate savory food.
6.Bacon Tots: Tiny little tater tots are wrapped in bacon and skewered at Tot Boss (East side of Underwood St. between Wright & Dan Patch avenues) and served with a chunky-ish cheese dipping sauce.
7.Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Leg: This monster of meat from Texas Steak Out (West side of Underwood St. between Lee & Randall avenues) is the over-the-top, dripping-with-meat-juices divine mess it sounds like.
8.Duck Bacon Wontons: Giggles' Campfire Grill (Southeast corner of Lee Ave. & Cooper St.) gets fancy with their bacon in these deep-fried wontons, filled with a tasty mixture of duck bacon, juicy corn kernels and cream cheese. New to the fair this year.
9.Maple Bacon Brown: Also at Giggles', Excelsior's breakfast-y maple beer comes topped with a skewered bacon strip. Why don't all beers?
To see more photos and videos from our new food series, visit startribune.com or follow us on Instagram at @outtacontrolmn.
