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Bacon-wrapped Jack Daniel's, fried Doritos, Pop Rocks doughnuts? It's
the O.C. Fair
Deep-fried foods at the Orange County Fair

County fairs are not for the faint of heart. They take stamina,
sunscreen, a willingness to be a serious gourmand and, for those
determined to plunge into a deep fried food-induced coma, plenty of
antacid.

The Orange County Fair opened Friday with massive crowds and vats of hot
oil. Each year the food vendors do their best to out-fry and out-hype
one another, providing fair-goers with some truly innovative gut-busting
treats. A deep-fried avocado or churro filled with butter may sound like
an overindulgence, but at the fair it's just lunch.

Here are three of the wackiest new fried foods you'll want to look out
for this year. The fair runs until Aug. 10, so you'll have plenty of
time for summer gluttony. You can also check them out in the video above.

Bacon-wrapped Jack Daniel's

Mike Peterson, owner of Bacon A-Fair, the bacon-centric fair vendor,
wanted to push the limit this year, so he created the bacon-wrapped Jack
Daniel's. No, it's not a bottle of Jack Daniel's wrapped in bacon,
although that would be fun. Peterson hollows out a churro with a wooden
stick, then injects it with a half shot of Jack Daniel's Tennessee
whiskey. The churro is then rolled in sugar, wrapped in bacon, then put
on the grill to render the bacon fat. Each churro is $6.50 and comes
with a dollop of whipped cream and syrup.

When you bite into the churro, the first thing you taste is the bacon,
which gets just caramelized enough with the sugar from the churro. And
the churro itself could easily double as thick slabs of French toast.
The Jack Daniel's is subtle in some bites and almost pungent in others,
depending on where the churro received its alcohol injection. With the
syrup, it almost tastes like breakfast. And about the alcohol, it cooks
out, so Peterson says it's safe to feed to the kids.

He's also added a beer-battered, fried bacon-wrapped turkey leg to the
menu this year. You know, in case you're hungry after your whiskey churro.

Deep-fried Doritos

Chicken Charlie's owner Charlie Boghosian and his brother Tony are known
for deep-frying everything. And when we say everything, we mean anything
from cookie dough to frogs' legs. This year, in their quest for the next
great deep-fried food, Tony says he and his brother tried frying Fig
Newtons, Rice Krispie treats and a slew of other foods before deciding
on Doritos. Yes, they took already-fried Nacho Cheese-Flavored Doritos,
tossed them in a fish-and-chips-style batter and fried them. A basket of
fried, fried chips is $8.75 and comes with a cup of ranch dressing.
Well, you need something to dip them in, don't you?

The batter is almost translucent, allowing the chips to retain their
signature orange hue. Depending on how much batter ends up on your
chips, some of them can taste like a doughnut, with a Doritos surprise
inside. I think we just found Homer Simpson's dream snack.

Pop Rocks Doughnuts

There's a reason why the doughnuts at the Texas Donuts booths are called
Texas doughnuts. Just one of these monstrous, deep fried rings of dough
is enough to feed four. And this year, owner Rich Brander is looking to
elicit even more oohs and aahs then ever. He's introduced three new
flavors, but the one that takes the cake is the Pop Rocks doughnut.
Revert to your 12-year-old self and order this classic glazed doughnut
topped with enough pink cherry icing to satisfy the most severe of sweet
tooths and what appears to be at least a package or two of Pop Rocks candy.

Each bite is a time machine back to the schoolyard. That nostalgic
sensation of crackling, sparkling candy on your tongue? It's there with
every bite. Couple that with the fluffy glazed doughnut underneath and
you'll be lost in a sugar-filled daze until you lick the last bits of
frosting off your sticky fingers.

And if you're game to try the other flavors, there's a doughnut with
chocolate frosting and chunks of Reese's cups, and another filled with
Bavarian cream and topped with chocolate frosting, slices of banana and
crushed peanuts.

88 Fair Dr, Costa Mesa, (714) 708-1500, www.ocfair.com.