This is one of my faorite Party Snacks. Les

The Basics of ABT�s

ABT�s or Atomic Buffalo Turds as they are also known are considered BBQ Crack in the barbecuing world. They have received this dubious title because they are addicting. If you put a tray of these out at your next party, don�t think that there will be any left when you return because your guest will eat these as fast as they are made.

ABT�s are easy to make and very tough to put down. Now personally, I am not a big jalapeno fan. However, when you de-vein and smoke a jalapeno, most of the heat normally associated with the pepper is gone. What is left is a very rich flavor in a small little package. Every bite in an ABT is a symphony of flavors in your mouth. You start with the smoked bacon flavor; move to the jalapeno, then to the cream cheese / onion and finish up with a cheddar flavored smoked sausage.

Here is a list of ingredients to make approximately 20 ABT�s.

20 Fresh Jalapenos (Pick the straighter ones when you choose)
20 Cheddar Lit�l Smokies (1 package contains approximately 36 sausages)
1 Pkg. Cream Cheese (8 oz.)
2 Lbs. Bacon � or 1 strip per ABT
1/8 Med. Mexican Sweet Onion (Diced)
1 Tblspn. Turbinado Sugar



Start by putting on cellophane or latex gloves. The juices from the jalapenos are very potent and will still be in your skin days after you handle them without gloves.

Using a sharp knife, remove the stem end of the jalapeno.


You will notice that the inside of the pepper not only has seeds, but also a membrane (called the vein) that acts as internal support for the pepper.




To get to the seeds and vein, slice the pepper lengthwise to the end.


Make sure that you keep track of both sides of the pepper, you will want to mate both sides again after they are stuffed.

As you can see, the vein and seeds remain intact. You will need to remove both before you proceed. While there are tools for this, I find a tea spoon to be quite effective in removing both.




Once the insides are clean, you are ready to fill the ABTs with cheese and sausage.



Inside this batch I am going to add 1 tablespoon of turbinado sugar and 1/8 of a finely diced, medium size, Mexican Sweet onion to take a bit of the bite off the pepper and add another layer of flavor.
[img]http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/AlienBBQ2/ABTs007.jpg[/img]



Once you have mixed your onion, sugar and cream cheese together into a paste, spread a small amount into each � shell of the pepper.
[img]http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/AlienBBQ2/ABTs008.jpg[/img]


Next, place one smokie in each pair of peppers. *** some people like to just do � of a smokie with � a slice of bacon, the choice is yours.
[img]http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/AlienBBQ2/ABTs009.jpg[/img]



With the smokies inserted in the ABT�s, sandwich the smokie in between both sides of the pepper and wrap tightly with � to 1 full piece of bacon.

After the ABT has been wrapped, place 2 toothpicks through the ABT. Make sure you hit both the pepper and smokie to secure the bacon on the ABT.
[img]http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/AlienBBQ2/ABTs010.jpg[/img]

Place the ABT�s on a preheated smoker at 250 degrees and cook for approximately 2 hours until done.
[img]http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/AlienBBQ2/ABTs011.jpg[/img]



Don�t worry about the cream cheese coming out of the ABT. The smoke forms a skin that acts as a temporary plug in the pepper.
[img]http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/AlienBBQ2/ABTs012.jpg[/img]

When the pepper is done, remove from the smoker and stand back. Some people try to remove the toothpicks from the ABT�s but I don�t. I find that they act as a handle and keep the sausage from squirting out with the cheese when you bite into one.
[img]http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/AlienBBQ2/ABTs013.jpg[/img]


As you can see, the cheese is still creamy in the center. Two of these prior to a meal is a great way to prepare your guest for the main course. The problem is that many guests can�t stop at two!
[img]http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o191/AlienBBQ2/ABTs014.jpg[/img]

thanks, am already starting to gather the necessities. anyone who screws these directions up is a pure IDIOT.

I've got a crop of peppers coming in, will have to try this. Great pics.

Regards, sse

Dang! I think I put on a pound just looking at your great close-up pictures!

Is there something really special about that turbinado sugar, or will any sugar do? If so, is there any substitute? I've never heard of that kind of sugar... is it anything like Demerara sugar (which I can get here in Sweden)


John

Looks really good...have had them before but it has been a while...

jpb can you get "Sugar in the Raw", it is the same thing. Les

Good with dove breast too. Heck, most any breast would work.

Never tried it like that, have a lot of Quail here in Colorado, looks like I will have to try it out. Gonna take the oldest out fer some Quail stompin' Les

Thanks, Les!

I've never heard of this dish, but it sure looks good and I think I am going to have to try it!

John

Darn fine appetizer if ya ask me. Les

Damn Les, I'm going to have to bookmark this thread just because the pictures look so good.

BP...

Yummy Huh.

Les, This looks great. What wood do you use in the smoker?

Mike

Thanks for the recipe!

I use Hickory or Apple. Les

Thanks gonna have to try these soon.

Yep - this looks like a keeper!!

Thanks!!

Tried these last night. Got to the bottom of the instructions where it said to smoke them at 250 for two hours. I had only planned on 20 mins before dinner!!! Doh!

Threw them on the grill, indirect cooking...figured it'd work out.
Went inside to get a beer, came back outsdie and they hard BURNED UP! The grill was hot enough to make the bacon drippings ignite! Sigh...until the next time.

Oh man, sorry fer that. Les

I'm doing this ASAP. Can't wait. I think about these everyday. (That and Mannlicher's Peanut Butter Pie that I haven't made yet.)

You may have started a trend there Griz, blackened Buffalo Turds.

BCR

Didn't the indians use them for fuel?????

I know I'll like'em when I finally get around to making them, but the name isn't very appetizing. The word turd and food preparation don't conjure up good images in my mind. Think I'll call them something else.

Regards, sse

Great post! Thanks for all the photos! That is the way to show a recipe.

How about "Atomic Smoky Fingers?" Or to recognize their heritage and because they're wrapped, "Aztec Mummy Fingers." (And call them AMFs for short!)

Because thats just not colorful enough.

man this is good looking, makes my mouth water just looking at it.

Made a batch of these last Saturday. These things are great. Nest time I will leave some seeds in to warm them up some.

Mike

made 50 last week, while on vacation w/family, and they vaporized. had to go to store for more peppers.

See, I am good for more than telling jokes!

you tell jokes??????......

I picked over dozen peppers yesterday and decided to make some "poppers". I didn't put a sausage in them. I used cream cheese and added some goodies to flavor it nicely. I did low temp smoke them as in this recipe. They looked delicious when done.

So, I cut one in half and ate it, and it was HOT ! Could barely stand it! I thought those little jalapenos were on the mild side, but these weren't. Once I got past the burning all the way down the ole gullett, I have to say they did taste good, and the smoke flavor was nice, but were they HOT !!!!!!!!

Regards, sse

You can substitute the Jalapeno's with Banana Peppers if they are too hot. Les

what jokes???????

I tried these today, Les. They are awesome. I built a small fire with briquettes in the center of the Weber Kettle, threw on some soaked mesquite chunks and placed the ABT's in a circle around the fire. Cracked the lid vent and came back 1-1/2 hours later. Perfect. Thanks.

WD

Not a problem, I enjoy sharing great food. I will be making these to bring to Raton too, probably gonna have to make about 200 of them though. Les

I made these for a Thanksgiving appetizer 4 years ago....Now I have to make them for ALL gatherings! Great Eats!

Made up a batch yesterday afternoon. They were awesome!!! Thanks for the recipe Les!!

Mike

No problem, I share what i like to eat.

I made some at camp opening day of dove season. I didn't use the tooth picks though, I placed them into a wire fish grilling basket and grilled them in it. That holds them together as well as toothpicks and you can turn the whole batch over at the same time.

I also grilled our dove breast in a like manner. I debone the breast, wrap it in bacon with a jalepeno that has a stick of cheeder cheese inserted into it.

We argued about which was best when we weren't busy stuffing our faces.

That sounds like a fine way to make them. Les

I have a big batch smoking on the grill right now!!!!!

Well, how did they come out? Les

Made my first batch (about 2 dozen) this morning and brought them to a get-together at a friend's house. They were gone before half time of the first game! Awesome recipe! Thanks!

The prep time is longer than I thought it would be - because I'm slow!! But, I made about 30 of these are they were awesome!!! We had a big family party and they were gone quickly!! Lots of compliments (I should have taken credit, but I sent everyone here...)



Thanks again for the recipe - it will become a regular!

Glad ya'll enjoied them. What better way to impress the spouses with good food like this.

Since the frost is nye, and not wanting to waste those nuclear peppers I grew, I made up nuther batch of these t***s! LOL!

Well, I may have an explanation. Some friends told me that my jalapenos probably cross pollinated with some chile peppers, so I got some red and green pepers looking like sedate jalapenos, but which burn the living bejabbers out of your mouth. So, I've had yesterday's oral conflagration (down boys) and then today's and there's still a few left, and I'm gonna eat'em.

I grilled some up for my kids birthday. To say they were a hit is an understatement. They went fast and my brother in law was begging for the recipe..........

Finally tried these tonight. They were AWESOME.

THe peppers were just a little spicy, about perfect. I ate enough of them that I'm nervous about how they'll come out though!!! DOH!

quite bringing this back up!! Now I'm going to have to make more this week!!

After a couple of days of waiting I can now say they came out great....twice.

Love is a burning thing
and it makes a fiery ring
bound by wild desire
I fell in to a ring of fire...

I fell in to a burning ring of fire
I went down,down,down
and the flames went higher.
And it burns,burns,burns
the ring of fire
the ring of fire.

The taste of love is sweet
when hearts like our's meet
I fell for you like a child
oh, but the fire went wild..

I fell in to a burning ring of fire

UMMMM UMMMMM Looks yummy !

Really, really good, but my darling told the guests they were "Stuffed Jalopeno Smokies". Whatever floats her boat.

I make "turds" with Jalapeno's, cream cheese, little smokies, and bacon. I had them yesterday with cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and bacon. The little weenie adds a lot to the taste. There are big green peppers, Anaheims, I think that I stuff with Italian sausage, breadcrumbs and cheese and grill or smoke. Folks seem to like those too.

Finaly made my first batch yesterday , they came out great Mrs 1936 wasn't a fan of the smokies though so next time I'll leave them out of some of the batch.

Making some more of these for a party Saturday night - Thanks again!!

Made my first batch today, great eats. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

I had another batch last night myself. This recipe is going in the book

I cooked up the second half of my first batch at work today. No smoker so I put them on the upper rack of the grill @300 for an hour. Worked very good.

Bump

Dang Les, Genius!!

If you don't like hot peppers take those little hot dogs and wrap in bacon and marinade in brown sugar before smoking.

ABT's and Pig Candy are the two biggest hits at my pig parties.

I made two pounds of pig candy last weekend. God I love pork fat!

Mike

heck is pig candy?

Pig Candy = brown sugar coated bacon

typically the topping is a mix of
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper


Like BYC said ABT's and Pig Candy have been "must haves" at our pig cooks for years. Forget the coleslaw or tater salad..no problem...forget the ABT's or pig candy and somebody's gonna make a trip to the store!!

Good stuff Dave. You have to try it. Get one of those cheap aluminum pans with the elevated screens on it from Walmart or just make something up so the bacon does not sit in the grease. Grill or smoke on your cooker at 325 or so for about 10-15 minutes per side.

Last batch I made consisted of 4 large packages of thick cut bacon and it was all gone inside of 15 minutes.

Sweet, fatty, spicy pork goodness!!
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/pigcandy.htm

Mike

That's it!!!!!!

I add a little Tony's as well.

They are sitting in a dish right now as the charcoal is lighting.

I owe you one Les. I am now a legend around the grill today. These things were a real hit. I told everyone I got the recipe from you. NOOOOOOOO I DIDN'T!!!! I told them I thought it up early this morning!

ok i'll have to try that. Thanks guys.

I don't know what brought this thread back up, but I have got to try that pig candy recipe!

Dove season is just around the corner. Stuffed jalape�os, grilled doves, and pig candy ought to make the camp smile!

Yup, the ABT's are going to be on the "deer camp menu" this year. S'pose marinated shrimps instead of the little weinies would be any good? I'll have to try that and report back . . .

Have already tried, and yes, they are good.

+1 thats how I made them last wek and they where delish!

Pour on the plate a little Thai sweet/sour/hot chili sauce and it completes the offer. Greatly compliments the pepper and the cream cheese. Especially, if you deep fry the poppers.

Isn't Thai sweet/sour/hot chili sauce the nectar of the gods? Goes good on everything.

Yup, both my kids refuse to eat fish without sweet chilli sauce !

Paul.

Goes real well on runny "sunny side up" fried eggs too.

We used to use Frank's Red Hot, but sweet chilli is better.

Paul.

Now that I gotta try !

Paul.

YES YOU DO! You'll love it even more if you really like bacon

And yes that chili sauce is great if not the best all around. The Trader Joe stuff is very good. But the small Asian grocery stores have the best.

Maybe I'll take a whack at making my own.

Paul,

Just don't use your wife's best cookie sheet unless you cover it with foil. Trust me on this!

Mike

, understood & thanks.

Paul.

p.s.: Agreed on the Asian version of sweet chilli sauce.

If you guys like the really hot stuff, reach for a bottle of Sambel Ollic (?sp), in the same section. It's pure, pureed hot red chillis. It's excellent for stir frys.

How about scallops?

Aren't those what we put on a treble hook to catch catfish with?

Haven't tried it because I don't like them, my wife thinks they're awesome though and is always ordering them in restaurants.

Finally got one of them roun tuits and made up a batch of ABT's this afternoon. The jalapenos I used made Les's look like babies, though - I could stuff two smokies in each one. Since they were so big, I had to smoke them for about 3 1/2 hours before the peppers were done. Good stuff. I think next time I'll put crab meat in the filling and deep 6 the little weenies . . .

I made these last week. Thanks for the recipie. I made a double batch and invited the neighbors over. There were only 5 left. Everyone loved them.

I also had to stuff each one with two little smokies. They cut easy with a butter knife. I cooked them at 280 degrees for two hours.

Thanks again for posting the instructions.

Tom

I made these over the weekend and they were some kind of good.

Try using deer steak. I use pieces of round and beat them just a little with a meat hammer, then wrap that around a piece of jalapeno and cream cheese. Then wrap with bacon and cook either on the grill or use a George Foreman grill. When you use a George Foreman you can skip the toothpicks because the grill holds them together. They will cook fast because they cook from both sides. No smoke taste but still good. miles

Remember for folks like my wife who are allergic to pork, you can use turkey bacon and turkey Lil Smokies. I recommend Louis rich turkey bacon, it is the only one I have found so far that doesn't taste like cardboard. i could get real fat off ABT's and good Beer!

If I was allergic to bacon, I might just have to end it all.

Just did a bunch of these on the BGE while cooking a rack of ribs...they never get old!

First time I saw this, will be trying SOON!

Thanks

I have GOT to make these on the 4th!!!

Wow, six years old but always a winner!

Mike

Bump for love. Really