Deep-fried candy bars among latest fair food oddities

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- For decades, people have been visiting the Illinois State Fair and thinking wistfully about a gaping hole in the culinary offerings.

"I can buy a candy bar and I can buy deep-fried food on a stick," they said to themselves, "but, sadly, I cannot buy a deep-fried candy bar on a stick!"

Now their days of misery are over. Fairgoers at last can feast on batter-dipped, deep-fried candy bars -- both Snickers and Milky Ways.

Maybe fairgoers haven't really been pining for this concoction, but now they can find out what they've been missing. Several vendors are offering fried candy bars, including Dave Hennig of New Richmond, Wis.

"We thought about doing it a few years ago at the Minnesota State Fair, but someone else did it instead. It went over well, and we thought we'd bring it here," said Hennig, new this year at the Illinois State Fair.

"It's real rich," said the proprietor of All Star Foods, who admits he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth.

To make the $3 treat, he slips a wooden stick into a room-temperature candy bar, dips it into a pancake-style batter and deep-fries it about 45 seconds in canola oil. When it's golden brown, he sprinkles it with powdered sugar and serves it on a plate.

The result is incredibly intense and sweet, with a soft, caramel-y consistency.

"They should have smaller portions so you can sample everything," said Bonnie Crabtree of Dawson as she watched another fairgoer down one of the candy bars, desperately gulping bottled water after each sugary bite.

"It doesn't matter," replied her friend, Ruth Souther of Springfield. "I eat it no matter what size it is."

Another new offering this year is the pork chop on a stick, a thick-cut rib chop specially trimmed so the bone of the chop serves as a stick. (The bone is covered with foil to prevent sticky fingers.)

"It's the perfect fair food," said Tim Maiers of the Illinois Pork Producers. "Everything is on a stick out here, so why not a pork chop?"

If you're seeking a Neanderthal look while strolling the fairgrounds, try chewing on the jumbo turkey legs.

"People gnaw them like a caveman," said Carole Blair, dispenser of the 2-pound hunks of smoked and grilled dark meat.

The legs sell for $5 each and come with tissue paper so your hands won't get greasy from holding the leg bone. Blair said both children and adults like the smoky flavor.

"Some of the kids are smaller than the turkey legs."