# 1st attempt at ABTs



## Big Glenn (Dec 19, 2021)

A friend is having some folks over tomorrow to smoke some meat, drink beer, and sit around a fire. I decided to try some ABTs. My filling is hot Italian sausage, cream cheese onion and sharp cheddar. Wrapping with bacon dang near drove me crazy. Slipperyest things I ever handled. They look ugly but so what. My question is I have a lot of filling left over. Any ideas what to do with it?


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## jaxgatorz (Dec 19, 2021)

My first thought would be to get more peppers and bacon..Seems like I can't ever make too many..Have fun and post pictures  !!


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## Big Glenn (Dec 19, 2021)

That was my first thought but considering how long it took to wrap the one’s I made it’s not going to happen. I might just take it in a bowl and if they turn out good I can make more for later in the day.


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## JckDanls 07 (Dec 19, 2021)

NO PICTURES..  NEVER HAPPENED ...

Did you cut the bacon in half ?? After a few try's you start to figure it out...  I found that if you use the whole strip of bacon and it gets doubled up..  the layer underneath doesn't get cooked ..  Plus...  use the thin cut bacon .. stretch it as you wrap..  start with one end of the bacon on the underneath side of the pepper...  stretch as you wrap and then the other end of the bacon should end up on the underneath side of the other end of the pepper....  So then when you set the pepper down it will hold the bacon in place .. no toothpicks needed ... Practice will make ya better...  So go get more bacon and peppers and practice ...

I find there are about 16 slices of bacon per lb...  so 16 medium sized peppers usually comes out right for the bacon (cut in half) to pepper (cut in half) ratio ...


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 19, 2021)

Another thing we do is cut sweet mini peppers in half length ways then stuff them with filling and add some already cooked bacon bits to top. Our friends 10 year old will come out just for these, or request them!








Ryan


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## bauchjw (Dec 19, 2021)

I’ve cooked and chopped up the bacon, stirred in with the leftover filling, then wrapped in filo dough. Very tasty.


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## Brokenhandle (Dec 19, 2021)

bauchjw said:


> I’ve cooked and chopped up the bacon, stirred in with the leftover filling, then wrapped in filo dough. Very tasty.


I had to ask my wife what filo dough was!

Ryan


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## bauchjw (Dec 19, 2021)

Edit below


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## bauchjw (Dec 19, 2021)

Brokenhandle said:


> I had to ask my wife what filo dough was!
> 
> Ryan


Haha! I was on an advisor team in Liberia a few years back. We would go to a random Lebanese market in Monrovia and cook what we could find, that’s how I found filo dough and tried that for the first time.


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## hecklar56 (Dec 31, 2021)

We're going to try our first batch of ABTs today in addition to the Pork Butt. Debating the filler but we have some chorizo in the freezer. Thinking Onion/Cream cheese/Sharp Cheddar/Chorizo then wrap in thin bacon.

Thoughts or advice? Going to put them on with the Pork Butt. Going to browse for some recipes/recommendations but any advice for time/placement/whatever is super.

Any pics or thoughts on how these turned out?

Cheers for the New Year!


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## sandyut (Dec 31, 2021)

Big Glenn said:


> Wrapping with bacon dang near drove me crazy.


wrapping with bacon (anything) takes practice and some packs of bacon just suck for the job - no clue how to select ones that don't.  it gets easier and I kinda start caring less about the appearance, toothpicks help sometimes as well.


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## jcam222 (Dec 31, 2021)

I usually just buy more peppers as these things get devoured by the dozens fast around here!! That said if I get tired of the process I buy some nice poblano peppers, halve them lengthwise and boat style fill them with stuffing and a couple bacon strips to wrap. Entree sized ABT’s!!


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## hecklar56 (Dec 31, 2021)

Nailed down two recipes:

1. Ground beef, cream cheese, sharp cheddar and our picked spicy veggie mix from the garden (carrots, onions, Serrano, jalapeño all pickled, very good heat).
2. Artichoke Hearts, cream cheese, Italian blend cheese (part, asiago, mozzarella), crispy bacon bits.

#1 will go in the 'boats' and on the red peppers sans spice for the kids.
#2 we will pipe into the hollowed out peppers.

Using thinner bacon to wrap everything till we run out, then might have to use a thicker piece or two. I'm just going to eye up the mix, stuff, and toss them in the MES with the pork butt at around 250. Here we go baby, fingers crossed!!

Edit: also, some of our homemade habanero garlic sauce in #1(that's the yellow jar there, habaneros, garlic, carrots, blended.)


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## hecklar56 (Dec 31, 2021)

Now for the challenging part, the bacon wrapping. Pray I have enough toothpicks I THINK we have enough bacon. This brand is a little thicker than I recall.


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## TNJAKE (Dec 31, 2021)

You can stretch the bacon if it's too thick. That will help it go farther


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## hecklar56 (Dec 31, 2021)

TNJAKE said:


> You can stretch the bacon if it's too thick. That will help it go farther



Awesome tip thanks. Realized this around 80% through. Will pull tighter next time it really does improve the fit and how far the bacon goes. For the kids we just laid a few pieces on top. Butt bark forming nicely. Gonna re-fire the A Maze N too for some more smoke.


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## JckDanls 07 (Dec 31, 2021)

Everything's looking good... 

A little suggestion...  next time you cut the jalapenos in half...  don't cut the tops off...  this will leave them looking like a canoe...  It keeps the filling from oozing out the end that the tops been cut off ...


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## hecklar56 (Dec 31, 2021)

JckDanls 07 said:


> Everything's looking good...
> 
> A little suggestion...  next time you cut the jalapenos in half...  don't cut the tops off...  this will leave them looking like a canoe...  It keeps the filling from oozing out the end that the tops been cut off ...



Thank you! That's an excellent tip. I found myself trying to cover the ends with bacon to prevent that overflow. Leaving the caps on is a perfect solution.

They're coming along nicely. Temp outside is dropping fast though, cranking it up to 275 for the rest.


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## mr_whipple (Jan 1, 2022)

I love ABTs. No rules.... make them how you want to. Its like making deviled eggs, the possibilities are endless! My preference is to make sure the peppers are soft when it's eating time. Don't like them crunchy at all for ABTs. Anyhow looks like you got a handle on it.


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## BandCollector (Jan 1, 2022)

Brokenhandle said:


> I had to ask my wife what filo dough was!
> 
> Ryan



LOL. . .Store bought is soooooooo much more convenient then making it homemade!

Hemg in there with the bacon wrapping.  It gets easier and you had some great suggestions above.

Happy new year,

John


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 1, 2022)

I have never found any I couldn't eat no matter how ugly they might have looked.

Warren


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## 912smoker (Jan 1, 2022)

HalfSmoked said:


> I have never found any I couldn't eat no matter how ugly they might have looked.
> 
> Warren


But eat them fast before they're seen by the others


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## GaryHibbert (Jan 1, 2022)

I know I'm late with this, but next time......
If your bacon is too thick, then make it thinner.  Lay the strips out on a cutting board, cover with wax paper, and have at it with a rolling pin.  When the bacon is thin enough, cut it to your desired length.
Gary


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## Big Glenn (Jan 1, 2022)

sorry I haven’t got back on this. I did roll out the bacon. Here are a couple of pictures to prove this happened. They were delicious by the way. Ugly but delicious.
.


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 2, 2022)

912smoker and Brokenhandle thanks for the likes they are appreciated.

Warren


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## Coreymacc (Jan 2, 2022)

When wrapping the bacon try and start and finish the ends of the bacon on the bottom of the pepper. You can stretch bacon more than you think. If you have the ends at the bottom it will stay put better as it cooks. Plus, i never worry about wrapping the whole thing,i just wrap the middle portion, especially if the peppers a on the big side. 

Corey


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