# how "hot" are ABT's?



## sbishop (Jan 15, 2013)

was thinking of doing some this weekend...i'm a newbie to ABT's and was wondering how hot is the final product?

I like a little heat....but not deadly stuff...how would you rate it?

Thanks

Sbishop


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## werdwolf (Jan 15, 2013)

You can control the heat.  It's in the seeds and the ribs.  scrape as much or as little as you want.  The heat will mellow as you smoke it a little.

Watch getting the oil in your face or eyes!


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## bamafan (Jan 15, 2013)

The bette3r you de-seed them and de-vein them the less heat. Sometimes it depends on the pepper also. I've has some that were clean as can be and were still a little warm. Of course I like the heat so I leave some seeds in them. My 16 year old daughter eats them as fast as I'll make them. You'll be hooked! I made 200 for the Alabama champion ship game and th!


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## sbishop (Jan 15, 2013)

as you said..there is just a little heat....i'm going to give them a try....

any suggestions on your favorite recipe?


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## JckDanls 07 (Jan 15, 2013)

The way I make them is...  I clean out ALL the seeds and veins and then fill....  When I get down to about a dozen peppers left to fill, I will add the seeds and veins (finely chopped) of 3 peppers back into the cream cheese mixture...  So now I have mostly mild ABT's with about a dozen hot ones...  and they are hot...  

about 25 whole peppers (cut in half and cleaned)
2 tubs of onion and chive cream cheese...  (leave these sit out for about an hour to warm up before mixing)
1 bag of your fav shredded cheese (pepper jack for me)
1 pack of lil smokies
2 packs of CHEAP thin sliced bacon
and some of your fav rub

PS...  wear disposable gloves when cleaning peppers and making these up


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## JckDanls 07 (Jan 15, 2013)

My last batch I made with these Sweet Baby Bell Peppers https://www.google.com/search?q=Swe...Di9gTnmYCoCg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAA&biw=1517&bih=725

  They were absolutely scrumptious... A little tough making them since they are so small....  but my god were they good...


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## tito (Jan 17, 2013)

As others said it really depends on the pepper itself.  The heat of the pepper is mostly contained in the seeds and veins, however one pepper may be hotter than another.  The weather when they were grown plays a big part in it too...the hopper and dryer it is the hotter the pepper.  This year peppers are hotter than usual. 

with that being said to get the mildest you can cut out all the veins and seeds.  to spice it up a little add some back in.


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## al truistic (Jan 17, 2013)

I recently read that the pointier the chili the hotter it is.  Seems to make sense, but I haven't had a chance to really put it to the test.

Oh, and I like my ABT's a little meatier.

1lb. sausage

8oz. cream cheese

4oz. grated parmesan

Above is the base recipe, I add chopped onions garlic and finely diced mushrooms to the mix.


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## smoking b (Jan 17, 2013)

Has anyone tried these out with habaneros?


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## sbishop (Jan 18, 2013)

if i was to use sausage meat, do you cook the sausage meat first or just mix it raw? thanks


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## chef jimmyj (Jan 18, 2013)

Al Truistic said:


> I recently read that the pointier the chili the hotter it is.  Seems to make sense, but I haven't had a chance to really put it to the test.
> 
> Oh, and I like my ABT's a little meatier.
> 
> ...


I am curious about the Precooking of the sausage as well? Also, how many does this recipe fill on average? Sounds interesting...JJ


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## chef jimmyj (Jan 18, 2013)

Smoking B said:


> Has anyone tried these out with habaneros?


Been wanting to but don't have the Cojones...
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  I like some Heat but I hate to spend the time and $ to have to toss stupid hot ABT's...JJ


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## sbishop (Jan 18, 2013)

i can only handle a little to medium heat..but i have a few friends coming over Saturday night that loves hot stuff...that's my backup plan so its not wasted!!!


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## al truistic (Jan 18, 2013)

sbishop said:


> if i was to use sausage meat, do you cook the sausage meat first or just mix it raw? thanks


Yes, I cook the sausage with the onions garlic and mushrooms.  While it is still warm, not hot add the cream cheese and parmesan.  This is the recipe I used before I got the smoker, and I would add some bacon, they were always a hit, about 20 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees.  But if smoking, I just wrap in bacon.


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## al truistic (Jan 18, 2013)

It is actually a version of this:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sausage-stuffed-jalapenos/

As far as the number of jalepenos, I would guess about 20-25 depending on size.  The recipe above calls for 1lb. of peppers, but size and shape very greatly.  I usually try to overfill the first few and adjust as ingredient amounts decrease.

Oh, and you probably know this but do not prep the peppers without gloves on, and I find a melon baller works best for getting the seeds and membrane out.


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## roadkill cafe (Jan 18, 2013)

Here's my recipe for mild ones:

Approx. 9 (1 lb.) of fresh Jalapenos

1 package (8oz) regular Philly Cream Cheese

Zatarain’s or Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (The Zatarain’s has a little less sodium)

Approx. 1/3 to 1/2 cup finely shredded Colby Jack Cheese or Sharp Cheddar

1 lb. Hormel Maple Bacon

Allow cream cheese to soften at room temperature. Once soft, place cream cheese in a bowl and add Creole seasoning to taste (I use about ½ tsp.) and shredded cheese. Mix so shredded cheese is well incorporated. 

Trim stems short on jalapenos and cut in ½ lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out seeds and membranes/ribs until inside surface is smooth from top down. If you like them hot, leave some of the seeds in. I wear a plastic glove on the hand I’m holding the pepper in. The oil from the pepper will get into your skin, and even after washing your hands, is still present. You’ll realize this if you rub your eyes or any other sensitive membrane or have sensitive skin.

If you don’t have a pastry bag you can place cream cheese mixture into a plastic sandwich/ziplock bag and cut one of the bottom corners off, making a hole of approx. ¾ inch. Squeeze a strip of cheese mixture into each pepper half and smooth level with a knife.

Starting at bottom of pepper, wrap a slice of bacon around pepper spiraling towards top. If it looks like it won’t make it to the top, bacon can be stretched a little. Secure bacon to pepper with a toothpick all the way through the side of the pepper. Arrange the stuffed peppers on your grate going across the grid.

Place in smoker. Placement depends on whether or not you want the bacon to render onto something else you may be smoking however, I would not place below any meats (especially poultry)  until it’s been smoking a while. Raw juices’ dripping on them is not a good thing. If placed under or by themselves remember to place a drip pan under them to catch the rendering fat, unless you really like cleaning up a greasy mess in the bottom of your smoker.

Depending on temperature and placement, smoke for 2 to 3 hours or until bacon is crispy. *CAUTION*: Filling will be *HOT* fresh out of the smoker. Enjoy!!!!


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## kathrynn (Jan 18, 2013)

I added some finely chopped pepperoni's to RoadKill's recipe.  They were great!


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## michael ark (Jan 18, 2013)

Depends on the pepper .some are blister your tounge hot and some are mild . If you are scared of the heat use bannana peppers.


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## dls1 (Jan 18, 2013)

Most of the commercially available jalapenos available in the US today are what are known as "TAM Japs", TAM standing for Texas A&M University. They were developed at the school a number of years ago as a much milder form of jalapeno specifically addressing the lower heat tolerance of most Americans. Though it varies from pepper to pepper for both varieties, the true jalapeno is rated around 5,000 Scoville units and the TAM is rated around 1,000. As I understand it the growers favor them as they are more productive than a regular jalapeno.

In reality, it's hard to find a true jalapeno these days unless you grow your own or have a good ethnic market as a source. When I need jalapenos and don't have any readily available I substitute with serranos. They don't work well for ABTs, however.


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## jwbtulsa (Jan 18, 2013)

I cut off the tops to form a lid. Then I twist a paring knife around the inside of the pepper to get out the veins and seeds. I put my stuffing mixture into a ziplock bag and mix it up. Then  cut a corner off the bag to form a small hole. Think of something like a cake icing piping bag. Squirt the guts into the peppers then put the lid back on. I run a toothpick through the lid and out the side to hold my bacon.  get very little loss of stuffing. I stand them up in th grates of my smoker. Take them out when the bacon looks good and done.

Not too hot. I would say less heat than a jar off sliced japs from the store. ALTHOUGH, I have had a occssional suprise. I love them. I have stuffed boneless thighs with ABT's, stuffed larger peppers with ABT's, Leftover pulled pork makes a KILLER stuffing. Add a little extra rub--yum!  I have used smaller japs to make ABTs. They are a little more labor intensvie though. I roll the little ones around in turbinado sugar after I have assembled them to make a litlle ABT candy. I spray them with a little olive oil first to make the turbinado stick better.

*DEFINTELY WEAR GLOVES*. I HIGHLY recommend* NOT *touching your eyes afterwards. (Man that sucked!)


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## badmoont2 (Jan 18, 2013)

I cut mine in half and clean out the seeds and veins leaving the cap/stem to keep the contents from leaking out. I have found the cap/stem to have some remaining vein material that is hard to get out. If you bite the cap end it may still be very hot while the rest is milder. So if you don't like heat cut off the cap end before eating, if you do like heat, leave some seeds/veins.

My recipe is simple. Fill the peppers almost all the way full with parmesan then cap with cream cheese, dust with a little of my standard rub then wrap with bacon. Finally I dust the top with a non salty rub as putting a salty rub on the bacon makes it too salty for my taste. The last ones I made I used Mrs. Dash as my exterior rub and then a little paprika. I made these for a smoke I did at work recently and they were a big hit. I do a real good clean out when cooking for large numbers of people as they will have varying opinions of what is too hot.


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## smoking b (Jan 18, 2013)

If I handle a lot of habs or other really hot peppers I rinse my hands with rubbing alcohol to get rid of any oil that may be there then follow up with a grease cutter like Dawn to make sure. If I'm working with them for a while I will rinse with the rubbing alcohol every 20 min to half hour as a precaution.

      Even if I wore gloves which I don't unless I'm working with the really hot peppers & more than just a few of them (my hands are fairly tough from working with wood & hay) I still do the alcohol wash when I'm done. Side note -  capsaicin molecules are small & can pass through latex gloves. If the oil is on your skin long enough to get absorbed washing will be futile & you will be in for several hours of unpleasantness. Don't be that person


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## cricky101 (Jan 18, 2013)

BAMAFAN said:


> The bette3r you de-seed them and de-vein them the less heat. Sometimes it depends on the pepper also. I've has some that were clean as can be and were still a little warm. Of course I like the heat so I leave some seeds in them. My 16 year old daughter eats them as fast as I'll make them. You'll be hooked! I made 200 for the Alabama champion ship game and th!


I found this too. I've made some that were extremely hot, and others that tasted like a bell pepper all in the same batch.  We love 'em though all the same. I'll even fire up the weber kettle just to make up a few for the wife and I as snacks.


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## chef jimmyj (Jan 18, 2013)

I once had a class where a " Tuff Guy " was working with two pretty ladies. We were working on Caribbean Food and their group was making Authentic Jerk Chicken. I had warned the class, as a whole, to wear gloves and wash frequently with plenty of soap as Capsaicin Oil can irritate and sting even the tough skin of your hands....You see where this is going yet?....

Anyway our resident Tuff Guy comments to the ladies on his team that, " HE can handle it " and " don't need no stinking Gloves! "  I walk by on my rounds and warned him again with just a, "I got this, Chef " response. A short time later I hear...oh, ow, oww, owww, Ouch, AHHHHH, CHEF HELP WHAT DO I DO!!!! AHHHHH... Just as Tuff Guy comes Dancing out of the BATHROOM, Pants around his Ankles and the Family Jewels cupped in his hands!....The Girls and the rest of the class thought it HYSTERICAL!
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





    

I just shook my head and said, " Soap son, plenty of soap..." I then got the boy with the deflated ego a bag of ice...






Youth is wasted on the Young, silly boys...






...JJ


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## smoking b (Jan 18, 2013)

That's funny!  I gave some of my crushed habanero to one of my cousins a few years ago. He took it with him to a pizza shop & used his hand to sprinkle a little on his pizza - no big deal. On his way home at a red light he was tired & rubbed his eyes. He had traffic blocked for 3 cycles of the light till he could see enough to get pulled over. An hour or so later he took a leak & same thing happened to him as your student. He hasn't asked for any more crushed hab since


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## californiadan (Jan 18, 2013)

I also once after handling peppers with bare hands used the bathroom. Even though I washed my hands, it still "lit my fuse"! So do be aware of peppers and bare hands. 
The last ABT's I made were stuffed with cream cheese and a little shredded cheddar, topped with half a little beef smoky and wrapped with Wright brand maple sugar bacon. So you got sweet, meat, and heat.













image.jpg



__ californiadan
__ Jan 18, 2013


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## cromag (Jan 29, 2013)

Some have said remove the seeds and membrane/ribs and then let them soak in water and hour or 2. I don't know if it works because I never soaked them, we don't seem to think their are very hot after you smoke them


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## jirodriguez (Jan 30, 2013)

They are about the same heat as pickled jalapeno slices (like you used to get on nachos). Definately there, but not at all unplesant.

If you have folks who can't do heat just put the same filling in a hallowed out mushroom and wrap that with bacon.... or even chop a jalapeno and mix it in the filling for just a little heat.


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## barbqjim (Jan 30, 2013)

Smoking B said:


> Has anyone tried these out with habaneros?


I haven't done habaneros yet but I have used chili peppers and they yield quite a bit more heat than jalapenos. I really like them. Since the chilis are more slender I just make one slice down the side instead of cutting in half. Then open the pepper up and fill with cream cheese to hold it open. I think I feel the need to go make some. Maybe Habaneros this time too.


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