# Boiling bacon before wrapping the ABT's



## daveomak (Feb 18, 2011)

I have searched "boil bacon" and nothing popped up. 

I love bacon and bacon fat for cooking. Last evening, beef liver fried in bacon fat was the menu. Then made a roux with Krusteaz and whole milk to make the gravy. Baked spud and liver smothered in gravy w/home canned garden beans w/bacon for flavor. I am not afraid of eating wholesome natural foods. Gettin hungry just writin this.

Now to the ABT's.

I've had those frozen stuffed peppers and they were good. Now I am going to make some really great ABT's following a mixture of recipes found here.

I am thinking of simmering the bacon in water (as seen on food tv) until the fat is mostly gone. Skimming the fat and saving it. Wrapping the ABT with it, or frying the bacon to crisp it up and dicing to add to the filling for crispiness and flavor.

I hope this isn't sacrilege but it seems the fat in the ABT would detract from the overall concept of fresh peppers and cheese etc. 

Has anyone dared to try boiling bacon to reduce the fat? 

Pros/cons or thoughts as to this concept? 

Do you have a preference to cheeses etc that bacon compliments?


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## smokin relaxin steve (Feb 18, 2011)

i would NOT boil the bacon... i never have with my ABTs (or anything) and i still get the great fresh pepper flavor... if your that worried with the bacon overpowering cut the bacon slice down smaller and drape it over the top rather than wrap it... i suggest you wrap some though so you can compare and find out what your missing lol...

If you boil (i cant believe i said that LOL) than thats your decision, but again i would do both ways so you can compare

I really truly 100% believe that boiling the bacon for ABTs is a mistake IMHO...


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## alelover (Feb 18, 2011)

I usually nuke the bacon to render out a little of the fat but not too much. It still needs to be flexible so it can wrap around the pepper. You don't want the bacon to be like hard leather after you smoke it. The pepper flavor is still quite apparent.


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## chef willie (Feb 18, 2011)

I've only been here a month or so and have not smoked ABTs as of yet but have done many in the oven. Boiled bacon sounds like it would be very hard to work with after the fact. My method is to cut thin sliced bacon in half for the wrapping, seems to be just the right size then. The thin slices also crisp up better, IMHO, than the thick slices. In the oven I put them on a cake cooling rack set over a foil lined cookie sheet so the grease drips into the pan and the ABTs don't sit in the grease. For the smoker I would probably do a similar method or at the very least put a drip pan under them if placed directly on the grates. For the cheese I usually stick with a sharp cheddar or pepper jack. Cream cheese, to me, gets to soft and runny. I leave the stems on and cut a sliver of pepper off the side and stuff that way rather than take the tops off. The pieces of pepper can be finely diced and mixed with the cheese to stuff. I can't imagine skimming bacon fat off a pot of water to save it....sounds like a big mess for little gain.


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## czarcastic (Feb 18, 2011)

If you decide to do it, make sure you take some photos and let us know how it worked out for you.


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## bobthesmoker (Feb 18, 2011)

ABTs are good wrapped in bacon or naked.  Mix chopped cooked bacon into your cream cheese mixture (I mix cream cheese, chopped green onion, and some rub) and fill your peppers.  I usually make half wrapped and half naked.  When wrapped you only need a portion of a slice of bacon.


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## SmokinAl (Feb 18, 2011)

Like Chef Willie says use thin sliced bacon. You can stretch it & wrap it around the pepper. Most of the fat melts off & the bacon will get crispy. For the cheese I use extra sharp white cheddar. It doesn't seem to melt out of the pepper, split the peppers in half lengthwise & leave the stem on (try to split the stem in half), it makes a nice little boat after you take the seeds & ribs out. I have tried cream cheese or cheese spreads & they tend to melt out of the pepper. I would not boil the bacon, but that's just me. You get plenty of pepper & cheese flavor and the bacon fat doesn't overpower. The smoked bacon flavor really adds to the overall flavor of the ABT.


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## daveomak (Feb 18, 2011)

Well, before this thread is dead and gone, I should have a dozen or so recipes to try and report on.

If I build 2 of each recipe with varying combinations, that should end up one monstrous tasting party. This is going to be great.

The Q-views and descriptions of each, along with the critique of taste and texture will be daunting. Twist my arm.


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## rp ribking (Feb 18, 2011)

Dave, I fry the bacon for about 20 seconds and then wrap around the jap. Bacon then comes out done after smokin' a couple of hours.


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