Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

I need some ABT advice....

truhokie
truhokie Posts: 17
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Last week I cooked some ABTs based on the reco's and they turned out GREAT. Stuffed with some chive enhanced cream cheese (Keep it simple stupid) and wrapped in bacon. Again, I was very pleased.[p]The problem...they(jalapenos) were way to hot for my wife. Some bits she could take, but most just had her suffering. Any ideas as to substitutes or alternatives for my problem here?[p]Thanks.
«1

Comments

  • MCG DAWG
    MCG DAWG Posts: 59
    . . ALL of the veins and the seeds as they hold the vast majority of the capsacin in the pepper. That's what causes the heat. If you really scrape out the inside of the peppers with a spoon then it'll kick the heat DOWN a few notches.

    Also, I don't do whole peppers, I use a half pepper filled with cheese and wrapped in bacon. Less pepper that way and thus less heat.
  • BOBF
    BOBF Posts: 177
    truhokie,[p]I have used Hungarian or Bananna peppers which are mild. Also, Sandia peppers - I am not sure what the are called around the country but they are the long green chile peppers. Poblanos are mild. I am thinking about trying canned whole green chiles, but I am not sure how well they will hold up since they have already been cooked. Also, did you get all the stems and seeds out of the peppers?
  • truhokie
    truhokie Posts: 17
    Ok, to answer some.[p]I did clean out the peppers as best as I possibly could. I knew where the heat was and was trying to turn the heat down as much as possible.[p]I also did half pepper per ABT.

  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
    truhokie,
    When I make them, I split the pepper lengthwise then use a mellon baller tool to scrape out the seeds and the ribs. Served 40 to a group last week, nobody mentioned them being hot. -RP

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    truhokie,
    if you grow them yourself, let the peppers go longer on the plant, until they redden. they'll be less hot.[p]younger greener smaller = heat, despite the popular 'red hot' [p]the exception of course is the habanero, and a cuppla others.[p]

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • BlueSmoke
    BlueSmoke Posts: 1,678
    truhokie,
    One of the specialty purveyors (Frieda, Lucinda, et. al.) markets multicolored mild chiles the size and shape of a small jalapeno. Heat level is barely above a bell pepper. You might even see these in pint containers in Sam's Club, BJ's, etc. Problem is you have to buy them by the pint, not in bulk.[p]Failing all else, you can also stuff sweet cherry peppers. Just top them with a paring knife, remove seeds and stems and you're ready to go.[p]HTH
    Ken

  • MCG DAWG
    MCG DAWG Posts: 59
    . . either you get a different pepper or a different wife! B)
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    truhokie,
    sometimes its best not to tell someone they are eating jalepenos. they react that its too hot. i know some that wouldnt eat them if they were green bell peppers, as ive been told they are way to hot and spicey. maybe you have a real problem and will have to enjoy them all. big ones like stike said are milder sometimes, ive stuffed them with cream cheese and videllas with bacon

    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • truhokie,
    How about a REAL Buffalo T__D? :-)

  • truhokie,
    Please understand that I do not mean this in a bad way but, Peppers are supposed to be hot. Maybe they are just not for her.

  • Essex County
    Essex County Posts: 991
    truhokie,
    I've tried my best to clean them out when there's a hot food wuss in the crowd. But it's still like russian roulette. About one out of 5 will retain its heat even without the veins and seeds!
    Paul

  • EddieMac
    EddieMac Posts: 423
    My wife and I encountered the same thing! She couldn't take the hot ones....So? What to do?....We used the "You bite 'em first method"....I take the first bite....and if aint' hot....she eats the other part!!! (LOL!).....[p]We've found that some batches of jalapenos are hotter than others...depends on the day....and from whence they came....we've had some...after thorough cleaning...that were way way hot....and some just right....kind of hit and miss.....Alot of your favorite beverage helps!!![p]Jalapenos can spice up a marriage!![p]Ed McLean....eddiemac
    Ft. Pierce, FL

  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    truhokie,
    I have had good luck putting the peppers in a zip lock bag and filling with filterd or bottled water over night after the peppers have been halfed and cleaned very well. I even add a little salt or seasoning at times.
    My wife is not into real hot peppers as well.
    My cousin also experimented with the pickeled peppers in the can. She said the flavor is real good and very consistant low heat. I have not given this a try buy you might want to give it a spin.

    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    truhokie,[p] Most of the heat is in a membrane around the inside of the pepper. The melon ball thingy will probably scrap most of that membrane out.[p]
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Essex County,
    my home grown ones were very hot, and i don't have them in a VERY sunny spot, as i should. still, they were a little small, and that always seems to do it.[p]OT:dunno if you saw this last week, buried way down on the forum. but do you take the commuter rail in from andover? i've been on it maybe 12 years now.

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • 1044
    1044 Posts: 93
    Keep in mind, people have different heat tolerances. What is "tasty" for one, may burn another.
  • truhokie,
    I love ABTs, but not as hot as most of my friends (who sometimes even whine and b*tch about how hot they're *not*)[p]After asking around and experimenting for almost two years, I have the following advice:[p]You should look for the longer peppers, with smooth, clear, evenly-green skin; shorter peppers, and/or with the white stripes/marks in the skin indicate that the pepper will be hot(-ter) than others in the same bin[p]Use latex or kitchen gloves and use the round end of a butter knife or spoon to completely remove the ribs and get the membrane smooth (watch for squirting juice)- if you like the heat, go easy on half the, uh, halves and keep those for yourself[p]Cooking:
    I use pancetta instead of bacon - it's available at most places that have deli meats (Kroger, Publix, etc.), and because you can get it thinner than most bacon, it will cook more quickly and let the heat from the grill really cook the peppers; if you can't get it, use the back of a spoon to stretch out regular bacon on a cutting boar and approximate the thinness[p]My favorite wood to use with these is pecan, and I always cook them elevated + direct @ ~ 300F to get a deep dark color on the bottoms of the peppers - the thinner pancetta allows this, where regular bacon is too thick and greasy, or the pepper is done long before the bacon[p]Using something sweet like dried or chopped onions can also cut the heat[p]Modelo is the best beer to go with these - it's very smooth and almost sweet (seriously, a professional sommelier friend says that no wine and most beers can't compete - the only other one she liked with them was ice-cold Bud - go figure)[p]I cannot make enough of these for myself now, let alone when I have company; they're kind of a pain, but so rewarding[p]ps: having a "Yankee-tongue" means someone can't take hot stuff; all my family is from the Gulf Coast for generations (TX to AL), and they can eat habaneros, ahis, Scotch bonnets, etc. with breakfast

  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    ToddM,[p]Modelo is nice beer, but if you can find some, try a hefe-weissen with ABTs. The light, sweet and often vaguely lemony taste works well with pepper heat.[p]gdenby

  • gdenby,
    Thanks for the tip! - I don't drink beer as often as I once did, so I tend to forget to vary things; I'll definitely check out the hefe-weissen (it'll be a nice reacquaintance; I've been off of trying a lot of new beer since an unfortunate Lambic experiment last fall ;))

  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    ToddM,[p] There you southerners go again saying us Yankees are wimps.. I'll have you know that when I have a recipe that calls for "hot sauce" There is only one sauce I add:[p]Maria Sharpe's Habenero Sauce.[p] Even my "Southern" Father-in-law will break out in a sweat if he uses it direct.. sooo pfffffffffffffftttttt!!!! :)[p] You did hit the nail on the head when you said remove the membrane. Also a really nice peice of bread is good for the heat..
  • Celtic Wolf,
    I tell them that they all have burned-out palates that can only taste sweet, hot, and salt - I also don't smoke, I usually HATE sweet tea, and few people like my position on NASCAR[p]Here in Atlanta, there's so many people from aound the country and the world that I don't even register as a crank ;)

  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    ToddM,[p] My father-in-law is soo confused when it comes to me and his daughter..[p] I love Sweet Tea, Grits, BBQ, NASCAR, Country Music and drive a truck.. I was born in Upstate New York.[p] She'll drink sweet tea, hates grits, won't eat Pulled Pork (a sacrilege in North Carolina), could care less about NASCAR. My wife was born and raise in a part of North Carolina where people's Southern Accent is so thick people think they are from Alabama :)[p] To save his stress levels he refers to me as a Southern Fried Yankee and just shakes his head at his daughter..
  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
    Celtic Wolf,
    I've got a N.C. redneck father in law too. He hit a deer on the street in front of his house and had the head mounted and it hangs in his living room. -RP

  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
    When he is scouting for a tree stand location we tease him that he won't be able to get his car up in it. -RP

  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
    stike,
    I don't know what I did wrong, but my jalapenos this year are tiny. Only about 1 inch long and already turning red. -RP

  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
    ToddM,
    And if you can find it, get Ayingers Brau Weiss, unbelievably good. -RP

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    AZRP,
    i dunno nuthin bout growin them i just buy a flat and stick them in the ground.[p]did you grow from seed?

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    AZRP,[p] HAHAHA I heard dat now!!
  • Essex County
    Essex County Posts: 991
    stike,
    I've been taking the train regularly lately. Will be on the 5:15 but am hoping to duck out a little early to catch the 2nd half of the England-Sweden game at the Beer Works.
    Paul

  • AZRP,
    That musta been a clean hit to save the whole rack - I'm impressed.