# I want to make ann ABT Holder



## jerseyhunter (Sep 3, 2009)

I Want to make an ABT holder for the smoker rather than splitting length wise and laying on the grates. I've looked up some and read about otherer's on here, what size holes should I drill. 3/4,7/8 or 1" or should I go with 8 of each?  Thanks men.


----------



## solaryellow (Sep 3, 2009)

I made one last week. We drilled 1 1/4" holes. The 1" holes looked to small when we marked them out. When I used it last Saturday I had 3 japs that were too small but since I run toothpicks through them to hold the bacon on it was no big deal.


----------



## tender loins (Sep 3, 2009)

I would probably go with multiple sizes, especially if you grow your own. I grow about 20 varieties of peppers each year and even all the jalapeno types are different sizes. This year I have Chichimeca which is a jumbo size jalapeno, Purple Jalapeno, which is pointy & shorter, and Jaloro, which is a yellow jalapeno. I also have one I call Jumbo Jalapeno (that's a 9" plate) :








I think the question may not be which size holes but how many sizes, and which arrangement/layout to fit the most per your sheet of steel or stainless or whatever material.


EDIT: ANOTHER thing I thought of inorporating was maybe a bottom or bottom strip an inch or more down so the pepper doesn't fall through the hole, especially if they wrinkle up & shrink-- then the holes can be bigger and accomodate more sizes of peppers. Either like a strip across each row, or a bottom with smaller holes to "locate" the pepper in place.


----------



## morkdach (Sep 3, 2009)

I rescued a grocery basket from salvage had broken welds the bottom of the basket has 1" squares made out of 1/8" rod spot welded at every joint my thought was several abt racks will get some pics of this.


----------



## jamesb (Sep 4, 2009)

I've got two pepper racks... Both have 1" holes and seem to work pretty good!


----------



## beer-b-q (Sep 4, 2009)

I have this one made by King Kooker, it has 36 holes and they are 1" but they are too close together and when you add peppers with bacon wrapped around them you have to leave every other hole empty...


----------



## tender loins (Sep 4, 2009)

Is that King Kooker made of stainless? aluminum?

I think that is the one I ordered this morning for $10 at Amazon. I actually ordered a cordless Dremel tool kit to do the puppy's nails and to get free shipping on everything... I can use the Dremel to make the holes bigger for some jumbo jals.


----------



## beer-b-q (Sep 4, 2009)

It is stainless steel, I don't think your dremel would last long trying to make the holes bigger.  The problem with it is not that the holes are too small it is that they are too close together for bigger peppers...


----------



## tender loins (Sep 5, 2009)

I went to our 3rd annual tomato tastefest today, I brought about 40 ABT's and super-smoked (overnight) Dutch's Wicked Beans. The ABT's I made I did them by splitting them longways, added cream cheese, a pepperoni type meat tidbit from Aldi that was like a 1" long Slim Jim but meatier & not as dried, then covered with a small piece of pepper jack cheese and finally wrapped with a half slice of bacon stretched around everything.

Needless to say, they were all gone within about 30 minutes! The beans were very dark brown from baking on low heat overnite and were really great.

ANYWAYS, one of the raffle prizes was SOMETHING like a HUGE ABT HOLDER! I never saw anything like its size, it was about 3ft+ long but the holes were around 3" diameter! I asked what it was and they said a pot holder for starting your seeds to grow! It looked like stainless about 3-4ft with the ends folded under/in, and about 8" wide!

I asked who donated it or made it and it was a guy that bought tomato plants from me in the past! (He also traded compost and 55 gallon food grade plastic drums for Big Zac & other plants from me a couple years ago.) 

I explained the ABT holder to him and he said just e-mail him a picture or diagram what I need and he'll make me one! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Maybe if we can all get a consensus agreement on dimensions, hole sizes, etc, we can get into a low volume production? I also know someone that has manufactured some automotive brackets in smaller production for me in the past, (less than 200 pieces) he has a pretty big stamping press in his garage...


----------



## beer-b-q (Sep 5, 2009)

Sounds like it was your lucky day, good score...


----------



## tender loins (Sep 7, 2009)

I never paid attention to the raffle prizes when I got there!

They also had a box of Apple wood!

See the jumbo ABT holder far left! hahaha!


----------

