Made famous from his deep-fried creations at the State Fair of Texas, including fried cookie dough and fried PB&J sandwiches, Abel Gonzales is now working to perfect flavors that represent his culture – as a Texan and Mexican.
"Yes, this is my absolute favorite," said Gonzales, while slicing off a piece of his smoked brisket.
It's an art that takes patience.
"I've been cooking for a while, I've been cooking all weekend," said Gonzales, about the time it took to prepare the meals that sat in front of him.
He's passionate because these flavors represent him.
"So it's this blending, and that becomes a part of you. It becomes who you are and it manifests itself through your food, through what you do and who you are actually," he said.
He's a fourth-generation Texan, and he also has Mexican heritage. Fuse those together and you get "Texican" food: a mash up of Texas smoked barbecue and Tex-Mex.
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You also get volunteer taste testers.
"The hot sauce is going to be a smoked pepper, smoked onion, smoked jalapenos – everything is smoked," Gonzales explained to a group of friends.
He's now looking into opening a restaurant.
"So we've been going hardcore on it for about six months, trying to get some of these recipes down," said Gonzales.
And if things work out, Gonzales's love for all things Texican, which fuse his past and his present, will be shared year round.
"This is what I love about food, is that you can really express who you are, what you are, and have people enjoy it. When they taste it, they get a piece of you in each bite actually, it's pretty cool," said Gonzales.
