New Mexico State Fair released competitors for this year’s food contest

NEW MEXICO (KAMR/KCIT) — Just one week away, the New Mexico State Fair released this years competitors for both the Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge and the Unique Foods Contest.

The 2024 New Mexico State Fair is scheduled from Sept. 5-15, featuring music, entertainment, food that highlights the culture, agriculture, art and beauty of New Mexico.

The Unique Foods Contest

The Unique Foods Contest is scheduled on opening day at the Chevron Pavilion to celebrate fair foods and their creativity. The competition will include sweet, fried, salty and smothered foods to name a few. Officials said a panel of local media personalities will serve as judges.

Following the competition dishes that will be made available for guest attending the fair to purchase include:

• Item: Street Taco Grilled Cheese

Hand-diced and seasoned carne asada with fresh Monterey jack cheese and house-made green chile on sourdough, grilled to toasty perfection.

Vendor: Cheese Love Grill, Heritage and Main Street

• Conductor’s Corn Dog

A 100% all-beef Nathan’s ¼ lb hot dog hand-dipped in scratch-made, top-secret corn dog batter. Fried to a delicious golden brown before it’s split open and topped with cheddar cheese sauce, smoked bacon, fried cheese curd and Hatch green chile.

Vendor : Gravy Train, Food Court

• Deep Fried Carne Asada Taco

This taco is stuffed with fresh grilled carne asada and Monterey jack cheese. The taco is then dipped in a special batter and deep-fried to perfection. Served with homemade spicy salsa.

Vendor : Quesada’s Mexican, Heritage and Main Street

• Belgian Waffle Green Chile Cheeseburger

All beef patty grilled to perfection served on a Belgian waffle garnished with pickle, lettuce and tomato. The sandwich is then drizzled with green chile maple syrup and dusted with powdered sugar.

Vendor : Rex’s, South of Natural Resources Building

• Desert Chimichanga

Sweet chimichanga made with a flour tortilla and filled with cream cheese wrapped in smoked bacon, deep fried to a golden brown and smothered in cinnamon sugar, strawberry and chocolate sauce.

Vendor : Fried Fantasy, Food Court

“If you love Fair Food this is the contest for you,” said State Fair General Manager Dan Mourning. “You want wacky, crazy food, we got wacky, crazy, yet always delicious, food right here at the New Mexico State Fair and every item in this competition will be available to purchase throughout the run of the Fair.”

The Original Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge

The Original Green Chile Cheeseburger Challenge, is scheduled to take place at noon on Monday, Sept. 9, on Main Street north of Heritage Avenue.

“This is the Super Bowl of Green Chile Cheeseburger contests in this State,” said Mourning. “It continues to get bigger and bigger each year so we decided to move it out to Main Street to accommodate the huge crowds that flock to this event. People’s choice ballots are extremely limited so make sure you’re here early!”

The following 10 restaurants from across the State will compete for the title of New Mexico State Fair Champion:

• Downshift Brewing Co. – Lincoln County
• Del’s Family Restaurant – Quay County
• Effingbar & Grill – Bernalillo County
• Savoy Bar and Grill – Bernalillo County
• Craft Republic – Bernalillo County
• Big Mike’s Burgers and More – Valencia County
• Sparky’s Burgers, BBQ & Espresso – Dona Ana County
• Isleta Grill – Isleta Pueblo
• Grill at the Monte Carlo – Taos County
• Slate Street Billiards – Sandoval County

These 10 restaurants will compete for two awards, the blind judging and people’s choice awards.

100 Fair attendees that would like to taste the burgers in the competition, will have a chance if they receive a people’s choice ballot.

To receive a people choice ballot, guest must first receive a wristbands which will be distributed in the crowd by the New Mexico State Police randomly. After receiving a wristband guest can then go to the burgundy tent near the Ag Building to receive a ballot.

Officials said guest must have a wristband to receive a ballot.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the New Mexico State Fair website.

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