Fried Sriracha and Bacon Wrapped Pork Belly at the Houston Rodeo 2015

Visiting the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has become an annual tradition for The Lovely Spouse and I. I've previously blogged on it as well. Therefore for this year I'll write on new things we found and a few things I didn't blog in previous years.

While waiting in line we could look in and see this goat watching the crowd.  She was part of a pretty cool educational exhibit teaching kids (and their parents) how food goes from farms to grocery stores. 

This year we found a much, much larger crowd there than usual.  Probably because this Spring has been very miserable and rainy and yesterday was the first nice day.  The wait to get in took at least an hour because the ticket system kept going down.  We only planned to get general admission instead of seeing the evening concert. General admission is $10, the concert tickets (which include general admission) start at $16 and go up from there.  Well, we saw the crowd outside and tried to get tickets on our phones, but the website wouldn't allow a secure connection on mobile, then it crashed altogether. So we tried calling and the company's computers crashed.  Thankfully some Rodeo volunteers came around with some cash-only tickets so that we could get in.  By this time I was dehydrated and had the beginnings of a nasty sunburn.  But we did get in.  [My sunburn turned out to be much worse than my initial assessment.]

Next to the Borden Milk area is the animal birthing area where we got to see the young 'uns born at the Rodeo,  Who can resist such cute critters?

Once inside we headed indoors to cool off and get rehydrated. I made a bee-line for the Borden area to grab a milk. $2 for an icy cold milk, available flavored or unflavored.

Bovine competitors resting backstage. 

Competitors with the heifer show. Participants learn animal husbandry and compete for scholarships.

Wandering the building we also got to see the heifer show and check out the eats and drinks.

A much larger crowd than previous years and also lots of food and drink options available indoors.

Once we cooled off it was time to head outside to the carnival area, where the most interesting eats were to be found.

Somehow we found gluten free items.  Typically fries don't have gluten in them, but now you can be absolutely sure.

In case you're prefer your curly fries in a cone, instead of a loaf.

Large volumes of food on very large grills everywhere.

We also found bacon wrapped turkey legs.  

Rotisserie chicken on a specialized grill.

What's this?  Bacon wrapped pork belly?  Yes please!

The bacon wrapped pork belly was available at Big Bubba's Bad BBQ.  

They also had grills upon grills full of turkey and chicken.

The bacon wrapped pork belly. Actually, exceptionally delicious.  Available for around $15 each.

Sausages, grilled jalapenos, etc. 

Other vendors had many other fried things, including red velvet cake.  I didn't find the fried Nutella this year.

Deep Fried Kettle Corn. Didn't try it, but it looked interesting.

I posted on the pickle place last year, but tried the fried zucchini from them this year.  I did not even think about trying the chocolate covered pickle. That just sounds nasty.

For $8 at the Rodeo, the order of deep fried zucchini is actually rather large. The breading was the perfect blend of crunchy and not too heavy.  And the zucchini were well prepped and cooked.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I didn't touch the dressing that came with it. I suggest sharing. The oil is the same that's used for frying the pickles so there's a bit of pickle brininess.  That's a good thing.

The Belgian waffle place is new for this year. I was intrigued by the deep fried biscuits and gravy. 

Sadly they did not bring the fried beer to this show.  As you can see, they've been regulars to the Texas State Fair, although this is their first year at the Houston Rodeo.

I had a difficult time deciding what to get but ultimately decided on the deep fried Sriracha.  It was, after all, the most unusual item on the menu.
 

They were actually quite delicious. A good blend of spicy (but not too spicy) and savory.  I'm not entire sure this was a vegetarian dish, as it appeared there was chicken in the mix. There was also corn and herbs. A bit pricey, but I would order these again.

For dinner I went back to Big Bubba's and got the pulled pork. This was the only disappointment as far as food is concerned for my day at the Rodeo. It was overly sweet. Really, all I could taste was overwhelming SUGAR. The Lovely Spouse had a second bacon wrapped pork belly for dinner.

We also headed to the horse arena to see what was new there. A mule pull was in progress. Growing up we went to the annual mule pull in our small town. It was a chance to show off the strength of the animals.  Also, there's not a lot to do for entertainment in small, rural towns.

A mule pull is a team event. These are very strong animals that you have to line up in an alley (marked with tape on the ground) and get them to pull the sled together as a team. It's hard work.

When they work together it's a thing of beauty. If the team fails to pull the weight, they get a 5 minute rest to try again. 

Other sites from the Rodeo, include camel rides and, of course, shopping. So much shopping.

Camels taking a break in front of the Ford truck area.

An unusual find in the shopping area. 

The Rodeo runs every day through March 20, 2015.  If you go, here area a few insider tips:

1. Get your tickets online and print them out before you go. Tickets are available here and it will be so much easier to get them from a desktop or laptop computer than from a mobile device.

2. If you can, go early and eat breakfast at the Rodeo. There are lots of options, including breakfast tacos, kolaches, and the Belgian waffles mentioned above. If it's a nice day and a weekend it will get crowded fast.

3. If you need to sit and rest for awhile, check out the various ag competitions. They're indoors and air conditioned.

4. If you find the lines for the restrooms in the main exhibit hall to be very long, you have 2 options.  You can either walk through the animal holding areas and use the restrooms on the opposite side of the exhibit hall OR you can go upstairs and use those restrooms.

5. The light rail will be very, very busy.  If you are claustrophobic or have social anxiety, park at the Rodeo.

6. There are a number of different ATMs at the rodeo.  User fees range from around $3-6.  If you don't want to pay this fee, bring cash.  Many of the vendors accept credit and debit cards, but not all of them do.

7. If you wish to drink beer or wine, bring ID.  They card everyone. Some craft beers are available at beer vendors throughout the Rodeo. We found Goliad Dark Hefeweizen and Live Oak Pilsner while we were there. $10.25 for craft beer. I think it was $10 for beers like Bud, Bud Lite, Blue Moon, and Miller.

8. Be nice to the Rodeo staff.  The vast majority of them are volunteers. They're the ones who make sure everything runs smoothly and that the animals don't get out and harm you.

Getting my AgNerd on at the Houston Rodeo

Most people wouldn't guess this by meeting me now, but I grew up in an area of the country that was, and remains to be, tied to an agricultural identity.  We had an annual census and usually cows outnumbered people.  These days urbanization and suburban creep are moving in and it's doubtful that cows still outnumber people, but my former high school still boasts one of the largest FFAs in the state. This is especially impressive considering the high school is one of the smaller ones in the state.

I've written before on the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but focused mostly on what you can eat while you're there.  So much more goes on at the Rodeo, even if you don't bother to purchase the concert tickets (you must purchase the concert ticket to see the bull riding, bronc busting, and other events typically associated with a rodeo).  

First and foremost the show gives city dwellers a chance to connect with where their food comes from. This year there was a new exhibit that showcased the foods that are produced in Texas and highlighted the specialties from each region of this very large state. Most people are aware that beef, grapefruit, and cotton are produced in Texas, but did you know that peanuts and rice also are grown in Texas? And that the state is a major producer of chicken and angora goats. In addition to beef, Texas has a number of successful dairies, and not just with cow's milk, there are goat milk dairies too. Texas is also a leading producer of sorghum, a grain that is often used to make gluten free beer, in addition to cereals and animal feed.

You simply can't have an ag show without having a chick hatchery. 

You also must have a milking demonstration at every ag show.

The Tour of Texas was new this year.  And, yes, Texas is a wine producer.

Texas has a number of different geographical and temperate regions.  The climate and soil are different in each region.  I live in the Prairies and Lakes Region. There are cotton farms and beef cattle ranches all around, and people grow pecans here, including the ones we grow in our yard. We also grow pomegranates, figs, olives, and Cabernet grapes in our yard.

You can also cultivate bees in Texas. Our yard is not ideal for them, however it would be if it was just a little bit larger.

This is part of a much larger display explaining how insects and arachnids contribute towards Texas agriculture.

Texas has a number of different soil orders. Knowing your soil order will help you select crops that are most likely to succeed on your property.

The show is also a scholarship contest for Texas children. The children raise animals for the show, transport them to Houston and the animals are then judged according to how they meet a breed standard.  At the end of the show the animals are auctioned and the proceeds go towards a college/university scholarship for participating children. The grand champion and reserve grand champion animals are put on display following their auctions.

This is the grand champion hog from the show. She sold for more than $200,000 and set a world record. 

Reserve grand champion goat taking a nap.

Reserve grand champion heifer resting.

Most people associate branding with ownership.  For centuries American cattle producers have branded their animals to make it obvious who owns which animals on free ranging properties.  Brands are also used for traceability.  Animals at the Houston Rodeo are branded to show they came from the Houston Rodeo. In the unlikely event a disease happens in animals at the Rodeo, all animals leaving the Rodeo can easily be recognized by their brands and the disease could be traced back.  In addition to the brands there are electronic records for transport and sale/exchange of the animals.

There are shows for non-livestock animals as well. Llamas and alpacas participate in a number of competitions including the quality of their fleece and the round out the show with a costume contest. Weeks earlier in the Rodeo there were horsemanship competitions and a donkey and mule show.  There are also shows for rabbits, herding dogs, FFA mechanical groups (that teach how to build the items used on the farm/ranch), and many other events related to all things ag.

How often do you see a llama dressed as a tractor?

Alpacas are just so  incredibly cute.

Llamas checking out the action in the arena.

The show also gives all attendees a chance to connect with rodeo, Western, and Americana culture.  This year there was a new rodeo event called cowboy mounted shooting.  The name is quite descriptive.  The competition involves a person riding a horse while shooting at targets.  In the case of the competition I watched they shot at a round of balloons with a pistol, then rode to the end of the arena and shot at a line of balloons with a rifle The person who completes the course the fastest with the fewest misses wins the round.  The ammunition was theatrical blanks so there was little risk to the audience.  The Lovely Spouse, who was born in the big city and has only been on a horse once, got so fired up about it he now wants to try it. [If anyone knows how to make this happen, please let me know.] The competition was exciting and quite easy for the audience to get interested in the action. I hope this event come back next year. And I predict it will eventually be part of the large stadium action and will be televised.

There's also shopping and a bit of an agricultural trade show at the rodeo. Things that I didn't get pictures of include some of the most beautiful horse trailers/RVs I've ever seen, gorgeous farm/ranch gates, and some of the latest farm/ranch technology.

Shopping.  Lots and lots of shopping.

John Deere representing.  And, no, I didn't see anything similar for Kubota or any other tractor company. 

My readers are accustomed to me showing what to eat in every post, so here's a little summary of what was new for this year.  First and foremost my little Polish heart was all aflutter to find a Polish restaurant at the Rodeo.  This is the same restaurant that has a shop at the Texas Renaissance Festival and they had many of the same options, including perogi (fried dumplings with a variety of fillings) and golabki (stuffed cabbage).

Polish food at the Houston Rodeo. At some point I will make it to their restaurant in Houston.

I also saw something new...on a stick.  In this case it was Texas steak dinner...on a stick.  The Lovely Spouse had this for his dinner and it should have been called steak kabob with a dinner roll on a stick. Still, the marketing was cute.

So much to choose from.

If it can be fried, it will be. I was amused to see one vendor dedicated to the fried pickle.

And, yes, they really did have a Texas steak dinner on a stick. 

The results, as presented by The Lovely Spouse.

My favorite place for smoked boudin had a longer than normal line...

Turns out they won a well-deserved Gold Buckle Foodie award. 

More food options indoors, where you can enjoy air conditioning, even if there is no available seating.

Really, there is so much STUFF to choose from.

And a carnival for kids and kids at heart.

And, finally, I managed to get 2 interesting shots of the Astrodome and Reliant (soon to be NRG) Stadium so I thought I'd share 'em with y'all. 

Reliant (soon to be NRG) Stadium

The Astrodome. The staircases were recently imploded. In the foreground is one of the massive food tents put up only for the Rodeo.

The Houston Rodeo has finished for this year.  This means you have until next March to plan your trip there so you can get your AgNerd on.