Carnivore Shrimp ABTs from Ocala

There have been a couple of requests for the shrimp ABT recipe I served at Ocala. Here is a simplified version; see notes at end regarding the two obscure ingredients and technique variations I haven't listed:

Carnivore Shrimp-Stuffed Jalapeños



Estimated prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Total time: 90 minutes

Yield: 12 stuffed jalapeños (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
12 fresh shrimp (never frozen, medium, 40-50 count), cleaned, shelled, deveined
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup Carnivore, divided
3 strips bacon, apple- or hickory-smoked recommended
6 whole jalapeños, large preferred
smoking wood (cherry is good but any can be used)

To Prep the Ingredients:
1. Clean, shell, and devein the shrimp. Set aside on ice. See Note 1 re optional marinade.
2. Mix the cream cheese and some of the Carnivore to achieve a spreadable consistency. See Note 2 re optional additional ingredient and technique.
3. Cut each bacon strip in half crosswise, then cut each half into half again lengthwise. This will give you four skinny quarter-strips of bacon from each original full-sized slice.
4. Halve the jalapeños lengthwise, leaving the stems on but removing seeds and ribs. You may wish to wear gloves for this step if your skin is sensitive. Be careful not to touch your eyes after cleaning the peppers.

To Assemble the Stuffed Jalapeños and Cook:
1. Place one whole shrimp in each jalapeño "boat," then use a butter knife or small spatula to "spackle" the shrimp into place within the jalapeño boat.
2. Wrap each shrimp-stuffed jalapeño "boat" with one of the skinny quarter-strips of bacon. Set aside, chilled, until ready to cook.
3. When ready to cook, rig Egg for 350ºF dome indirect, light and let charcoal smoke clear. Add your choice of smoking woods and cook indirect for one hour. In the last 10 minutes, spread the remaining Carnivore on top as a glaze.

Notes:
1. The version at Ocala marinated the shrimp in Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka. This may be a difficult ingredient to find so I do not list it in the ingredients above. I do this to keep the shrimp moist. I would not recommend an oil-based marinade because of the fat in the cream cheese and bacon. Choose a liquid with a flavor that you like if you wish to marinate the shrimp. I use a 20-minute vacuum tumbler marination; this is probably equivalent to two to four hours of plain soaking.
2. The version at Ocala mixed Bomba in with the cream cheese and Carnivore. I do not include this in the recipe because getting Bomba is very difficult in the states. I also reduce the Carnivore by about 1/3 over very low heat before mixing it with the cream cheese, the goal being to keep the cream cheese thick.
3. The version at Ocala was not representative of how good this recipe can be, as I inadvertently under-marinated the shrimp and mistakenly used mesquite (cherry is my favorite for this recipe). I also switched brands of bacon, and found that the new brand had much less flavor. Finally, they were also a bit overcooked, and most of the sample were distributed after they cooled off, so blame the cook for that as well.