Rangers offer fried food stand

ByDARREN ROVELL
March 18, 2015, 4:20 PM

— -- The Texas Rangers are investing in more fryers this season as they prepare to roll out menu items to satisfy discerning fried-food lovers.

Shawn Mattox, the general manager of the Rangers' food and beverage operations for concessionaire Delaware North, told ESPN.com on Wednesday that fans at Rangers games will find a new stand called State Fare, a tribute to famous items fried at the State Fair of Texas.

The star of the stand will be the Fried S'mOreo, which is marshmallows breaded in graham cracker crust that is deep fried, mixed with two deep-fried Oreos on a skewer and drizzled with chocolate sauce and Cool Whip ($8). A chicken-fried corn on the cob fried in a buttermilk batter ($5) also will be an eye-catcher.

"Fried items in the past haven't done as well as we've hoped, and we think that's because there hasn't been one location to find it," Mattox said. "We've now solved that problem."

The stand also will have fried pickles, funnel cake fries and brisket macaroni-and-cheese balls.

Fresh off the team's success of selling hundreds of pieces of bacon on a stick at each game last season, Mattox said the team will also have a Just Bacon stand, where it will sell such items as candied bacon, bacon cotton candy and bacon beer.

"Bacon has been trending for a long time now, but the popularity hasn't died down," Mattox said.

The Rangers have pushed the envelope more than other teams in recent years. They were the first to break the $20 barrier for a hot dog in 2012, when they unveiled the 2-foot-long Boomstick ($26). Despite the high price tag, they sold almost 20,000 of them that year.

Earlier this month, the  Arizona Diamondbacks announced plans to sell a Churro Dog, a churro in a doughnut bun topped with frozen yogurt.