Bacon fried in cotton candy and a Dominican take on a hot dog will have extra bragging rights at this year's State Fair of Texas.

Driving the news: The fair hosted its annual Big Tex Choice Awards competition yesterday, with four judges from the Dallas food and beverage industry deciding the winners after a live tasting.

Why it matters: The competition started 20 years ago among fair vendors and has evolved from mostly fried foods to a tough battle to come up with the wildest flavor blends that are still delicious.

State of play: The 10 finalists were split into two categories — savory and sweet — and judged on taste and how easily they can be eaten at the fair.

• Many of the fair's food vendors are families, with kids joining the business as soon as they're old enough.
• Becoming a vendor at the fair is a competitive process. Winning the competition is even tougher. Many finalists competed in the Big Tex competition for several years before being selected this year.
• The winners will get special placement on the fair's maps and plaques to display on their booths. They will also need to plan for larger crowds that come with the extra publicity.

The intrigue: The judges were most amused by the Texas Sugar Rush Pickles, which The Ticket's Donovan Lewis compared to an over-talkative 6-year-old.

• The pickles, which are layered in sweet cereal and sour candy like a trifle, won the award for the most creative item.

What they're saying: Justin Martinez, whose Dominican Fritura Dog won in the savory category, dedicated his win to his late father, who worked at the fair since 1977 and died in the past year.

• "The competition is unbelievable. You've got to continue to get creative and get those creative juices flowing," Martinez said.

What's next: Opening Day is Sept. 27.

The former owner of a small Mississippi oilfield doesn't want any mention of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones when a pending lawsuit goes to trial to determine if the operation harmed the environment and people living nearby.

Why it matters: Jones has a large stake in Comstock Resources, a Dallas-based energy company that used to own the Laurel, Mississippi, oilfield.

• A Laurel couple alleges that Comstock should be held liable for the medical issues that they and other families experienced while living nearby.

State of play: The field was decades past its heyday when Comstock was trying to sell it in 2010, Forbes reports.

• Consultants evaluating the field for an interested buyer found rusted and corroded equipment, leaking pipes, worn-down containment levees, and unlined pits for storing toxic wastewater. The interested buyer bought the field anyway, spending $75 million.

The big picture: Comstock has transformed itself since the sale, trading stock to the Cowboys owner for oil fields in North Dakota and acquiring a Louisiana-based natural gas driller with more investments from Jones.

• Jones owns 70% of Comstock. His stake is worth $2.2 billion, Forbes reports.

Threat level: Deidra and Marlan Baucum are suing Comstock, alleging that toxins from the oil field migrated to their property and caused Deidra Baucum to get esophageal cancer.

• Deidra Baucum is in remission.

The bottom line: Both sides are preparing for the case to go to trial. Comstock's attorneys asked the court to bar any mentions of Jones.

• "So as not to prejudice potential jurors who don't like the Cowboys, the football team Jones has owned since 1989," Forbes writes.

It's about to get hotter in North Texas. Football season is here.

• The Cowboys are back home this weekend to play their final preseason game against the Chargers.

Why it matters: The team's regular season roster remains up in the air, most notably with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb still holding out for a better contract.

• Plus, the future of the Cowboys remains in limbo because the team has yet to sign a contract extension with quarterback Dak Prescott.

Catch up fast: Lamb is one of the best wide receivers in the league and wants a paycheck to match his performance.

• His rookie contract ends after this season. The Cowboys have offered him a contract extension of slightly under $33 million per season.

State of play: The Cowboys beat the Las Vegas Raiders last week but fell by one point to the LA Rams in the first preseason game.

• Betting odds show the Cowboys winning tomorrow over the Chargers.

The intrigue: Cowboys tickets still remain some of the most expensive in the NFL. Resale prices are higher than the national average, but much cheaper than going to a game in Vegas.

What's next: The Cowboys open the season in Cleveland on Sept. 8.

📊 A new University of Houston poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris is narrowing the gap in Texas against former President Trump. (Texas Tribune)

🏳️‍⚧️ Transgender Texans can no longer change their driver's license to match their gender identity, even if they have updated their birth certificate. (NBC5)

⛪️ Southlake's Gateway Church has fired its executive pastor for an unspecified "moral issue." (FOX4)

🛍 Allen Premium Outlets will get four new stores, including Vera Bradley, this fall. Plus, a Chuck E. Cheese will open at the shopping center. (WFAA)

A fruit punch was among yesterday's Big Tex finalists, and we can't wait to pair it with our annual Fletcher's corn dog at this year's fair.

• Binh Tran's concoction will be a perfect complement to some of the salty, savory food winners.

What to order: Tropical Two-Step Punch — citrusy passionfruit and mango blend that can be a mocktail or served with rum or Fireball.

Six-word review: Spicy, tangy, sippable fair food addition.

📭 Know a drink we should try? Hit reply and tell us.