abt whole or sliced in half?

Half them mix cream cheese with cooked sausage and bacon. Dust with BBQ rub.
 
Halved for us, too. No lil' smokies. Just some cream cheese and shredded cheese (whatever we have in the fridge), wrap with half a slice of bacon. Prefer to use a sweeter rub like Cimmarron Doc's with ABTs.
 
ITBFQ said:
Halved for us, too. No lil' smokies. Just some cream cheese and shredded cheese (whatever we have in the fridge), wrap with half a slice of bacon. Prefer to use a sweeter rub like Cimmarron Doc's with ABTs.
Click to expand...


This is what I do.
 
We also like to mix the cream cheese filling with a bit of fruit preserves or jelly: sounds disgusting but everyone really enjoys them.
 
scotts1919 said:
for the people that halve them, do you use half a lil smokie or a whole lil smokie?
Click to expand...
i don't use a lil smokie

I take my cream cheese add a tablespoon of honey and a healthy sprinkling of my BBQ rub with a little shredded cheddar cheese and mix it all up, stuff the half and add some pulled pork on top then wrap with bacon.
 
I always do halves as well...I think they make for a nicer looking presentation. I did cream cheese once (not a fan). I try to always use a "pub" cheese and mix in some shredded cheddar. I also season the cheese with some rub. A whole little smokey & wrapped in 1/2 slice of thin bacon. I thin the slice of bacon even more by running the back of the knife down it while it lays on a cutting board. This gives you plenty of length along with less bacon (that can become the star of the show if you're not careful). The extra thinning also helps to not have rubbery bacon. Final touch is a bit more rub on top.

I've also done the Habanero version. That's a show stopper for sure. And I've done the Poblano stuffed with appropriately sized smoked sausages. I prefer the Habanero & standard ABT versions.
 
I like halves because faster assembly and increased bacon to pepper ratio.
 
I do halves when doing for a large crowd. That way they go further. If I'm doing a smaller amount, I keep them whole. I open them up along the side (like a change purse) clean them out and fill them.

My go to mixture is cream cheese, minced garlic, salt, pepper, basil and a good spoonful of sun dried tomato pesto (they sell it at Walmart - don't recall the name). Wrap in bacon and smoke till pepper is soft and bacon is crisp.
 
When I first started, I used "the rack" to make them whole. After I brought them a few years ago to a family event halved, people were crazy about them that way. I like them whole myself, but they are good either way.
 
i also like the half method. and after prepping I put them on a sheet pan and put them in the freezer for at least an hr. once smoker is hot I put them in, it gives the bacon a head start before the filling gets too soft.
 
bayou said:
i also like the half method. and after prepping I put them on a sheet pan and put them in the freezer for at least an hr. once smoker is hot I put them in, it gives the bacon a head start before the filling gets too soft.
Click to expand...

Great tip! :-D

I'm going to do ABTs this way the next time I cook them. I've never been really happy about the way the bacon finished.
 
Halves because you can get everything out easier.
I use a mixture of cream cheese and cheddar like many do. However, I also put some loose sausage in there instead of a little smokie. Then I wrap in thin cut bacon and on they go.
 
Whole. cored out, stuff a small chunk of fatty, or shrimp, or sausage in the bottom.

Cream chesse mixture is cream cheese, shredded Mexican cheese mix, garlic POWDER and YES!! GRAPE JELLY.

inject using a pastry bag, and cover the top with a sausage slice, or a shrimp, or a mushroom cap.
 
I used to do whole ones cut in half lengthwise, de-seeded, filled, put back together and bacon wrapped with a couple of toothpicks to hold at all together. The only real issue was keeping the halves sorted so they formed a nice tight seal. With that said, I now prefer halves only - no need to match up plus the ratio of bacon to everything else is more in line with what I like.

Tried a pepper rack (cut off tops and filled) one time - never again. It's now decorative yard art on the fence.
 
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