Divemaster
12-22-2016, 15:59
Yeah, the name is weird, and not apropos at all since all three words in the name have nothing to do with the final product. Let’s call them ABT’s going forward.
Essentially, an ABT is a jalapeno pepper (hence the Atomic given name, I suppose) stuffed with tasty goodness before it is cooked on a smoker. What goes inside is left up to the imagination, kind of like solving a nearly impossible problem in selection.
This was my first attempt, but I know what I like. The Pacific Northwest is seafood country, but I didn’t have enough confidence to risk precious Dungeness crab here. Yeah, I Clintoned out, cheated, and went for canned lump crab. Two 6-ounce cans of crab to 16 ounces of warmed Philadelphia cream cheese, plus a generous tablespoon of garlic powder were mixed in a bowl to create the stuffing.
Besides jalapenos, I also had some of those small, sweet bell peppers on hand. Technically, those would compose Sweet Buffalo Turds, or SBT’s.
Since this was an experiment (as is anything I do on the smoker), I decided to try a couple of different things. I cut of the tops of some of the peppers, cored them, and then filled them with the cream cheese and crab mixture. My second method was to split some. After cutting in half, I cleaned out the innards and slapped on some crabby cheese. However, since I had more surface area to work with this is where I got a wee bit creative. On top of the spread I added a chunk of raw shrimp then wrapped the works in bacon.
For some of the jalapenos I left in a bit of membrane and a few seeds for added heat. This made a notable, and pleasant, difference. The mild heat, rather than overpowering, was complimentary.
On to the smoker at 250-275 with hickory chips in the pan. Two hours later three people devoured everything before they even cooled.
While the experiment was successful, an AAR is always required. I would indeed change a few things for the next batch.
1. Go for the Dungeness crab. It is so much more flavorful than the canned (I assume) blue crab. We can get whole Dungeness for $5.99 a pound right now.
2. More crab, less cream cheese. The ratio was out of balance so much of the crab flavor was lost.
3. Depending on those eating, look at adding more heat. The jalapeno guts can be mixed in to the cream cheese for those wanting it hotter.
4. Consider replacing the shrimp with bay scallops. I also think mussels or oysters would work well. This is just to change up flavors.
There are as many ways to make ABT’s as there are bullets in my gun safe. This was just one way, one time.
Essentially, an ABT is a jalapeno pepper (hence the Atomic given name, I suppose) stuffed with tasty goodness before it is cooked on a smoker. What goes inside is left up to the imagination, kind of like solving a nearly impossible problem in selection.
This was my first attempt, but I know what I like. The Pacific Northwest is seafood country, but I didn’t have enough confidence to risk precious Dungeness crab here. Yeah, I Clintoned out, cheated, and went for canned lump crab. Two 6-ounce cans of crab to 16 ounces of warmed Philadelphia cream cheese, plus a generous tablespoon of garlic powder were mixed in a bowl to create the stuffing.
Besides jalapenos, I also had some of those small, sweet bell peppers on hand. Technically, those would compose Sweet Buffalo Turds, or SBT’s.
Since this was an experiment (as is anything I do on the smoker), I decided to try a couple of different things. I cut of the tops of some of the peppers, cored them, and then filled them with the cream cheese and crab mixture. My second method was to split some. After cutting in half, I cleaned out the innards and slapped on some crabby cheese. However, since I had more surface area to work with this is where I got a wee bit creative. On top of the spread I added a chunk of raw shrimp then wrapped the works in bacon.
For some of the jalapenos I left in a bit of membrane and a few seeds for added heat. This made a notable, and pleasant, difference. The mild heat, rather than overpowering, was complimentary.
On to the smoker at 250-275 with hickory chips in the pan. Two hours later three people devoured everything before they even cooled.
While the experiment was successful, an AAR is always required. I would indeed change a few things for the next batch.
1. Go for the Dungeness crab. It is so much more flavorful than the canned (I assume) blue crab. We can get whole Dungeness for $5.99 a pound right now.
2. More crab, less cream cheese. The ratio was out of balance so much of the crab flavor was lost.
3. Depending on those eating, look at adding more heat. The jalapeno guts can be mixed in to the cream cheese for those wanting it hotter.
4. Consider replacing the shrimp with bay scallops. I also think mussels or oysters would work well. This is just to change up flavors.
There are as many ways to make ABT’s as there are bullets in my gun safe. This was just one way, one time.