I'm thinking of doing some ABTs for a party this weekend and have read that it is tricky to get the bacon somewhat crispy. What about doing these in the oven at a higher temp; say 325-350? I'm thinking the bacon would crisp up but the heat would not penetrate the pepper as much as the lower temp (250*) version and cause the cheese to leak out. Or could you pop them under the broiler?
Crispier bacon on ABTs?
- Thread starter Paul K
- Start date
Moving to the Barbecuing Forum.
Regards,
Chris
Regards,
Chris
Jay Rogers
TVWBB Super Fan
Try par cooking the bacon a bit. That helps with texture.
Ken Nelson
TVWBB Super Fan
A way I've found to make the bacon crisper without changing the cooking temperature or cooking the ABTs longer is to flatten or stretch the bacon to make each slice thinner and a bit wider. The thinner slices will crisp nicely at lower temperatures of 275 or so.
To flatten the bacon, I'll lay a slice out on a cutting board then run the side of a heavy chef's knife along the length of the slice, applying a little pressure to the blade. This is the same principle as passing a sheet of dough through a pasta roller. A couple of passes like this will nearly double the length of the slice. The fat in the bacon provides plenty of lubrication to keep from sticking to either the knife or the board.
By stretching the bacon this way, it also means I can make two or three times more ABTs with the same amount of bacon. Since I serve ABTs 'on the half shell' using just half a jalap for each, one stretched and flattened slice of bacon is enough to wrap three typical ABTs and maybe four smaller ones.
The stretched bacon will tighten and shrink a little during cooking, but not to any appreciable extent. Between the filling, cheeses, and the bacon, ABTs are already rich enough that the difference in flavor overall between a 'stock' thick slice of bacon and my stretched version of it is insignificant.
I’ll also parboil the jalaps for four or five minutes each to ensure they’ll be tender enough without having to extend their cooking times on the grill/smoker/oven.
Hope these tips are helpful.
Ken
To flatten the bacon, I'll lay a slice out on a cutting board then run the side of a heavy chef's knife along the length of the slice, applying a little pressure to the blade. This is the same principle as passing a sheet of dough through a pasta roller. A couple of passes like this will nearly double the length of the slice. The fat in the bacon provides plenty of lubrication to keep from sticking to either the knife or the board.
By stretching the bacon this way, it also means I can make two or three times more ABTs with the same amount of bacon. Since I serve ABTs 'on the half shell' using just half a jalap for each, one stretched and flattened slice of bacon is enough to wrap three typical ABTs and maybe four smaller ones.
The stretched bacon will tighten and shrink a little during cooking, but not to any appreciable extent. Between the filling, cheeses, and the bacon, ABTs are already rich enough that the difference in flavor overall between a 'stock' thick slice of bacon and my stretched version of it is insignificant.
I’ll also parboil the jalaps for four or five minutes each to ensure they’ll be tender enough without having to extend their cooking times on the grill/smoker/oven.
Hope these tips are helpful.
Ken
I just love ABT's. I typically do them on the half shell with Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese as the filling. Needless to say I throw all kinds of goodies in the cheese. Garlic powder, onion powder, rub, fresh black pepper (only a little bit) and stir up this mixture. I've really not had a problem with crisping the bacon. I cut a package of bacon in half, using a half piece per ABT. I fill, wrap and skewer the pepper with a tooth pick. Sometimes I use a longer skewer and spear three or four ABT's at once. Kind of like a kabob sort of thing. Then into an aluminum pan and on to the bullet.
Temps ... 325 - 350 until the bacon is done ... about 1.5 - 2 hrs. or so. Good results! Turkey day made three dozen of these delights and they were gone in a matter of minutes.
Smokin on the Beach,
Jon
Temps ... 325 - 350 until the bacon is done ... about 1.5 - 2 hrs. or so. Good results! Turkey day made three dozen of these delights and they were gone in a matter of minutes.
Smokin on the Beach,
Jon
Dave Brewer
TVWBB Member
Jon,
I had a disagreement once with a buddy about abt's. He puts pulled pork in them. I said that there would be less room for the good stuf..the cream cheese, and that they might be better without the pork. We cooked them up both ways. I was wrong. I couldn't taste the pork but I thought it improved the eating texture quite a bit. If I don't have any leftover pork I cook up some pork loin and chop it up.
(Experiments on abt's?? I need to get a life.)
I had a disagreement once with a buddy about abt's. He puts pulled pork in them. I said that there would be less room for the good stuf..the cream cheese, and that they might be better without the pork. We cooked them up both ways. I was wrong. I couldn't taste the pork but I thought it improved the eating texture quite a bit. If I don't have any leftover pork I cook up some pork loin and chop it up.
(Experiments on abt's?? I need to get a life.)
Happy New Year Dave!
Hmmmm. A toothsome idea. I'm always goofing around with my ABT's. Sliced chicken tenders, finely sliced red bell pepper, even tried orange zest. Have not tried pulled pork or your idea of chopped loin. But why not? I think you're on to something here. I'll give this a try. Thanks for the suggestion.
Smokin on the Beach
Jon
Hmmmm. A toothsome idea. I'm always goofing around with my ABT's. Sliced chicken tenders, finely sliced red bell pepper, even tried orange zest. Have not tried pulled pork or your idea of chopped loin. But why not? I think you're on to something here. I'll give this a try. Thanks for the suggestion.
Smokin on the Beach
Jon
Will Whittington
TVWBB Member
ABT Virgin Here. First run is tonight. I am getting ready to open my first beer of the day and mix the flling.
Any comments on what should/should not go into the filling?
Beatiful weather in Tennessee..looking to be an even better day as I fire up the Weber bullet.
Any comments on what should/should not go into the filling?
Beatiful weather in Tennessee..looking to be an even better day as I fire up the Weber bullet.
Will, do a search on this barbequeing section and you'll get a lot of suggestions. I'm going to do a trial run here shortly for tomorrow's party. Going to try mixing a little pulled pork with cream cheese, sharp cheddar and some rub I have on hand. Your options are only limited by your imagination and list of available ingredients! Let us know what you chose and how they turned out!
Will Whittington
TVWBB Member
I ended updoing the following:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Halving the jalapenos
<LI>Mixing Cream Cheese, Colby Cheddar Cheese, some garlic and onion
<LI>Filled the halved jalapenos with the cream cheese mixture
<LI>Cut party sausages in half and placed on cream cheese
<LI>Wrapped entire jalapeno in 1/2 a bacon strip
[/list]
Next run I plan to do some tweaking, but even this first run tasted fantastic. These were a big hit at our New Years party.
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Halving the jalapenos
<LI>Mixing Cream Cheese, Colby Cheddar Cheese, some garlic and onion
<LI>Filled the halved jalapenos with the cream cheese mixture
<LI>Cut party sausages in half and placed on cream cheese
<LI>Wrapped entire jalapeno in 1/2 a bacon strip
[/list]
Next run I plan to do some tweaking, but even this first run tasted fantastic. These were a big hit at our New Years party.
ABT's underway for later today! On the half shell, with cream cheese, onion, garlic, rub, a pinch of salt and a dash of black pepper. Slide a Little Smokie into the filling and wrap with a half slice of bacon. When the bacon crisps they're done. Rita Y gave me a great idea! A dipping sauce ... I'm going to mix up a horseradish blend with blue cheese. So, the whole menu - butterfly chicken on the WSM and ABT's of the Traeger. Can't wait.
Somkin on the Beach,
Jon
Somkin on the Beach,
Jon