Early in my career as a food journalist, I made it a point to try everything. Alligator, check.

Ants, delicious. Armadillo? Interesting. Aguana, do not ask. But I never had an opportunity to try Rattlesnake.

Fortunately, though, we approved found someone brave enough to give it a try.

You know the old saying when life gives you lemons, make lemonade?

I never understood that, because I love lemons.

Whether it's in gelato or on roasted potatoes, lemons are wonderful. You know what, in my opinion, is a heck of a lot worse than lemons?

Rattlesnakes. If I had to make a list of all the things that I would not want life to hand me,

a rattlesnake ranks

way higher up than a lemon, like not even in the same realm. The point being, I'm really

afraid of snakes. But there is a town in West Texas where the residents didn't have much of a

choice. And so they did what only Texans would do when life hands you a town's worth of rattlesnakes.

They fired up their deepfriars and preheated their smokers.

So today on Proof from America's Test Kitchen, moveover Brisket. There's a new meat in this Texas town.

Well, maybe.

I'm Jack Bishop.

Watch where you step and stay tuned.

Reporter Avery Thompson has the story.

To say that I'm afraid of snakes would be a drastic understatement.

If I even see one on TV, I freak.

And forget about when I'm doing yard work and find even a harmless one in a woodpile.

There are entire portions of my yard I no longer stepped foot on.

One time, I quit a job I loved because a snake fell out of the ceiling vent,

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