How Tennessee is DESTROYING Fair Food!!

Key Concepts

• Extreme Fair Foods: Unique, indulgent, and often high-calorie culinary creations found at state fairs.
• Southern Twist: Fair foods incorporating traditional Southern ingredients, flavors, and cooking methods.
• Dill Dog: A hot dog inside a pickle, battered and fried (Minnesota State Fair classic).
• Barbecue Pickle Popper: An elevated dill dog concept, featuring a pickle stuffed with pulled pork, cream cheese, and spices, then battered and fried.
• Picado Pork Taco/Quesadilla: An innovative dish using a cheese-and-pickle shell, filled with pulled pork, coleslaw, pico de gallo, and cilantro lime sauce.
• Red Velvet Funnel Cake: A funnel cake made with authentic red velvet batter, topped with powdered sugar and cream cheese icing.
• Fried Green Tomatoes: A Southern classic where unripe, tart green tomatoes are breaded and deep-fried.
• Catfish Sandwich: Fried catfish fillets served on a hoagie bun with traditional condiments.
• Fried Bologna Sandwich: A Southern comfort food featuring a thick slice of fried bologna on bread with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo.
• Deep Fried Southern Pecan Pie: A quarter of a pecan pie, battered in funnel cake mix, deep-fried, and topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and caramel.
• Southern Soul Food Plate: A traditional meal featuring cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, shredded chicken, green beans with ham hock, and a Hawaiian roll.
• French Toast and Bacon Mini Donuts: Miniature donuts layered like nachos, topped with maple icing, bacon, and served with maple syrup.
• Regional Food Uniqueness: The idea that certain foods are specific to particular regions, contrasting with the corporatization of food across the USA.

Tennessee State Fair: A Culinary Journey Through Extreme Southern Indulgence

This video documents a quest to discover the most extreme and uniquely Southern fair foods at the Tennessee State Fair, contrasting them with West Coast offerings. The mission is to find "pure indulgence, like sucking on Satan's fingertips," focusing on dishes with a distinct Southern twist.

Dill Dogs Booth: Pickle Innovations

The first stop is Dill Dogs, a booth specializing in pickle-related foods, taking the concept beyond the traditional "dilly dog" (hot dog in a pickle).

• Barbecue Pickle Popper

  • Description: This dish is an evolution of the dilly dog. Instead of a hot dog, a hollowed-out pickle is stuffed with a mixture of barbecue, spices, and cream cheese. It is then dipped in corn dog batter, deep-fried, and finished with a drizzle of barbecue sauce and a sprinkle of barbecue rub.
  • Preparation Process (with Connor):
    1. A mixture of barbecue, spices, and cream cheese is prepared in a piping bag.
    2. This mixture is piped into the hollowed-out center of a pickle.
    3. The stuffed pickle is completely smothered in corn dog batter.
    4. It is then submerged in hot oil and deep-fried until golden.
    5. After frying, the stick is removed.
    6. The popper is drizzled with barbecue sauce and finished with barbecue rub.
  • Taste and Experience: Described as "taste bud confusion," the combination of cream cheese and pork inside the pickle was highly praised. The pickle was noted as being hollowed out, providing a balanced pickle-to-corn dog breading ratio. The dish "surpassed expectations," setting a positive tone for the fair.

• Picado Pork Taco/Quesadilla (Difficulty Level Pickle)

  • Description: An inventive creation that combines elements of a pickle, quesadilla, and taco. A unique "taco shell" is formed by melting cheese and layering pickles in a waffle maker. This shell is then filled with pulled pork, barbecue sauce, seasoning, coleslaw, pico de gallo, and cilantro lime sauce.
  • Preparation Process (with James):
    1. Cheese is placed on a waffle maker and allowed to melt quickly.
    2. A whole layer of pickles is laid on top of the melting cheese.
    3. The waffle maker is closed, and the cheese/pickle mixture is cooked until slightly browned around the edges.
    4. The resulting quesadilla-like shell is moved into a taco tray to set its shape.
    5. Pulled pork is added, doused in barbecue sauce and seasoning.
    6. The shell is filled with pulled pork, coleslaw, and pico de gallo.
    7. It is finished with a cilantro lime sauce.
  • Uniqueness: This dish was highlighted as a fresh invention, literally created "yesterday," making it unique to this fair and not yet copied by others.
  • Taste and Experience: Deemed "dang delicious," the pickles were present but "not too picky" and well-balanced by the other ingredients. The cheese shell had the "right texture" to hold the contents, and the coleslaw added a welcome crunch. It was a "surprisingly delicious treat" and a "fresh invention."

Fried Fantasies and Frozen Favorites: Elevated Funnel Cakes

This stall offers classic funnel cakes with creative twists, moving beyond simple fruit toppings.

• Red Velvet Funnel Cake
  • Description: A funnel cake made from a special house-made red velvet batter, fried to perfection, and then topped with an "avalanche" of powdered sugar and "grandma's secret homemade cream cheese icing."
  • Preparation Process (with Brandy):
    1. A special red velvet batter (distinguished by its pinkish-red hue and red velvet taste) is poured into piping hot oil.
    2. The funnel cake is fried until perfected.
    3. Excess oil is allowed to drip away.
    4. The funnel cake is topped generously with powdered sugar.
    5. It is finished with homemade cream cheese icing.
  • Red Velvet Explanation: The red hue of red velvet cake traditionally comes from a reaction between natural cacao powder, buttermilk, and vinegar, though food coloring can also be used. This version uses an authentic red velvet batter, not just dyed regular batter.
  • Taste and Experience: Described as a "winner" and "decadent, delicious." The funnel cake was noted for being thicker, heavier, and having a distinct flavor reminiscent of red velvet cake, perfectly complemented by the "perfectly sweet, but not over sweet" cream cheese icing. The innovation was praised for truly "putting the fun in funnel cake."

Fried Green Tomatoes Food Truck: Southern Classics

This local Tennessee food truck serves traditional Southern dishes, including items unfamiliar to those from other regions.

• Fried Green Tomatoes

  • Cultural Context: A traditional Southern food, often met with skepticism by those from the North. The host, at 40, had never tried it before.
  • Tomato Science: Green tomatoes are crucial because they are "less juicy and more tart than ripe red ones," allowing them to "hold their shape during frying" and develop a "tangy, slightly sour flavor that balances the crunchy coating." This prevents a "sloppy red fried tomato."
  • Preparation Process (with Tiffany):
    1. Thick slices of green tomato are coated in a proprietary seasoning blend (flour and spices).
    2. They are then dipped in a buttermilk cornmeal batter.
    3. Another layer of seasoned flour is applied, making them "really caked."
    4. The tomatoes are deep-fried until golden brown and rising to the top.
    5. Transferred to parchment paper to drain excess oil.
    6. Served with a side of creamy white sauce.
  • Taste and Experience: The taste was a "sour tang," not a familiar tomato flavor. Inside, it was "super hot, steamy, and kind of mealy," while the outside had a "brown, thick, crunchy crust." The dipping sauce, described as "mayonnaisey, creamy," added a "kick" and cooled the intense seasoning. The dish evoked a sense of "nostalgia" and highlighted the uniqueness of regional foods in a corporatized food landscape.

• Catfish Sandwich

  • Cultural Context: Catfish is often "disrespected" in the North but is a prized ingredient in the South, where they "know how to turn this rather creepy ingredient into something delicious."
  • Description: A generous sandwich featuring two to three fried catfish fillets on a hoagie bun, with tartar sauce, lettuce, and a red tomato.
  • Preparation Process:
    1. Two to three catfish fillets are battered in Zatarain's seasoning.
    2. They are deep-fried until "good and golden brown."
    3. A hoagie bun is prepared with tartar sauce, lettuce, and a red tomato.
    4. The fried catfish fillets are laid onto the sandwich.
  • Taste and Experience: The catfish alone was "good," with a texture "somewhere between flaky and a little bit mushy" and "so much flavor" from the seasoning. In sandwich form, it was "delicious" even without mayonnaise, as the fish was "so moist" and "soft." It was praised as "classic southern food" and "outstanding," embodying the Southern approach of "double down[ing] on... all the ingredients that makes food worth eating."

The General Store: A Southern Snack

This stop offers a simple, yet iconic, Southern comfort food.

• Fried Bologna Sandwich
  • Cultural Context: A "southern comfort food or a southern fast food, a snack," rarely found outside the South. The sandwich cost $5.
  • Bologna Explanation: Bologna is described as being made from "all the weird odds and ends to the pig" (tail, knees, elbows, lips, armpits), blended together. Its high fat content makes it ideal for frying on a flat top.
  • Preparation Process:
    1. A slice of bologna is "snipped" around the edges to prevent it from curling up when fried on a flat top, ensuring it stays flat.
    2. The bologna is fried.
    3. A layer of bread is prepared.
    4. Fried bologna is placed on the bread, followed by cheese (sneaked under the bologna), a "fat piece of red tomato," lettuce, and mayo.
    5. The sandwich is then foiled closed.
  • Taste and Experience: Described as "Oh, dear Lord," and reminiscent of a homemade snack. It was praised for its "fatty, porky, delicious processed meat" flavor, which paired well with the lettuce, tomato, and mayo. The host humorously acknowledged the health implications of processed meat but declared, "I don't care." It was highlighted as a "special food that you will only find here."

Southern Eats Booth: Deep-Fried Decadence

This stall takes a beloved Southern dessert to an extreme level.

• Deep Fried Southern Pecan Pie
  • Cultural Context: Pecan pie is a quintessential Southern food because the pecan tree is "really prevalent here" and is one of the native fruit trees of the region. The stall emphasizes giving "the customer their money's worth" by frying a quarter of a pie.
  • Preparation Process (with Chris):
    1. A quarter of a pecan pie is dipped into a light, homemade funnel cake batter.
    2. It is deep-fried for 4 minutes until "golden crispy."
    3. The oil is allowed to drain off.
    4. The fried pie is given "a few quick stabs with the tongs" to help toppings cling and make it easier to eat.
    5. It is then showered with powdered sugar, topped with whipped cream, and drizzled with caramel.
  • Award: Chris, the cook, was declared the "best fried food of 2025" for this creation.
  • Taste and Experience: Described as "sinful, decadent, and absolutely delicious," a "pecan pie glow up" that gained "1,000 calories." The experience was "pure indulgence like sucking on Satan's fingertips," creating a mix of "guilt and pleasure." The taste was an "amazing mix of crunchy pancakey batter, big satisfying chunks of pecan, plus that filling all smothered in these sweet toppings."

Something For You Food Bus: Authentic Southern Soul Food

This food bus offers classic Tennessee soul food, a departure from typical fried fair fare.

• Southern Soul Food Plate
  • Cultural Context: These are "recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation," representing "how we eat on Sunday" with an emphasis on "more fat the better." It stands out from the "fried bear food" trend at the fair.
  • Components & Taste:
    • Mac and Cheese: Described as a "big congealed clump," with "solid al dente elbow noodle," cheesy, creamy, and solidified in some areas. The host, from Minnesota, preferred this style over the toasted bready crust often favored in the South.
    • Cornbread Dressing (Stuffing) with Giblet Gravy and Shredded Chicken: A "hot, delicious, steamy stuffing or dressing" with "tender chicken on top" and gravy to "bring it all together."
    • Green Beans cooked with Ham Hock: Noted as "not ordinary green beans," but "green beans with some ham hawk in there." They were "soft, delicious," with "a little bit of animal fat," making them "hammy beans" or "porky beans."
    • Hawaiian Roll: A classic accompaniment to bring the meal together.
  • Overall Experience: The meal was praised for being delicious, comforting, and a welcome change from typical fair food, demonstrating that quality, traditional cooking can draw a crowd.

Kirby's Mini Donut Wagon: Breakfast Dessert

The final stop offers a creative twist on mini donuts, combining breakfast favorites.

• French Toast and Bacon Mini Donuts
  • Description: Miniature donuts layered like nachos, topped with maple icing, generous amounts of fresh bacon, and served with a side of maple syrup.
  • Preparation Process (with Laura):
    1. Batter is made and dropped into a hopper, then extruded into shortening specifically for the donut maker.
    2. Donuts float and automatically flip to ensure both sides are "nicely golden brown."
    3. Once cooked, they are collected in a bucket for easy shaking with sugar.
    4. Poured into a tray, maple icing is applied to help the bacon stick.
    5. Generous amounts of fresh bacon are added.
    6. A side of maple syrup is provided.
  • Other Offerings: The wagon also offers sugar, Oreo, Cookies and Cream, Fruity Pebble, and Boston Cream donuts, with a humorous sign warning not to eat the (at least 12-day-old) display donuts.
  • Taste and Experience: Described as "really nice." The host recommended asking for fresh donuts for a crispier, toastier outside and doughier inside. The "nice hit of cinnamon icing" provided sweetness, which was "tempered" by the "literal chunks of bacon." The host declared, "bacon, it goes on everything," calling it "one of the most versatile food ingredients that exist." The dish was deemed the "perfect way to end your food coma."

Conclusion

The Tennessee State Fair offered an impressive array of unique and indulgent Southern treats, many of which were "verified" Southern classics or innovative takes on regional favorites. The experience highlighted the distinct culinary identity of the South, contrasting with the more homogenized food landscape found elsewhere. The absolute favorite dish was the Deep Fried Southern Pecan Pie, praised for its sinful decadence and deliciousness. The video concludes by teasing a future exploration of Alaskan wilderness fair food.