Atomic Buffalo Turds - ABTs

ABTs are a crowd favorite even for people that say, "I don't like peppers."  I'm not a big pepper person, either.  But when it comes to these things, I can eat 10, easily!  They're very addicting and are a hit at any party or barbeque.

There are a few different methods to make ABTs.  The best part about it is that you can experiment with different cheeses, spices, and even the type of meat you use inside of the pepper.  I've used cream cheese, smoked cheese, or grated cheese inside of the pepper.  I've also used sliced turkey pepperoni, smokies (small hot dogs), and sliced turkey breast.  Use anything you think you'd like.  There's no right or wrong way to make these.

Here's what you'll need.

Ingredients:

• Jalapeno Peppers
• Cream Cheese (grated cheese or sliced cheese will do)
• Bacon Strips (I used Center Cut bacon)
• Paprika
• Toothpicks (to secure the bacon to the pepper)

Start by slicing the Jalapeno's in half.

Take the seeds and stem out of the peppers using a teaspoon.  Scrape it out nice and easily.  Be sure to not break the pepper.

Mix Cream Cheese in a small bowl and apply a bit of Paprika.  Mix together.  You want the color to be slightly pink.  That's when you know you've added the right amount of paprika.  You can also add sugar, if you'd like. Once this is complete, apply cream cheese to each pepper as shown below.

 

Once you get to this point, you'll have some options.  You can sprinkle in some grated cheese, place pepperoni/turkey/smokie dog (anything else you want) into the pepper.  I usually do pepperoni or smokies.  Here's a shot of some ABTs I did last month with smokies:

 

After the ingredients have been applied to the peppers, you will cut 4-5" strips of bacon and wrap a slice around each pepper. 

Grab a toothpick and run it through the bacon and pepper to secure it during cooking.

Now you're ready to smoke these beauties.  I generally use a mild wood (apple, cherry, or maple) and smoke at 275F for about an hour and a half (or until bacon is crispy).

ABTs are worth the prep time.  Try them as soon as possible!