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Need helps with ABT'S

Hub
Hub Posts: 927
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Hi folks,

I can make great ribs, wonderful steaks, award winning salmon, and the best burger you've ever eaten - all on my egg, but for the life of me I can't make a batch of ABT'S that are even fit to eat. Can someone please tell me what I am doing wrong?

First off, I tend to core my peppers, stuff with a good white, melting cheese (I can't stand cream cheese) and then wrap with a half a piece of bacon, a little dizzy dust, and then stick a tooth pick in them, and grill direct at about 300 in a stand made just for this purpose.

My bacon always comes out floppy and breaks in two pieces and falls off the pepper. If I try and leave the peppers on longer to crisp the bacon, the cheese overflows the peppers and the pepper is only half full when done. If I try and pre-cook the bacon it won't wrap around the pepper and breaks into pieces. :angry:

So please tell me what to do! All I want is a pepper full of cheese in place of cream cheese and good crisp bacon that is still wrapped around the pepper at the end. I see tons of pictures of ABT'S done right, but just can't get mine there. I'm thinking I need to start using a full piece of bacon instead of a half. Is this correct? But what else do I do?

Please steer me right before I lose my mind :blink:
Beautiful and lovely Villa Rica, Georgia

Comments

  • You should cook them at 400 dome. Everything else you are doing sounds right.

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    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
  • Jer_inva
    Jer_inva Posts: 109
    Have you looked at the video on the BGE home page? I would guess 300 is a bit low to crisp up the bacon properly. Just a thought as I am a newbie to the BGE and have yet to do ABTs. Jer
  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    I do mine indirect at 350 to 400, no pepper holder so just laying flat. I do spin my grid about a half turn every 20 min. or so. Take from an hour to an hour & 20 min or so depending on the bacon.

    Keep trying, I had a hard time at first just wraping the bacon around the pepper, was going to quit but the forum Egged me on. :woohoo:

    Good Luck,
    Bordello

    Hope this edit works???
    Well it worked, forgot to mention the raised grid but have done them without it also. Watched them a little closer. :whistle:


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  • Capt Frank
    Capt Frank Posts: 2,578
    My trick is to use the "microwave" bacon. The "ready to cook" variety, not the pre-cooked. It works just fine. Others partially cook their bacon on a sheet in the oven.
    You can use lots of stuff in ABT's. Leftover pulled pork [if there is such a thing], seafood spread, use your imagination. I made some from some leftover augratin potatoes that was super! :) :P
  • misfit
    misfit Posts: 358
    Bordello = ABT's in the making. Learning good stuff from you, even how to get into, or keep out of trouble.
    Thanks.
  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    :laugh:
    Well so long as you can get out of it that's fine. Me, it doesn't always work that way. :( :whistle: :laugh:

    Thank,

    Keep on Eggen,
    Bordello
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    if using raw bacon, i cut in half and stretch it to fit, tucking the ends in on itself. it goes quick and holds better than toothpicks i think. th thin bacon will crisp up.

    if you want to guarantee crisp bacon, 'par' cook, don't 'pre' cook. two different things. your par cooked bacon should just be only partially done. i actually use the microwave. 30 seconds or so
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • I do mine 350-400 indirect. I've used a rack & just laying them on the grill. 45 minutes to an hour depending on the bacon. They should turn out just fine. As far as stuffing the Jalapeños, if you don't like cream cheese, try any taco cheese mix.
    Good luck, I'm sure they'll be a hit. Enjoy
    Done on the rack
    027.jpg
  • SSN686
    SSN686 Posts: 3,500
    Morning Hub:

    I like using a full piece of bacon on mine (but then I feel that the pepper is there to hold the bacon :laugh: ). Also higher temp will help.

    I know you said you aren't a fan of cream cheese (neither am I), but here is my normal way of preparing ABTs...you can replace the cream cheese with any cheese and/or meat.
    My way of doing ABTs

    Don't stress and just keep trying...you will get it eventually!

    Have a GREAT day!

       Jay

    Brandon, FL


     

  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    I like to cut my peppers in half and fill with what ever I have in the frig. More of a boat style.
    I then wrap with a whole piece of thin bacon. No tooth pick needed. I also like the shorter center cut bacon. I normally like to put the bacon on the counter and let it room up for 20 minutes before I start the peppers.
    I start them cut side down and flip after 30-40 minutes of 325ish indirect. If you pre cook your bacon don't cook it to long. All you want to do is render some of the fat. You can also put your peppers and cheese back in the freezer for 15 minutes before wrapping. This will give the bacon longer to cook.
    The above ideas are not mine. Just picked up on the forums or Eggfests.
    Keep trying. Oh, don't over crowd them on the grill.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • Hub,

    I'm sure more people will chime in, but I always make sure to buy a standard, thin sliced bacon.

    Also, I dont think those pepper roasting racks are really made for peppers wrapped in bacon. I split mine lengthwise and just use half the pepper per bite. I wrap with a whole strip of bacon and actually find that I get better results (crispy bacon) at lower temperatures for a longer time. Indirect at 250°-300° for a few hours has produced the best for me, to date. Plenty of time for the bacon fat to render out and crisp up.

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    Cheers,

    Joe
  • I put 1/2 piece of bacon over the top of the pepper, not the sides. I cook indirect at 250-275 for about hr. To crisp up the bacon I use a mapp gas torch at the end. Works great. I started using mostly grated cheese with a little cream cheese to hold it together and its pretty good too.
  • misfit
    misfit Posts: 358
    ,Who knows Bob, I sure don't. May drop you a line via the forumemail, we have some stuff in common.
  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    OH No,
    Who is she??? :lol:

    Keep the smoke a rising,
    Bordello
  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    Look great, looks like there over a plate setter? Yes,no???

    Thanks,
    Bordello
  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    Flame on "Big Mike" :woohoo:
    Hope all is well with you and the gang.

    Cheers to y'all,
    Bordello
  • misfit
    misfit Posts: 358
    There are several, not sure that they made it that far out west though, wagons 'ho.
  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    :laugh:
    A wagon full of ho's, hope they are coming for BGE food. Have to stay on topic. :whistle:

    Cheers,
    Bordello
  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    Looks indirect to me Bordello.
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    Thanks Molly,
    I did inlarge the picture but didn't trust my eyes. :laugh: Thanks for the help, now stay warm ya hear. :)

    Cheers,
    Bordello
  • Joe,

    These look good and crispy. I've never had a problem with ABT's but I'm gonna try your low and slow method next time.
    Large & MiniMax in Lexington, KY
  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
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    I agree with the reeeally thin bacon, stretched and wrapped just enough, with the excess trimmed off. I mostly use an indirect set-up... But every now and then I will go raised direct.

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    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    Thirdeye,
    Are they boats or whole??? Nice looking wrap job and I notice the stem is still on.

    Thanks,
    Bordello
  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
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    I like the "boats". And when I eyeball how I'm going to cut the pepper (to get two halves that will sit level) I start at the small end and try to split the stem. It's just a game. Heheee.

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    It's really easy to do that on a poblano (sometimes called pasilla) pepper boats, and they make a nice handle.

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    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
  • I split mine lengthwise, remove stems and seeds, stuff with cream cheese mixed with browned sage sausage, wrap with half a slice of bacon, then cook indirect over plate setter (feet up) at 250° to 300° for about an hour.

    If you don't like cream sheese, use goat cheese or some other non-melting type of cheese. Regular cheese will melt away over the cooking time. I would not use the pepper rack

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  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    Thanks Thirdeye, great slicing job I might add. :)

    Regards,
    Bordello
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    I'd like to hear about the "Award Winning Salmon".