By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Jul 22, 2016 at 11:01 AM

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We’d like to interrupt the arterial recovery you’ve been experiencing since the close of Summerfest with a new addition of diet-busting treats.

This round is brought to you by the 165th annual Wisconsin State Fair, which has proudly added more than 80 gut-busting additions to its menu for 2016.

Familiar new favorites

Some of the new State Fair offerings have already made a splash. Take for instance, the deep fried Old Fashioned, which is not only a Summerfest repeat, but also a finalist in the annual Sporkies competition. I tried it at Summerfest, and it was actually pretty good. Kind of like a warm doughnut with fruity cream cheese filling.

Or how about that mac bottom pizza we reported about? This year, Water Street Brewery will be serving the pepperoni and sausage version you may have sampled at Summerfest, along with a brand new iteration: the chili-mac bottom pizza, featuring beef brisket chili, beans, cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, serrano pepper crema all on the deep fried macaroni and cheese bottomed pizza.

Bacon schmakon

Last year – as has been the case for a number of years – bacon was king at the Fair. This year, there will be plenty of old favorites to be sure (like chocolate covered bacon on a stick), but the list of new bacon-filled items are fairly pedestrian, with a bacon pork burger; smoked jalapeno, bacon and cheddar brat sliders; and bacon popcorn balls topping the list.

Beer!

Items featuring one of the state’s favorite beverages appear in force. Beer-infused items include Sprecher’s Russian Imperial Stout caramels, beer cheese fondue, beer-battered boneless wings, Blue Moon marinated pork tacos and even beersicles, which I presume are popsicles made with beer.

On a stick

And yes, there are plenty of things "on a stick." But a few are more amusing than others. Take, for instance, the Klement's Famous Racing Sausages corn dog, which features a portion of every racing sausage (hot dog, chorizo, bratwurst, Italian and Polish sausages) combined on a stick, battered in corn batter and deep fried.

Another is perfect for Packers fans with a penchant for sweets. The 50-Yarder On-a-Stick features two double chocolate chip cookies (shaped like footballs) filled with cake batter cookie dough ice cream and decorated with green and gold frosting.

Which ones should I try?

This year, I'll be trying and reviewing ten of the new Wisconsin State Fair foods. I’ve got a small list started of things I'm interested in trying, but I’m also taking requests! Leave your suggestions for foods I should consider in the comments or email me at lori@staff.onmilwaukee.com (use subject line: State Fair Foods) on or before Aug. 1. I’ll try to include as many of your suggestions as I can.

For your convenience, here are all the new foods at the Fair (along with where to find them). You can also find more favorite dishes using the Wisconsin State Fair Food Finder.

  • 50 Yarder On-a-Stick (Emma's Cookie Kitchen)
  • Albo Bomber Sandwich (Albanese's Roadhouse)
  • Bacon Popcorn Balls (Laura's Gourmet Popcorn)
  • Bacon Pork Burger (Pork Schoppe)
  • Banana Split Cheesecake Square (Aggie's Bakery & Coffeehouse)
  • BBQ Pulled Pork Baked Potato (Ribbon Fries)
  • Beer & Pretzel Bites (Miller Lite Sports Bar & Grill)
  • Beer-Battered Boneless Chicken Wings (Pabst Blue Ribbon Park)
  • Beersicles (Pabst Blue Ribbon Park)
  • Beer Cheese Fondue (Machine Shed)
  • Blue Moon Marinated Pork Tacos with Garlic Parmesan Fries (Tavern at the Park)
  • Bocce Sandwich (Albanese's Roadhouse)
  • Bourbon Chicken (Catfish Johnny's)
  • Brownie Mountains (Lehmann's Bakery)
  • Budweiser Barbeque Pulled Pork Sliders (Budweiser Pavilion Grill)
  • Caramel Apple Hard Cider Float (Slim McGinn's Irish Pub)
  • Cheese Balls On-a-Stick (Door County Fish Boil)
  • Cheese Blintzes (Cracovia)
  • Chili-Mac Bottom Pizza (Brew City)
  • Cookies & Cream Gourmet Mini Donuts (The Donut Family)
  • Crabby Lobster Melt (Tropics at the Fair)
  • Crazy Corn Reaper Popcorn (All Things Jerky)
  • Crunchy Chicken Club Sandwich (Miller Lite Sports Bar & Grill)
  • Deep-Fried Bread Pudding Bites On-a-Stick (Saz's Ribs)
  • Deep-Fried Corn On the Cob (Adeline's Corn)
  • Deep-Fried Fruit On-a-Stick (Fried Fruit On-a-Stick)
  • Deep-Fried Olives (Fried Fruit On-a-Stick)
  • Deep-Fried Ol' Fashioned (Water Street Brewery)
  • Deep-Fried Onion Tanglers (Budweiser Pavilion Grill)
  • Disco Tots (Knucklehead)
  • Door County Surf & Turf On-a-Stick (Door County Fish Boil)
  • Elvis Chicken and Waffle Sandwich (Lakefront Brew Pub & Eatery)
  • Exotic Meat Sausage Combo On-a-Stick (Exotic Meat Grill)
  • Fiesta Cookie Dough (Cookie Dough Fondue)
  • Fried Gnocchi (Albanese's Roadhouse)
  • Funnel Cake Fries (Pabst Blue Ribbon Park)
  • Hefe Weiss Cake (Sprecher Landing)
  • Hopped Up Pecans (Sprecher Landing)
  • Italian Bomber Sandwich (Leadfoots Race Bar & Grill)
  • Jerky Cheese Fries (Exotic Meat Grill)
  • Jumbo Stuffed Tater Tots (Spam)
  • Klement's Backyard Select Chorizo Sausage (Bavarian Haus)
  • Klement's Backyard Select Italian Sausage (Bavarian Haus)
  • Klement's Backyard Select Polish Sausage (Bavarian Haus)
  • Klement's Famous Racing Sausages Corn Dog (Bavarian Haus)
  • Knuckle-Style Tots (Knucklehead)
  • Mac Bottom Pizza (Brew City)
  • Mini Brat Trio (Bavarian Haus)
  • Mountain Man Bloody Mary Burger (Exotic Meat Grill)
  • Mountain Man Burger (Exotic Meat Grill)
  • Muddy Martian Ice Cream (Cedar Crest Ice Cream)
  • Not Your Father's Fish Tacos (Pabst Blue Ribbon Park)
  • Not Your Father's Root Beer-Braised Shredded Chicken Salad (Pabst Blue Ribbon Park)
  • Not Your Father's Root Beer-Braised Shredded Chicken Wrap (Pabst Blue Ribbon Park)
  • Pabst Blue Reuben Rolls (Pabst Blue Ribbon Park)
  • Pickle Fries (Miller Lite Sports Bar & Grill)
  • Pork Rind Nachos (Dairyland Bar & Grill, Dairyland Grill, and Dynamite Tot Stop)
  • Poutine Tots (Knucklehead)
  • Pretzel Dog (Gertrude's Fresh Pretzels)
  • Rainbow Danish Layer Cake Cups (Lehmann's Bakery)
  • Raw Oyster Shooter (Joey's Seafood)
  • Red Velvet Cake Milkshake (Hand Dipped Ice Cream)
  • Root Beer Candy Coated Pecans (Root Beer Everything)
  • Root Beer Caramels (Root Beer Everything)
  • Root Beer Float Cake (Root Beer Everything and Sprecher Landing)
  • Root Beer Float Donut (Root Beer Everything and Sprecher Landing)
  • Russian Imperial Stout Caramels (Sprecher Landing)
  • Saz's Applewood Smoked BBQ Chicken Thighs (Saz's Ribs)
  • Saz's Signature Sausage Croquettes (Bavarian Haus)
  • Shannon Nachos (Slim McGinn's Irish Pub)
  • Smoked Jalapeno, Bacon & Cheddar Brat Sliders (Budweiser Pavilion Grill)
  • SPAM Breakfast Sandwich (Spam)
  • SPAM Burger (Spam)
  • SPAM Curds (Spam)
  • Spicy Cheddar Bites (Budweiser Pavilion Grill)
  • Sriracha Chicken Sliders (Chicken & Waffles)
  • Sriracha Chicken Fries (Ribbon Fries)
  • Sriracha Dog (Dairyland Bar & Grill and Dairyland Grill)
  • Texas Tater Tots (Tropics at the Fair)
  • Thank-full Chicken Sandwich (Rupena's)
  • Thanksgiving Day Burrito (Mexican Grill)
  • Three Little Pigs (Bavarian Haus)
  • Twisted Turtle Donut (Sprecher Landing)
Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.