Tariffs, cattle herds and steak on a stick: Beef is king at Nebraska State Fair

Ranchers and politicians from across Nebraska pushed back against President Donald Trump's announcement that he would temporarily lift tariffs on imported beef, which he said was an attempt to lower grocery store prices.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins delivered what she called the "Beef State of the Union" on Monday in Grand Island and later sat down for a discussion in Lincoln with ranchers and Gov. Jim Pillen. A question during Tuesday's U.S. Senate debate at the Nebraska State Fair focused on beef imports and building up the state's cattle herds.

As The World-Herald's reporter charged with writing those beef stories in recent weeks, I naturally developed a hankering for some bovine delights. Thankfully, there was no shortage of them on menus at the State Fair.

Global meat pie

Sure, there were plenty of burgers and all-beef hot dogs at the fair, but I already eat way too many of those. So over two full days of eating, I skewed toward options I was less likely to find wandering around Omaha or Lincoln. 

That started with the Afrikan Delights Food Truck, where much of the menu is built around Ghanaian staples like jollof rice, egusi stew with fufu and plantains. Diners could opt to keep the dishes vegan or add chicken, chicken wings, lamb or goat. 

I opted for jollof rice with vegetables and a meat pie with ground beef. This decision was strategic. I had a lot of eating ahead of me, and I wanted to start with a beefy appetizer rather than going straight for a beef bomb that might put me in a coma. 

Jollof comes in a lot of varieties, but it is generally rice cooked in tomatoes and aromatic vegetables and spices. Some cook it with meat or seafood. This version was vegan, with stewed tomato and warm spices that made for a comforting bite. Mine came topped with a mix of cabbage, carrots, lentils, onions and peas, along with a spicy mayo sauce.

The meat pie's dough was crumbly like a biscuit, and the beef was perfumed with similar warm spices as the jollof. Rice and pie together made for a great combination and well-rounded meal. 

I didn't expect a Ghanaian food truck at the Nebraska State Fair, but dining there was a welcome surprise. I'm hopeful to see even more international options at future fairs. 

A new kind of pie

My next stop was Talagio's Pizzeria for a pizza I saw advertised on the fair website.

The Smoked Khan's flavor profile spans much of the world, just like the empire of the 12th and 13th-century Mongol ruler Genghis Khan.

I'll just quote the menu: "This is a pizza that is steeped in a smoky history. The Smoked Kahn is our take on a long history of flavor and freshness from the Genghis Khan era. The pizza is an authentic Italian flour wood-fired dough with a Lebanese garlic toum sauce, ginger-infused rice, Mongolian flavored smoked beef, topped with mozzarella and provolone. Once out of the wood-fired oven, fresh-cut carrots, cilantro, scallions are added, then finished with a house-made Mongolian BBQ sauce and sesame seeds."

The truck's owners were excited when I ordered the pizza. One of them said it's his favorite on the menu and that it had been a good seller. I was roughly the 50th customer to buy one on Monday. 

Still, they were so excited that they asked to watch me take a first bite and give an instant review. 

I relayed that their crust is about perfect to me — light and airy with a little char from the wood oven. The toppings, while plentiful, were all complementary, particularly the garlic toum (literally mashed up garlic with oil and a little bit of lemon) and the Mongolian BBQ. I watched them chop all the herbs and vegetables by hand, and the freshness translated.

But. of course, we're here for the beef.

The sirloin came sliced thinly and across the grain for tenderness. It was not overcooked, despite its treatment in the oven. It reminded me of hot roast beef that usually comes shaved onto a sandwich.  

No beef?

I thought about omitting this section because, spoiler alert, it involved no beef. So I'll keep it short. 

I ordered a Korean corn dog coated in Fruity Pebbles, something I tried at the fair last year. I had mixed feelings. That corn dog was half mozzarella cheese, and the cheese was not a bad combination with the fruity crust — it's milk and cereal, after all. The hot dog would've been better on its own.

I decided to get the corn dog again, thinking round two might bring redemption. Well, for some reason, this corn dog had no dog. All cheese, no beef. A lotta grease.

"Where's the beef?"

Back to basics

I broke my rule of seeking off-beat beef after that disappointment. I was ready for something with beef front and center. 

The Nebraska Cattlemen's eatery at the fair offers a nice plate lunch of a beef-based sandwich, two sides and a drink. Their space is also inside, offering an air-conditioned reprieve from the late-summer heat. 

Ricketts, Osborn clash over record, independence in Nebraska US Senate debate

I ordered the burnt ends sandwich, coleslaw, corn and a soda. Other sandwich options included a sliced prime rib, roast beef and a hot dog. 

The burnt ends of the brisket came slathered in a sweet barbecue sauce on a hamburger bun. I like a pretty heavy char, so I was hoping for more burnt on the burnt ends. But the portion of beef was welcome after the corn dog fiasco, and eating barbecue at a state fair is a fulfilling and All-American experience.

I took a few minutes to enjoy the AC and let my laden stomach settle. 

On a stick 

I didn't plan for the beef tour to last five stops, but this last dish put me out of commission. A fair worker at the entrance had mentioned chicken-fried steak on a stick, and I couldn't get her voice out of my head.

The steak sirens called me to Skew It, where their food is on a stick. That includes salads and sandwiches. No soups, though. 

I waited the longest five minutes of my life to let the golden, shining disk of chicken-fried steak cool to a non-lethal temperature. That first bite was one of the best of the fair. 

The taste of the fried chicken-style breading was enough to cure this born-and-raised southerner's homesickness. The breading may as well have been seasoned by Col. Sanders. It was also crisp in a way that it actually shattered where I bit rather than dragging off the rest of the crust. 

The steak itself was pounded thin and tender, helping make for those clean bites. It didn't lack seasoning, either, coordinating nicely with the crust and the side of country gravy. 

Beef imports a key issue as Nebraska senators, ag secretary talk at State Fair

To start, the steak stick was surprisingly light. But every bite sat heavier than the last. Stick cleaned and stomach bulging, I knew it was time to retire from the beef tour. 

Beef alternatives

OK fine. I admit to consuming non-beef products at the fair as well. Here's what tempted me at the fair. 

• The first thing I ate at the fair was a lobster roll. Yes, I know Grand Island is not an island, but if Omaha can have great sushi, the State Fair can have decent seafood. And it did! I really enjoyed my lobster roll from the Wandering Lobster. I prefer the cold mayo version of the New England classic, and my toasted hot dog bun came overstuffed with chunky lobster salad. The meal came with a little wedge of lemon (a non-negotiable essential with a plate of seafood), kettle chips and a pickle. 
• A media colleague gifted me a skewer of tanghulu, a perfectly-sized snack amid my heavy eating. Tanghulu is a popular Chinese street food that typically dips fruit in liquid sugar to created a shatteringly thin candy coating. My skewer came with a few strawberries and grapes. 
• A pineapple Dole whip was irresistible amid a scorching and cloudless midday Tuesday at the fair. I had to cool off, and I ate the confection in about a minute because it was melting so fast.
• Dippin' Dots might be required eating at a state fair, and certain flavors offer a good dairy-free option for reporters who received a stick of fried cheese instead of a corn dog. 
• Beer. It's the best way to cap off covering a U.S. Senate debate at the fair.