# Bacon-wrapped Jalapenos



## lawman

Anyone ever do bacon-wrapped jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese?  I've been grilling them for a couple of years now and I get high marks from the friends who try them.  I've never smoked them though, just grill over medium high heat.  Recently I bought a tray that holds them upright which makes things a little easier.  Also, now I've seen a cool tool that reams the insides of the pepper, called a chili twister.  Attached is a picture.  I'm eager to get one of these to make cleaning the insides of the jalapeno easier.  

Basically you scrape out the innards of the jalapeno, stuff it with cream cheese (or a mixture of cream cheese and any other cheese you want to try) and wrap it in a slice of bacon secured with a toothpic, slap it on the grill til the pepper looks soft and wilted a little.  Let it cool a little before you chomp into it though or you'll get a nice little blister on the inside of your mouth or lips.  Good stuff though iffn you like jalapenos.  But if anyone can tell my how to tell the difference between the hot ones and the mild ones when buying them at the grocery store, I'm all ears.

Lawman


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## jamesb

Yeppers, them things are what is sometimes called ABTs (Atomic Buffalo Turds)... I have smoked them on several occasions but really prefer them grilled so that the bacon really crisps up. I also prefer them split in half over whole 'cause it seems easier to eat for me.

As far as telling how hot they may be.... seems just to be luck of the draw so to speak. Although, seems most of the jap peppers we get around here anymore just ain't that hot.

James.


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## lawman

At least I know it's not me and it is just a crap shoot figuring out which peppers are hot and which are not.   But to be sure, I've planted a few "jap" plants to supply my habit.  One is a mild pepper plant and I've got four that are supposed to be hot.  We'll see come harvest time.

ATB's huh?  I'll have to use that one on my friends. 

Met a lady who adds sauteed onions and browned sausage to the cheese mixture in the peppers.  It was pretty tasty but a little too rich for my blood.  Thinking about adding some crispy bacon bits to the cheese and see how that works.

Think I'll stay with grilling as opposed to smoking.  I like the crispy bacon too.  

Thanks for the reply.  

BTW, my mom lives over in Graham near Possom Kingdom.  Brought back some mesquite last time down.  Gotta love that part of the country.

Lawman


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## jamesb

Bacon bits do sound good... You can also put a bit of pulled pork or such in the peppers... 

BTW: My Dad did a bit of growing up in Graham many moons ago... That be 'fore he moved up north to Pampa... We still do a bit of hunting down the road from Graham in Olney...

James.


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## bluefrog

I smoke ABTs every time I smoke meat.  I use one of the trays with holes that hold the peppers upright.  Along with the cream cheese I have used ; shrimp, pulled pork, various types of sausages...Italian, Onion cheese, garlic, etc as well as Little Smokies, along with other types of cheese.  With the upright method I cut the bavon strips into thirds and put 1/3 on top of each pepper.  Keep experimenting.

Scott


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## Dutch

Nice tool there Lawman. When I do ABT's I have a vegetable peeler that has a sharp edge on it. I can cut off the top of the pepper and then cut the membrane that holds the seeds. I have to hide it from the wide and kids for safety's sake.  :twisted: 

BTW-are you an active lawman or a retired law dawg?


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## jminion

I do ATBs often, I use Tx Hot Links, cream cheese, a little sauted onions as the filler wrapped with bacon.  
I took some expanded metal cut into a 12" by 18" and used stainless nuts and bolts to build legs. Stand up the peppers in the expanded metal. It will hold a enough ATBs to make the average party happy.

Jim
One of these days I will take a picture of the holder.


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## Dutch

Jim, what size of expanded metal are you using? I have a party that I'm cooking for and they want a lot of ABT's-my little ol' stand only does 21 at a time.


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## jminion

Earl
I used expanded metal that has a 1" holes, the nice thing is you can make it any size you want.
Jim


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## lawman

Earl, or would you like Dutch?

Lawman is just a nickname.  My last name is Law.  Took hold during the early days of softball and just stuck.  

Does anyone have problems with the peppers falling over on the holder?  If I don't keep checking on those little suckers I'll have a couple topple over and there goes the cheese.  Are there tricks to stop that problem?

Lawman


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## bob-bqn

I have various chile grills with different sized holes; 3/4", 1", and 1-1/4". The smaller holes don't allow the pepper to sit down in them far enough. I like the large 1-1/4" holes because they accept the larger peppers and the toothpick that holds the bacon on will also keep the smaller peppers from falling through. The peppers don't fall over or off of my big grill.

Three are many alternatives to chile grills when push comes to shove.


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## Dutch

Jim, Thanks for the reply-I'm going to have to make up a couple.

Lawman, I used to work as an L.E.O and was just curious about your forum name. Thanks for sharing.


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## joed617

Hi Lawman, I been making what we call Jalepino Poppers for years .. just another twist and not for the grill or smoker.  I heat some oil to 350deg about 3" to 4" deep.. I slice the peppers open and clean the insides out. I heat up some cheddar cheese in the microwave and mix it in with equal parts of cream cheese and chill it. I spoon the cheese into the pepper .. I egg wash the pepper and coat with bread crumbs seasoned with hot pepper and deep fry it until golden brown. 

Joe


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## aardvarknav

Lawman,

I slice the tops off the peppers and clean them out with an apple corer (very similar to the vegetable peeler EarlD mentioned).  I stuff the peppers with a mixture of cream cheese and chopped shrimp and then smoke them. My wife won't touch jalapenos, but she loves these.

Walmart sells a Charbroil metal chile grill for under $5 that is much cheaper than the cast iron ones available online.  

One way to keep the cheese from coming out of the peppers if they fall over is to put a small bread plug in the top that is removed after smoking.

After reading JoeD617's post about mixing cheddar with cream cheese, it reminded me of a specialty meat market in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri that makes a garlic cheese roll.  The local knockoff is to mix a carton of cream cheese with a half box of Velveeta and garlic powder to taste along with a dash of paprika.  Think next time I smoke Jalapenos I'll stuff it with that.


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## nottooyoungtosmoke

Lawman, im not sure if anyone answered this question, but im pretty sure the answer is the smaller the pepper the hotter it is. I think thats the case, i know it is for garlic, (the smaller the more garlicky taste)


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## up in smoke

Then there is my favorite ABTâ€¦I call it the HorsesZazzâ€¦take 2 or 3 slices of good Smithfield Ham (the red salty stuff) roll them up like a jelly roll and chiffonade (slice) mix with 2 rounded Tbs. fresh Horseradish and a package of cream cheese, stuff into Jalepenos and wrap with peppered baconâ€¦oh Yeah! :roll:


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## jabo

I get a hot one now and again.  I have always thought that when I got one of these that I did not get all of the vein or all of the seeds out of that particular pepper.  Every once in a while I get one that is HOT, however it provides a good change of pace and keeps me on my toes.


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## wholesmoker

OK, gotta try these. I used to make poppers in the oven often. I really like how a shrimp coated in cream cheese fits inside a jap perfectly. Although your recipe, upinsmoke, for the horsesazz sounds awesome.
What is this "expanded metal" your talking about jminion? I'll be making these on a large production scale and that sounds like a great solution. Got any pics of it?
I think nottoyoungtosmoke was mostly correct in the smaller the pepper the hotter, but not always the case. This mostly applies to different kinds of peppers, but I'm not so sure that a baby jap is necessarily hotter than an ol timer. It is definitely true that the seeds pack the most heat, so if you want heat leave a few in there. Also, the longer you cook them the milder they get, of course.


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## jminion

I don't have any pictures of expanded metal but here is info on it:
http://www.mcnichols.com/products/expanded/standard/

Jim


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## wholesmoker

Aha, i see. Great idea, and you can cut it to any size you want.


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## pigcicles

I love the ABT's. It's been months since my last batch. My gig is when serving a "spice" loving crowd.. I always and I do mean ALWAYS save the seeds from several of the peppers and mix one special Super Atomic Buffalo Turd - Border line Nuclear. Never keep track of it, just let it show itself in time. I do always let the people know there is one special.

Twisted sense of humor maybe... but it's all good


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## hooked on smokin

i used italian sausage, parmesain, mozzerlla, and cream cheese, they look great, havent tried em yet.


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