# total fail :(



## areallynicegirl (May 27, 2015)

So iI tried to make abts for memorial day...it was a catastrophe!  I tried them on the grill at first and ended up having to finish them in the oven because they were making a huge mess on the grill.  I couldn't bring myself to take a pic of them, they were so terrible.  By the time they came out of the oven the cheese was everywhere and the bacon was weird.

One thing I thought of late last night was this- what if I mixed a beaten egg into the cream cheese and cheese mix so the cream cheese sets up a little?  So that is on deck for my next attempt!  Also saw (too late for this last batch) that the key is probably leaving the stem on!


Hope you guys had a great holiday!!
Patti


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## bkleinsmid (May 27, 2015)

Hey Patti.........something I have tried that worked well was to cut out a little wedge in the pepper and not cut the pepper in half. Open the pepper up like a little canoe and fill the inside with your goodies. I will dice up the slivers that I cut out of the peppers and add that to the stuffing. The bacon wrap will help hold everything all together.

I have also cut just the end off and filled them with bacon draped over the top......but those I have a stand to hold them in.

Hope this is some help....

Brad


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## areallynicegirl (May 27, 2015)

Im gonna try the canoe thing next time, its my fault really because I was trying to make the peppers go farther by cutting them in half. Never pays to be cheap lol!  Thank you for your insight!!! :)


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## mummel (May 27, 2015)

We used toothpicks to hold them together and it worked well.


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## bkleinsmid (May 27, 2015)

Patti, I think it will sometimes depend on your filling as well. When I use a dense filling.....like with pulled chicken or pork added to the mix, I have less problems with everything wanting to ooze out.

So many ways to make them.......so little time to eat them.....

Brad


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## areallynicegirl (May 27, 2015)

bkleinsmid said:


> Patti, I think it will sometimes depend on your filling as well. When I use a dense filling.....like with pulled chicken or pork added to the mix, I have less problems with everything wanting to ooze out.
> So many ways to make them.......so little time to eat them.....
> 
> Brad



Well that makes sense!  So maybe the egg to stabilize a plain cheese filling but unnecessary in there is meat stuffing...

I am definitely with you, seems like there is no wrong way to eat a Reese's....I mean ABT LOL.   Except shrimp! Shrimp and I are not friends!!!


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## areallynicegirl (May 27, 2015)

mummel said:


> We used toothpicks to hold them together and it worked well.



Lord love me, there is not one toothpick in this dang house!!  I will definitely HAVE to put those on the list!  I can see how they may have thwarted some of my disaster!!!


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## mummel (May 27, 2015)

areallynicegirl said:


> Lord love me, there is not one toothpick in this dang house!! I will definitely HAVE to put those on the list! I can see how they may have thwarted some of my disaster!!!


I'd never made them before.  We wrapped ours in bacon and popped in one toothpick.  Didnt have any issues.


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## bmaddox (May 27, 2015)

The cream cheese will hold up on its own if you cook them at a low enough temp (220-240). The downside is the bacon takes a long time to crisp up at that temp. I cut mine in half but leave the stems on so it creates a nice area to hold the filling.


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## shoebe (May 28, 2015)

We cut ours in half, fill them with the cheese mix, meat (we have tried little smokies, smoked chicken and shrimp) and wrap them in bacon. cook at 225 in the smoker for  two hours or so. Seems to work well, but the bacon is not very crisp so we pop them under the boiler for a few seconds...love these guys


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## areallynicegirl (May 28, 2015)

bmaddox said:


> The cream cheese will hold up on its own if you cook them at a low enough temp (220-240).



Ya that's the problem, I cooked them too hot!  I was trying to cook other stuff at the same time on the grill.  My little chief doesn't really get hot enough to cook abts only maybe just put some smoke on them.


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## areallynicegirl (May 28, 2015)

Little smokies sound awesome!!! Gonna try that for sure!


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## JckDanls 07 (May 28, 2015)

I too cut them in half like a canoe trying to slice threw the stem so there is a piece on each half ...  clean all the seeds and white membrane out...  let cream cheese ( i use onion and chive cream cheese) sit out and get to room temp...  mix some of your fav .shredded cheese in with cream cheese...  I also put some of my fav. rub in the mix as well ...  just fill the pepper until level (or so) with the cheese mix....  slice lil smokies in half long ways and lay a half on top of the filling....  using thin sliced bacon I will cut the whole pack in half before opening...  use a piece of the bacon to wrap tight (stretch as you wrap it) around the pepper in a spiral motion...  make sure you set ABT upright when you put it on the grate...  smoke at 225` or so for a couple of hours...  If you can let them cool some before trying to take them of the grate it will be much easier to handle....  I always use my fingers as tongues will squeeze them and fall apart ... no toothpicks needed as the bacon will shrink and hold tight after cooked ...


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 28, 2015)

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__ dirtsailor2003
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I've made probably a thousand ABT's. Some cut in half, others using the boat system, others cutting the tip off and cooking in a stand. If you cook them at higher temps you will loose most of your cheese. Low and slow is really the best way to go. If you need to crisp them on a hot grill no need to add fillers to the cheese mixture as long as you use lower heat. Also thin bacon is your friend here. I buy the thinnest I can then stretch the pieces as long as I can get them to go.


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## WaterinHoleBrew (May 28, 2015)

Ya have some great advise, totally agree with the low temps & I still use the toothpicks... but that's just my personal thing cause I think they are easier to handle that way...  Just a personal preference !  Also, I started using Neufchâtel Cheese with great results too !   Give em another go & I'am sure you'll do awesome !   Thumbs Up


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## areallynicegirl (May 28, 2015)

Whoa those pics are killer, they look delish!!

You are do right, I've gotten so much great advice from so many of you all and I am looking forward to the "do-over"!  I Love reading people's recipes and techniques. And seeing how you solve the different problems that come up and most importantly SHARE what you've learned! 

From this newbie to all you guys-
Thank you!!!


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 28, 2015)

WaterinHoleBrew said:


> Ya have some great advise, totally agree with the low temps & I still use the toothpicks... but that's just my personal thing cause I think they are easier to handle that way...  Just a personal preference !  Also, I started using Neufchâtel Cheese with great results too !   Give em another go & I'am sure you'll do awesome !   Thumbs Up



Justin you're using cheese snot??? [emoji]128540[/emoji] well that's what that cheese sounds like anyways! [emoji]128541[/emoji]


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## WaterinHoleBrew (May 28, 2015)

Haha, good one Case....  Guess it kinda does huh ?   No, I'm just trying to watch my figure !   :ROTF


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 28, 2015)

WaterinHoleBrew said:


> Haha, good one Case....  Guess it kinda does huh ?   No, I'm just trying to watch my figure !   :ROTF



Yeah my wife's buying that new Greek cream
Cheese, is that what that stuff is? If so it makes a decent ABT, lol!


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## WaterinHoleBrew (May 28, 2015)

dirtsailor2003 said:


> WaterinHoleBrew said:
> 
> 
> > Haha, good one Case....  Guess it kinda does huh ?   No, I'm just trying to watch my figure !   :ROTF
> ...



It's a French origin type of cheese, close to cc but has 1/3 less fat than cream cheese.  Honestly, I can't tell the difference between the two !


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## grabber (May 30, 2015)

Here's the recipe I use from Jeff.  Smoking-Meat.com/july-3-2014-shrimp-cream-cheese-stuffed-jalapenos.  Can't make enough of them.  My daughter in law doesn't like bacon or shrimp.  Next batch I plan to stuff with boiled pork sausage, than wrap them in sliced ham for her.  Hope it helps.


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## areallynicegirl (May 30, 2015)

Thank you!! I will check it out! I am with her on the shrimp but to not like bacon????? I would be so sad if there was no bacon!!


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## grabber (May 30, 2015)

To put the mixed cheese and cream cheese, a quart zip lock bag with the bottom corner cut out pipes it in well.


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## areallynicegirl (Jun 1, 2015)

My husband is gonna buy a pepper rack for me, I will definitely use your idea.  I actually have the perfect icing tip that would work great for cheese stuffing!!!


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