When it comes to the Orange County Fair, you can count on two things: wacky, artery-aching fried foods and stomach-turning carnival rides set to a rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack.

This year is no exception as two of the fair’s most notorious food vendors will introduce deep-fried brownies, deep-fried Kool-Aid, chocolate-dipped corn dogs, fried ribs, a Babe Ruth stuffed jalapeño, deep-fried Girl Scout cookies and beer-battered bacon at this year’s event, which kicks off Friday.

“It’s like a doughnut hole that went through the Kool-Aid car wash,” fair-circuit veteran “Chicken” Charlie Boghosian said of his latest deep-fried dessert.

Though fried foods are carnival mainstays, organizers of the 23-day OC Fair are breaking with tradition this year by including a number of upscale food offerings and programs to underscore this year’s “Let’s Eat” theme. The 121st Orange County Fair also will feature fusion street food from Southern California’s top gourmet food trucks and cooking demonstrations from celebrity chefs such as Duff Goldman and Michael Voltaggio.

“It’s not just about corn dogs and cotton candy anymore,” fair spokeswoman Robin Wachner said. “Orange County is looking for more gourmet offerings, and we are following that trend.”

The highlight of the food and chef events will come each Thursday.

A rotating lineup of eight trucks will sell everything from lobster on a stick to noodle-topped hot dogs.

In a major coup, the fair has snagged three top Los Angeles-based food trucks — Grill ‘Em All, The Grilled Cheese Truck and Ludo Truck. The appearance of Grill ‘Em All, Season 1 winner of the Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race, is expected to draw huge crowds when it serves its gourmet “rock star” burgers Aug. 11.

“For me it’s definitely a lure. I have never gone to the OC Fair even though it’s right down the street,” Santa Ana resident Christina Hall, 28, said of the food trucks.

To avoid menu duplication, Wachner said she sought trucks that sell foods not found at most fairs. So barbecue and cupcake trucks are not in the mix.

But the Ludo Truck serves fried chicken and wings and Dogzilla, a local truck making two OC Fair appearances, sells hot dogs.

Could a food battle erupt between trucks and the 85 other food vendors?

“There will be some overlap. But overall, we believe what the trucks offer is different from the typical fair fare,” Wachner said.

She pointed to the uniqueness of Ludo Truck’s famous boneless chicken balls and Dogzilla’s spicy links topped with stir-fried noodles. It is also unlikely that fair-goers will find anything close to Grill ‘Em All’s Behemoth burger — a seven-ounce beef patty piled high with cheddar cheese, bacon, beer soaked onions, pickles and barbecue sauce. The burger and its toppings are served between two grilled cheese buns.

To promote what’s sure to be a friendly rivalry between the traditional vendors and the chef-driven trucks, the fair is hosting a “chow-down” each week. Each Thursday, the “Food Truck vs. Fair Food” contest will pit a signature fair item against a similar food truck dish. (Note: I’ll judge the bacon challenge Aug. 11.)

Boghosian has been frying foods at county fairs for 23 years and said he’s up for any kind of food fight.

“I’m excited to have the food trucks there and for the competition,” said Boghosian, who plans to sell 100,000 deep-fried Kool-Aid balls at the OC Fair. “I am the Deep Fried King. I expect to win.”

Here’s a closer look at what’s on tap food-wise at the fair:

Food trucks: If you’re a food truck chaser, you might want to carve out some time for the fair every Thursday. Roughly eight trucks will rotate each Thursday. A few local trucks including Piaggio on Wheels, OC Food Truck and Baconmania will be there every week.

Other trucks scheduled: The Burnt Truck, Dogzilla, Chunk N Chip, White Rabbit, Greasy Wiener, Ludo Truck, Lobsta Truck, Dos Chinos, Tornado Potato, SlapFish Truck, Shrimp Pimp, India Jones, Seabirds, Grill ‘Em All, The Grilled Cheese Truck.

Chef Series: Every Thursday the fair is presenting an all-star lineup of celebrity chefs who will do free cooking demonstrations.

Time: 1:30 p.m.

Where: The Hangar

Cost: free with admission

The lineup:

July 21: Duff Goldman (Food Network’s Ace of Cakes star)

July 28: Carla Hall (Bravo’s Top Chef & Top Chef All-Stars contestant)

Aug 4: Michael Voltaggio (Season 6 winner, Top Chef)

Aug. 11: Rick Moonen (Top Chef Masters contestant)

Food truck cooking demos & eating contest: A handful of food truck chefs will show off their cooking techniques and tips. Some trucks will host eating contests every Thursday.

The lineup:

July 21, 1 p.m.: Piaggio On Wheels, Cooking Demonstration

July 21, 3 p.m. Chunk N Chip, Ice Cream Sandwich Eating Contest

July 28, 1 p.m. White Rabbit, Cooking Demonstration

July 28, 7:30 p.m. Baconmania, Bacon Eating Contest

August 4, 1 p.m. SlapFish, Cooking Demonstration

August 4, 5 p.m. The Burnt Truck, Slider Eating Contest

August 11, 1 p.m. India Jones, Cooking Demonstration

August 11, 6 p.m. Dogzilla, Hot Dog Eating Contest

$2 food samples: Every Friday from noon-4 p.m., visitors can try various food fare for $2 per sample. Tastings are available for food items such as funnel cake, deep-fried Oreos, BBQ tri-tip, lemonade, cinnamon roll, corn dog, falafel, gelato, sushi and bratwurst.

Wacky new fair food: Charlie Boghosian, known as “Chicken Charlie,” is already making headlines at the Del Mar fair in San Diego with his latest deep-fried concoction: Kool-Aid balls. He expects to sell 100,000 of the cherry-flavored deep-fried dough balls at OC Fair. He also plans to introduce his new FryBQ ribs, deep-fried brownies and deep-fried Girl Scout Thin Mints. The deep fried Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich is also back this year.

Mike Peterson, whose family has sold food and drinks at the fair for 20 years, is introducing chocolate-covered corn dogs, beer-battered bacon and a jalapeno stuffed with a Babe Ruth candy bar at his Deep-Fried Butter stand. Returning to Peterson’s stand is the chocolate covered bacon with a new white chocolate dipping option. He expects to sell 50,000 strips of bacon at the OC Fair.

Peterson also operates a Mexican funnel cake stand known for its $20 jumbo dessert challenge. He offers folks their money back if they can gobble a 5-pound funnel cake topped with mounds of whipped cream and strawberries alone in 30 minutes.

Amateur food contests: Every Saturday at 1 p.m. the fair will host a food contest for amateur bakers and cooks at the Promenade. Register food columnist Cathy Thomas is judging the Retro Dessert competition July 23. Other food contests include cupcakes, salsa, chicken wings and food on a stick. Go to ocfair.com/competitions to register for each event.

Contact the writer: nluna@ocregister.com. Catch Nancy Luna’s food stories at ocregister.com/fastfood