# Surprise!  ABTs and Pepper Shooter Armadillo Eggs



## fire it up

Yesterday I decided to surprise my Brother with some smoked goodness while he was at work.
He is a manager in a Restaurant around here and when you work in a restaurant you tend to get pretty tired of eating the same old thing day after day.

Figured I would make him some ABTs that were stuffed with cream cheese, a blend of cheddar, jack and asadero, some chipotle rub and a few dashes of hot sauce



I also made some of my favorite appetizers, they are modeled after armadillo eggs (cream cheese stuffed jalapeno wrapped in sausage) but these are made using pepper shooters (marinated hot cherry peppers stuffed with aged provolone wrapped in proscuitto) wrapped in JD bold sausage



Smoked over oak and pecan, took about 3 hours.  Was extremely windy that day.

Almost finished


Out of the smoker



I had to taste test a few just to be sure they weren't poisoned



Also took him in a chunk of pastrami I made a few days ago so some of the management could enjoy pastrami sammies.

The smoky goodness didn't last long, he told me that people were going on and on about how good everything was and how much they loved it.
Not much BBQ around here and the little bit that is available leaves a lot to be desired so I'm glad he got a good meal and that everyone he worked with loved the food.  
Get the word out there, the buzz about my smoke going before I open a small Q catering business (hopefully 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






)

Thanks for looking, if you have access to pepper shooters give 'em a try, just be sure to drain the excess oil in them of the sausage won't seal properly.


----------



## rivet

You will do very well, bud. No doubt about it!


----------



## treegje

I would like to be your brother


----------



## irishteabear

Everything looks good.  Glad they were a big hit.


----------



## mballi3011

So I guess being your brother does pay off sometimes. Those are some good looking Armdillo eggs I guess i'm going to have to make some soon. maybe before I rack the leaves or the game comes on one.


----------



## alx

Looks great fire.Was that supposed to be my pastrami???


----------



## fire it up

maybe


----------



## alx

Cool that it worked out.If we do a gathering/get together i will be anticipating some of your pastrami or beef sammies or.........


----------



## beer-b-q

Those do look good...


----------



## teeroy

Looks fantastic. I'm saving this thread so I can try those Armadillo eggs. What temp did you cook them to and how far in did you put your temp probe (i.e. just measuring the sausage or the inside of the pepper)?


----------



## fire it up

Normally I smoke them at the normal 225 but temps were a bit lower in the smoker due to the wind whipping around like crazy, but normall I do them 225 and they take about 2 hours, I put the probe in to the middle of the pepper and brought to 165 that way I know the sausage is completely done and has firmed up enough to eat them with your hands, the bit of olive oil left in the pepper and some of the juice dripping down from the sausage makes some of them "squirt" when you bite into it and you just get a flavorful blast, unless it squirts the wrong way, then you just get a messy shirt of floor, those are the best ones though.


----------



## chefrob

looks good!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## slim

well im heading to the store to get some peppers....i gotta try those eggs.....they look awesome


----------



## ellymae

I'll take 2 please.


----------



## scarbelly

Those look great. Made some ABT's yesterday with the 4H kids


----------



## sqwib

MAN...I have to try those


----------



## duck killer 1

OMG!! those are freakin awesome. i'll be tryin that soon!


----------



## got14u

oh man what a lucky brother...those look great !


----------



## chisoxjim

nice,  I really gotta try those stuffed cherry peppers wou did.


----------



## chisoxjim

fire it up,

those cherrypeppers, do you stuff them yourself?

I am thinking of a variation on your theme for tomorrow.


----------



## placebo

I was wondering the same thing. Those look really, really good! I found these that look the same as what he used.

http://7streetmarketplace.com/Daniel...B000V5Q3PK.htm


----------



## fire it up

No, unfortunately I have not been able to reproduce a proper clone recipe for marinated cherry peppers.  I buy those at a local supermarket that has an olive and such bar, bruschetta, bunch of olives, pepper shooters, marinated artichokes, all pretty good stuff and the peppers are cheaper that way compared to buying the jars but still have to pay $8lb for them.
Most recipes for them call for the peppers to already be pickled but if anyone has a good recipe where you make them fresh from the garden I would love to try it.

You could always just buy the peppers in a jar and stuff those yourself and maybe let them sit in some olive oil or whatever for a few hours to soak up the flavor.
Any hints as to what you are doing or is it a surprise?


----------



## chisoxjim

thanks for the info,  

I dont have time to stop @ a place that I think would have these, or at least the prosciutto, etc to do them myself.

I am thinking of buying a jar of the whole cherry peppers,  and stuffing them myself by piping some cheese mixed with a little cream cheese to make it pipeable,  then roll the stuffed pepper in some leftover Italian sausage from the ABT's I am doing.  

thanks for the idea,  like I said above yours looked great.


----------



## placebo

Costco has them also:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...se=&lang=en-US


----------



## fire it up

Sounds like a good idea, just remember the peppers are in vinegar so take that into account in the flavor field.  Also hopefully they will be firm enough to hold when you wrap in sausage.
The best way I have found is to flatten out a circle of sausage in your hand, place the pepper on it and push it down, cupping your hand and moving the pepper around with the cupped hand and forming and pushing the meat up and over with your other hand, then to give a good seal I always toss them in my hands a few times, like if you were making meatballs.
Don't know if I ever mentioned that before so I hope it helps.


----------



## chisoxjim

thanks for the tips,  of course Ill post some pics of what I turn otu.


----------

