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ABT - Questions

OttawaEgg
OttawaEgg Posts: 283
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Ya, its me again - the "expert egger" (according to this forum) that probably asks more questions than any newbie! :laugh:

My wife and I both love the cheese-stuff jalepenos - we get them from the store - the deep fried kind.

But I digress... on the subject of ABTS:

From what I've seen / read, you halve the peppers, scoop out the seeds na white, fill them with some type of meat and cheese, wrap em in bacon and egg them.

Questions:

Has anyone tried putting the halves back together and THEN wrapping them in bacon?

Favourite meat fillings? I'm looking at using some tex-mex spiced hamburger (cooled before stuffing the peppers of course)

Cheeses?

When cooking:

direct or indirect?

drip pan?

Is 350 the temp? 40-40 mins?

Thanks!

Cheers :cheer:

Comments

  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    You certainly can put the other half on, some do. I stuff mine with cream cheese, onions and a mixture of cheeses, then use half a cocktail sausage and wrap in bacon. Sprinkle on my favorite Dizzy Pig rub and you're off and going!

    abthoedown1.jpg
  • JPF
    JPF Posts: 592
    I cook abt's at the very least two times a week here. Usually the regular way but have changed it up many ways. I did some taco style meat a time or two and it's pretty good. If I remeber right the first time I saw these on this forum about 4 years back they were put back together and wrapped up.

    My favorite way is the regualr ceam cheese and cocktail winner(the one that has cheese in it) cut long ways and put the bacon over long ways too. I just do half so I can get more cream cheese with each bite of pepper.
    021009008.jpg
    070108004.jpg
    062807007.jpg

    I do mine always indirect plate setter feet up with a drip pan. Bacon does make lots o grease.
    350f to 400f for one hour or until the bacon is nice and done. I like my peppers done and I like to make too many so I can have some for the next few days.
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    here's a slide show how I do them. Just click on the pix to get it moving.
    th_IMG_1083.jpg
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Tim,

    My preference is small chilies, slit from the tip almost to the stem, seeded (a little), stuffed and wrapped as a whole. It's more work but the filling stays in. I usually do them indirect at 450 or so and brush with sauce a few minutes before removing. If the chilis are large they are too big to do as an appetizer.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    I do mine whole as well. Cut a slit not quite to bottom. Squeeze it gently like an old coin purse while inserting a spoon into slit and twisting. Scrape out seeds and some of the ribbing with spoon.
    My favorite filling is cream cheese and sage flavored breakfast sausage, but as of late have just been using cream cheese alone.
    Depending on size of pepper I may use half slice bacon or whole slice. I use the thin sliced because it gets crispier, to me.
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Ron,

    I roll the bacon with a rolling pin and try and get a double wrap.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • JPF
    JPF Posts: 592
    I like the red sorano chili peppers as much if not more than the jalapeno
    021009002.jpg
    I like to cut my bacon in half then I lay it out and run my finger along it to kinda flatten/stretch it out. Didn't think of the rollin pin, I like that idea :)
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    Thck slices L.S.?

    JPF those are very nice Peppers. The serrano's available around my area(ATL) look nothing like them. Thinner, much thinner.
  • OttawaEgg
    OttawaEgg Posts: 283
    Wow - so many ideas !

    I'm looking at doing them as a side dish for my parents when they arrive on Thursday.

    So far the menu is:

    Early appetizer:
    Smoked salmon with red onions / capers (brined the night before, and smoked early in the morning.

    Main:
    Ribs of course. We just love the maple rub from BGE (spensive, but we just love it)

    Sides:
    ABTs - looking at using seasoned beef and cheddar for the stuffing.
    Other??? Maybe some corn?

    Cheers
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    Careful with that cheddar on the abt's. Love me some cheddar but it can be overpowering with taste. Aside from heat Jalepeno has a really good flavor but pretty subtle. Also cheddar releases alot of oil when cooked.
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    JPF,

    Oh man! We can only dream of serranos that big in the GWN :ermm:

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • BayouMark
    BayouMark Posts: 284
    Yes. I've done it but it's time consuming. When I'm cleaning the peppers, I keep the halves together and then use a Glad Freezer Bag to squeeze the filling into the pepper halves. I then put some PP, sausage, or a shrimp or crqwfish tail in. Put together, wrap in bacon, and let it go at 400 indirect for 30-40 mins depending how you like em' :woohoo:
  • OttawaEgg
    OttawaEgg Posts: 283
    Hmmm ok ... so I guess the trick is to get the cheese to "just" melt, and getting the bacon crisp...

    Sounds like a 400f cook to me?
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    Personally i would forget the cheddar, but thats just one mans opinion. Cream cheese works very well. I cook at 275-300 for about an hour or so.
  • mojo
    mojo Posts: 220
    If you're gonna leave them halved, make sure you wrap the bacon over all of the stuffing. That way, when you flip them to "crisp" up the bacon, the innards will stay on the inside. Personally I close the lid with the pepper and wrap the entire thing with a full strip of bacon. Many here will suggest 1/2 strip of bacon per ABT, but not me ... I love me some bacon.

    Here's a word of caution that's worth mentioning. When cleaning out the seeds of the jalapeno, please wear gloves. The last time I made them I didn't wear any gloves. I was fine until just after I put them into the Egg. That's when the burn hit me. All of my fingertips felt like they were on fire, and that's not the only place I felt the burn. Just before dropping the ABT's onto the Egg I had gone to the bathroom. Needless to say during the first 20 minutes of cooking time the Egg went unsupervised, as I was in the shower lavaging off from the waist down. The next day my fingers still burned, but mercifully the inferno from below had worn off. Yikes!
  • Bama Chad
    Bama Chad Posts: 154
    If you really want to add some depth, mix in sundried tomatoes (process in food chopper) to the cream cheese.

    Here is a link I have saved with more ideas..

    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=509808&catid=1
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    mojo,

    At my age, I find that a pleasant feeling B)

    STeve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Big'un
    Big'un Posts: 5,909
    Yes, we tried them by halves and whole, pork, beef,& shrimp. I think the best ones I've had came from AlaskaCs troup when they made some salmon stuffed ABTs. I wasn't expecting them to be as good as they were. Here are some large ones I made last year. They were great.
    DSCI0107.jpg
  • rsmdale
    rsmdale Posts: 2,472
    Hi Tim,I always cook my ABT's whole(more fillings)I use pepper jack,cream,and cojita cheese w/a piece of carne asada and sprinkle butt rub heavy on the bacon.I cook indirect at 350 until bacon is crispy.
    004-8.jpg
    here is 50 going on the Egg
    001-9.jpg

    GOOD EATS AND GOOD FRIENDS

    DALE
  • Remember to where gloves when you are taking out the seeds. I usually do mine whole, it helps the filling stay in. I leave the stem on so it can be used as a handle. I mix some spices in the cream cheese and use 1/2 slice bacon per pepper, no toothpick. 400 dome, direct. They come out great.

    These were halved. They had sausage, roasted red pepper, sliced sweet pickle, spiced up cream cheese:

    CIMG2862.jpg

    CIMG2870.jpg

    CIMG2873.jpg

    Hope yours turn out great!

    Faith
    Tampa
    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