Tag: BBQ

ABT’s or Jalapeno Poppers

When I started reading BBQ forums a few years ago, I stumbled upon an appetizer that seems to be very popular with the BBQ crowd.  They’re called Atomic Buffalo Turds or ABT’s.  It’s basically a BBQer’s version of stuffed jalapeno poppers prepared on the smoker.  For the longest time, I didn’t even attempt the recipe because my family doesn’t enjoy foods that are too spicy or hot.  That is, until this summer.  I started with sweet peppers and eventually tried jalapenos and all I can say is that I’m sorry I waited so long start cooking these.
Here’s the recipe.

  • clean 18 jalapenos by cutting off the stem and slicing them lengthwise
  • remove the seeds and ribs from inside the peppers (the more of these you leave in the pepper, the hotter the ABT will be)
  • cut a package of regular bacon in half
  • 18 peppers and a package of bacon cut in half roughly equals the same number of pepper halves and bacon pieces.
  • fill each jalapeno boat with cream cheese and wrap with a half slice of bacon (note: some folks like to put a Little Smokey sausage in each popper or some pulled pork but we like ’em plain)
  • pin the ends of the bacon together by inserting a toothpick through them and into the pepper
  • I like to dust them with a BBQ rub before putting them on the cooker
  • you can cook these direct or indirect but you want to keep the temps below 300 degrees
  • they’re done when the bacon is crisp.


Note:  I recommend using rubber gloves when handling the jalapenos.  If you don’t have rubber gloves, just remember to keep your hands away from your face (or any other sensitive area if you know what I mean)


Try them, you won’t regret it.  Heck, I’m gonna cook up a whole batch for Thanksgiving! 🙂

Cheers,
Braddog

Braddog’s Journey

Growing up in the southern half of the US, I’ve always loved good BBQ.  Now BBQ in the south has lots of variations (we’ll cover that in a later post), but I grew up with a taste for Memphis style BBQ.  For the uninitiated, Memphis style BBQ is slow smoked with a dry rub.  BBQ Sauce is strictly a condiment and pulled pork sandwiches are served with a sweet slaw.

 But I digress.  My uncle was the family BBQ’er and he became a pretty fair hand at smoking turkey, beef etc.  But I don’t think he ever pulled off really good pork butt.  It was after I got married that I decided to try my hand at BBQ.

I started, like a lot of people do, with a Brinkmann bullet-type, water smoker.  I tried both the charcoal & electric varieties.  I turned out some decent chicken, but really good pork butt & ribs eluded me.  I decided that I must need a better cooker, so I moved up to an off-set New Braunfels. This was an impressive looking unit compared to the bullet smoker and much more involved.  I could make the entire neighborhood crave BBQ with the smell of hickory smoke, but still good pork butt & ribs eluded me.  In fact, I sold the pit and gave up the quest for a couple of years.

About 5 years ago, I decided that I would try to do pulled pork for the family reunion.  My dad had a brand new gas smoker that he’d never used and offered it up for my use.  I had spent my BBQ exile reading a lot of information on the internet about BBQ and knew that I probably hadn’t approached the elusive pork butt & ribs the right way.  So when presented with this opportunity, I was prepared.  In fact, that day was a defining moment for my BBQ career.  When I put a huge tray of pulled pork on that buffet table and saw the reaction of my extended family, I was hooked.

2007 05 27 004

That year, my bride presented me with a gas smoker of my own and we enjoyed some really nice BBQ over the next couple of summers.  But with my interest growing, I couldn’t enjoy this hobby in the winter using the cooker that I had due to the winter weather we have in the mid-west.  It was about this time that a co-worker introduced me to the Japanese Kamado style cooker.  Cold weather, rain, wind, none of these were a problem with the ceramic cookers.  After 6 months of yearning for a ceramic cooker, I acquired my large Big Green Egg.  This is what I cook on today and it affords me year round enjoyment of my favorite past time and favorite food.        

The journey has been a lot of fun.  Like many folks, I’ve always got my eye on my next cooker. When I know what the next destination is on my BBQ journey, you’ll be the first to know.Cheers,
Braddog