# Cheesy ABT's



## oneshot

I have a couple questions on fillings for ABT's.

How do you prepare the cheeses to use in a cookie cutter to fill the peppers?  Do ya melt it first, maybe in the microwave?

How do you prepare cream cheese for the cookie cutter?

Do you cook the meats, sausage, etc. before mixing with cheese or put it in the pepper raw?

Thanks for the help.


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## fire it up

Just bring your cream cheese to room temperature, mix whatever ingredients into it you want then scoop into the bag.  Clip off one end and squeeze into the pepper.  Never made them with something like sausage in the middle so I'm not sure.  I would think if added raw it would cook all the way by the time you pulled them but don't quote me on that.
If you check out the post by chisoxjim you can see the squeezing of ingredients from bag to pepper.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=78867


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## ellymae

Since your ABTs will cook about 1.5 - 2 hours you should mix in precooked meat. Just my $0.02.


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## dirtman775

Number 1- never make abt's without rubber gloves....i learned the hard way.

Bring your creme cheese to room temp, place in a bowl, add your shredded cheese and precooked sausage, mix and fill using a spoon.....just my .02


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## oneshot

Thanks to all so far.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






But what about all the other hard or grated cheeses? Like if you just wanted say cheddar and a suasage mix? Does anybody melt the cheese and then put it into a cookie cutter or other device and fill the jalapeno's or just try and stuff it in with a spoon?

I'm looking for the easiest and fastest way to stuff these.


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## pignit

Here is what I do. Slice the top off the jalapeno longways. Use a pit spoon and scrape it out. Take a spoon and use the backside to cut off a piece of cream cheese and slap it in the jalapeno. Don't mess with spreadin and makin it look perty...... won't matter. I like to grate up white extra sharp cheddar. Put it in a bowl...... hold your pepper over the bowl and jab the cheese in the jalapeno until it won't go anymore.... wrap in bacon. Fastest easiest way I've found to stuff em. They turn out shweeeeeeeeeet! If you want stuff a few with sausage. Raw is how I do it. By the time the bacon is crisp on the outside the sausage is more than done on the inside. Usually 2 hours or a tad longer.  They are great. Have some on right now.
Good luck.


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## oneshot

Thanks PI, That sounds like one good way.

I guess what I'm trying to find out is if I'm using a Chile Grill and the peppers are standing up straight with the tops removed, how do people use a cookie cutter to fill them with the harder cheeses. Do they melt them first in a microwave or put the cheese in  a blender or food processor?


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## jerseyhunter

Pre cook your crumbled sausage in fry pan,turn off the stove, pour off the grease  and add your grated chedder and mix.this will soften the cheese, than spoon, ram and pack the filling like loading a cannon.


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## oneshot

Thanks Jersey, that is getting closer to the question I was trying to ask.






Any more or easier ways of preparing harder cheeses (cheddar, etc.) for injection with a cookie cutter would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks everyone.


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## pignit

Never tried it but shy of softening the cheese up with heat I would say put it in a processor.... add a little cream cheese and milk till you get it to the consistancy you want.


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## creative rock

Just a suggestion, soften up the cream cheese to room temp, shred your other cheese(s) you want in it, add the crumbled cooked sausage, mix by hand or use a hand mixer to mix up. You could put into a cookie/icing press and fill.

So many ways to do ABT's... in the end all is good!
Matt
aka Rocky


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## oneshot

Just went out today and bought my first food processor.
I got a 14 cup big mouth by Hamilton Beach. 3 speeds and pulse.



Boy, watch the stuff fly now.....
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	









:PDT  _Armataz_01_12:
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I wonder how it would work pulling pork???


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## downstatesmoker

I've never heard of anyone using a cookie cutter to fill ABT's.  The best way I have found is to cook the sausage, mix it with Cream Cheese, Cheddar (grated, not melted) and whatever else you are filling it with then add it to a 1 gallon zip lock bag.  cut the corner off the zip lock bag with a knife and use it like you would a pastry bag.  

If you do it this way you can control the size of the opening and it gives you pretty good control on how much goes into each ABT.

Good luck with it.


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## oneshot

Thanks DS, I got the idea of using the cookie cutter from a thread by SoFlaQuer on the how to's of ABT's.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=49420

This is the set up I have for filling ABT's.


With this and the new food processor it should go alot smoother. Pun intended...


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## jerseyhunter

My wife has one similar to oneshot's, only electric.  Dare I say she'd kill me if I even thought of using it. Oh and the only reason I precook the sausage is because of high cholesterol and don't need all that grease in the ABT, not that I wouldn't welcome it. Oneshot I know you didn't claim that was a cookie cutter, that looks more like a cake  froster , cookie cutters have shape attatchments as well as the nose cones.  Keep us informed how things go with the processor.


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## smokeamotive

I have a question to add here. What kind of sausage do you use in your ABTs? I was thinking of making some but was wondering what to put in them?


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## bigbaldbbq

I suppose for a harder cheese you could just shred it and use it that way.


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## bigbaldbbq

I like a spicy sausage, but really what ever you like is ok.


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## smokeamotive

Are we talking like a breakfast sausage, Italian, Polish etc....?


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## bigsteve

I have used raw little smokie sausages in my ABTs. They cook through, no worry. But confirm that with a thermo before you pull them.

I cut mine length-wise. Some times I sprinkle grated cheese in the pepper before the I put in the cream cheese. One time I filled them with chilli and onions, and topped with sprinlked cheese while they had about 45 mins to go on the smoker.

Kind of hard to get it wrong.........

I'm a total klutz. I find it W-A-Y easier to use a butter knife to scoop up some cream cheese and schmear it in the pepper. Putting it in a baggy and cutting off a corner for me is like watching the 3 stooges cook.


Nyck-nyck-nyck


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## tn_bbq

I'm in the "canoe" boat on this one (pun intended).

I slice my peppers length-wise so they are in the shape of a canoe.

I'll then use a standard teaspoon to  fill them up (using the pepper to scrape the filling).  

I prefer to use room temperature cream cheese, but never seem to remember to take the stuff out of the fridge early enough.  Therefore, I just pop it in the microwave for a little while along with the grated cheese and other stuff.  For the most part, I don't nuke it long enoug for the hard cheese to melt.


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## oneshot

Hey jersey, if you poke a hole in the bottom of the pepper with a toothpick the unwanted grease will drain out. Check out this thread and you'll see what I mean. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=78995
And you're right, it is a cupcake decorator. I just used the term cookie cutter so everyone would know what I was talking about.
The above link will show how well the processor worked also.


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