Feed Your Inner Bucking Bronco With These Rodeo-Inspired Recipes

There was much Texan wailing and gnashing of teeth when the 2021 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was cancelled back in February. But yesterday, Houstonia released a quick, snappy article suggesting a few DIY rodeo food fixes for the mourning masses. I'm not a Texan, but I know and love many Texans, and the recipes definitely have a deep-fried, finger-lickin' state fair appeal.

The star of the article is the deep-fried banana pudding recipe, which the article describes as "really a deep-fried sandwich," made even better with vanilla pudding for dipping. The article also honors German-Texan culture with a spin on "German Frito pie" that involves ground smoked sausage, mashed potatoes, a bag of mashed-up hard pretzels, and a mustard topping. (Plate optional.)

Then, in a twist that may send my Texan friends skyrocketing into the stratosphere, the article suggests making a Hot-Cheeto kolache. If you're unfamiliar, a kolache is a Czech-inspired pastry with either sweet or savory filling, and, in my experience, they're Texan kryptonite. Flamin' Hot Cheetos are apparently super popular rodeo grub, so Houstonia suggests giving them "the ultimate Texan treatment."

The most intriguing recipe is for queso-glazed, pho-brined turkey leg, which involves a 24-hour brine, multiple layers of thick Texas-style queso, and a smattering of chopped Thai chiles and ogo seaweed. "Will it be good?," the article asks. "Who knows! But it's very Houston." Check out all of the recipes in the original article.