# The Unofficial Guide to ABT's



## murrgh

So after searching around here for awhile and reading my ABT Suggestion thread, I decided to just consolidate all of my info here (since I couldn't find one elsewhere)

The pepper:

So I bought some Jalapeño's at a farmers market last Saturday. I wasn't sure how long they would stay good, so I vacuum sealed them and then threw them in the freezer. Yesterday morning I took them out and put them in the fridge to thaw so I could ABT them when I got off. Upon pulling the bag out, there was some water in there.... Odd I thought, they were dry when I froze them (relatively speaking) - after preparing them and smoking them, they all tasted like nuclear bombs. It was like I stuffed them with wasabi instead of cream cheese and bacon. I figured this has something to with the water they were soaking in when I pulled them out. 

So I decided to try again tonight. Went and bought sweet peppers and Jalapeño's. Figured I would give them both a shot. 

Slice them in half BUT leave the stem on - take out the core and membrane, I left some seeds in for a reasonable amount of kick. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






The filling:

I bought some Jimmy Dean country sausage and started that cooking 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I have onion and chive cream cheese to use as the main filling substance. I got that out and waited for the sausage to finish. 







Once finished, I threw both the sausage and cream cheese into the blender and blended until chunky. 







Then I placed all of the contents into a bag, twisted it, and cut off a corner to fill the peppers. 







Once filled, I wrapped in bacon. I cut the bacon in half first to make it manageable. I also stretched as I went, so that way it would become more thin and crisp up while smoking. 







I actually ran out of filling and bacon. So I had some leftover that I'm not sure what to do with...

But anyways. They'll be going in the smoker in the AM so I can bring them to work around lunch. I made a document of questions and answers that I had but found answers here by searching. I'll update this tomorrow when it's not midnight and after I've cooked it all!

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Here are some FAQ's that I had/found answers to:



 Does it matter what pepper you use? 
          Nope
 Can you freeze peppers?
          Nope
 Best way to cut?
         Leave the stem on, cut in half, then decore, then stuff






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## murrgh

Smoked at 230° for two hours. Used Apple Wood. Then put in the broiler for 3 minutes to try and crisp things up. 

Will post how they taste later today! 


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## shoebe

I would like to hear how the sweet peppers turned out


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## chef jimmyj

Nice job...Fresh Chiles have a high water content in the plant cells. Freezing causes ice crystals to pierce these cells. When you thaw them, this water leaks out and into the bag. The heat is most likely because the guy you bought them from knows what he is doing and raised them to be hotter. The grower may be growing different chiles in the same area and these jalapenos were cross pollinated by hotter chiles, or it is not uncommon for chiles grown during a dry summer or later in the season to be hotter than usual. The leftover cut jalapenos can be sliced and sauteed in some oil until tender. They will keep a week or so in the refer and used to top Burgers, Dogs or mixed into Eggs...JJ


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## ndwildbill

I've made ABTs with sweet pepper, and thought they were great...so did everyone else.  Little different flavor than jalapenos, but still good.  Had a mix of sweet and jalapenos in the smoker.  Looking at these makes me hungry for some.  Making jerky this weekend, probably throw on some ABTs as well!


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## murrgh

Shoebe said:


> I would like to hear how the sweet peppers turned out



They were great! First things that ran out at the cookout. The sweet peppers do have a different taste than a typical jalapeño, but that's to be expected. I would recommend trying both next time you smoke some ABT's.... There were people who only tried the peppers because I had some that weren't hot, so it was a nice crowd pleaser. 




Chef JimmyJ said:


> Nice job...Fresh Chiles have a high water content in the plant cells. Freezing causes ice crystals to pierce these cells. When you thaw them, this water leaks out and into the bag. The heat is most likely because the guy you bought them from knows what he is doing and raised them to be hotter. The grower may be growing different chiles in the same area and these jalapenos were cross pollinated by hotter chiles, or it is not uncommon for chiles grown during a dry summer or later in the season to be hotter than usual. The leftover cut jalapenos can be sliced and sauteed in some oil until tender. They will keep a week or so in the refer and used to top Burgers, Dogs or mixed into Eggs...JJ



Thanks! Check out my Tri-tip post. After reading your comment I thought of slicing them up and creating a nice TT/Pepper dinner. 

And I most definitely will not be freezing them again. 


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## GaryHibbert

Great looking ABTs.  Making both hot and sweet peppers is a good idea.

I freeze jalapenos all the time--but just use them for cooking.  They're a lot easier to seed and dice small when frozen.  I also freeze my smoked jalapenos.  That way I always have some on hand for a meal

Gary


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## muralboy

I've stuffed my jakapenos with creole seasoned brisket and cream cheese, then  wrap in bacon.   Glaze with bbq sauce right before removing from smoker

For sweet pepper, I fill with ricotta, grated Parmesan, sautéed pancetta with onion, and sweet peas. 15-18 min at 350 deg. Good eatin


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## redsmoke

Just read the post because I'm thinking of trying to make ATB in the smoker.   

Will the bacon crisp up in my electric smoker?

As far as the peppers. Well in my garden I grow jalapeño along side of habanero plants and wow one jalapeño plant will be hotter than the other with them coming from the same flat of plants.  Like stated cross pollination dose wonders.   I never did take the time to see which plant was the hot one but it sure was a suprize getting that hot one from a handful picked.


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## zacw

What's does   ABT  stand for?   (I'm new)


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## dirtsailor2003

ZACW said:


> What's does   ABT  stand for?   (I'm new)



Atomic Buffalo Turds


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## Gwanger

chef jimmyj said:


> Nice job...Fresh Chiles have a high water content in the plant cells. Freezing causes ice crystals to pierce these cells. When you thaw them, this water leaks out and into the bag. The heat is most likely because the guy you bought them from knows what he is doing and raised them to be hotter. The grower may be growing different chiles in the same area and these jalapenos were cross pollinated by hotter chiles, or it is not uncommon for chiles grown during a dry summer or later in the season to be hotter than usual. The leftover cut jalapenos can be sliced and sauteed in some oil until tender. They will keep a week or so in the refer and used to top Burgers, Dogs or mixed into Eggs...JJ


Jimmy I too grow my own jalopenos and am always disappointed by milder peppers, So I plant them with my habeneros to get peppers and result in a kicked up jalopeno, I also starve them for water last wk or two b4 picking.


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## gordo

Cross pollination from hotter peppers does not affect sweet peppers. Here is an explanation:

"It is true that most varieties of hot and sweet peppers grown in home gardens are the same species, _Capsicum annum_, and capable of cross-pollinating, but that is the only grain of truth to this common pollination myth. Cross-pollination of almost any fruit or vegetable variety will only affect the NEXT generation of plants grown from the seeds. That means that you won’t know that cross-pollination has occurred until you save seeds from those peppers and grow them out the following year. Why does it only affect the next generation? The flesh of a pepper, like other fruits, doesn’t develop from the fertilized ovules — it develops from the ovary wall that surrounds them. This means that the genetics of the mother plant determine the characteristics of the fruit that is produced, not the genetics of the seed.

What about the pepper seeds, you ask… shouldn’t they be hot? Capsaicin, the substance which gives peppers their heat, is not produced in the seeds at all, but is abundant in the inner membrane and fleshy interior ribs that support them."


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## TomKnollRFV

Now this is an awesome thread, because I found one of the things I get asked the most by people outside of SMF is 'What the heck is that?' concerning an ABT.


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