ARLINGTON, Texas — Nothing on a stick has ever tasted bad. And you can add bacon to the list.
Earlier this spring before opening day at Globe Life Park in Arlington, the Texas Rangers rolled out some new delicious-sounding concession items. The most intriguing? Bacon on a stick.
(Laken Litman, USA TODAY Sports)
Delaware North Companies, the food service company in charge of food at Globe Life Park, imports slabs of Hungarian thick cut bacon and cuts it themselves, slaps it on a stick, then dips them in maple syrup and charges you $7 for it.
I can tell you from experience that it is delicious. It tastes like a rib or a pork chop. Just make sure that your hair doesn’t get in the way because if it’s windy outside, your hair will smell like bacon the rest of the day. I can tell you that, too.
Another new item this season is The Choomongous, a 24-inch Asian beef sandwich with kimchi slaw and Sriracha on a bakery fresh bun. It’s named after Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. This, too, was awesome. It comes in a two-foot cardboard holder with handles that makes it easy for fans to carry around the ballpark. It costs $26.
(George Raub IV / Delaware North Companies)
The next thing I tried was a Sausage Sundae. This might have been my favorite thing. It’s 1/4 pound of grilled sausage sliced in half and placed on either side of a paper bowl like a banana. In the middle there’s one scoop of mac ‘n cheese, shredded brisket, and mashed potatoes, and it’s topped with a cherry pepper for $13.
(Laken Litman, USA TODAY Sports)
The Boomstick, introduced a couple years ago, was the Rangers first big creation that caught fans’ attention. It’s a two-foot, one-pound, all beef hot dog with chili, nacho cheese, grilled onions and jalepenos on a potato bun. For someone who usually just eats her hot dog with mustard, I was a little nervous. As was my dad, who came along for the taste testing ride.
(Laken Litman, USA TODAY Sports)
Like The Choomongous, this comes in a two-foot long container with handles that makes it easy for people to tote around the ballpark. Both sandwiches are too big to eat with your hands and it’s recommended you use a fork and knife. It’s designed for families to share. The Boomstick costs $26.
(George Raub IV / Delaware North Companies)
Also new at the ballpark this season is frozen beer. It’s a 16-oz cup of cold Kirin Ichiban that has 20-degree frozen beer swirled on top like soft-serve ice cream for $7.75. It’s a genius concept and takes forever to melt, which will be perfect for fans to sip on during 100-degree games from June through late August/September.
(Laken Litman, USA TODAY Sports)
The Rangers plan to keep getting creative with their food and stay ahead of concession innovation. Casey Rapp, the Delaware North Companies operations manager for Globe Life Park, said they don’t want to just introduce new items at the beginning of the season, but they want to surprise fans with different food whenever they come up with the idea. For example, the Bacon on a Stick has been so popular that they’re currently taste testing two new flavors: cornbread battered and funnel cake battered.
Just make sure that when you head to a Rangers game, you go with an empty stomach and a few extra bucks.
