The idea for this fiery food creation all started with this exchange between SirPorkaLot and myself in the “Spicy” Throwdown entry and discussion thread. The conversation begins at post #2:
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=286610
I liked John’s idea of using the “Death Chip” as a crust of sorts to add texture to another food item, though we learned the “Death Chip” might not be practical and would cause intestinal ruin to anyone who consumed it. Encrusting another food item intrigued me, and ABT’s came to mind. Maybe Cheetos? The texture of those crushed crunchy bits covering an ABT would certainly kick it up to another level. It was settled, then. Cheetos it would be.
I had originally planned to use Cheddar Jalapeño Cheetos, but all they had was Flamin’ Hot, so that’s what I grabbed. After I got home and opened the bag and popped a few in my mouth, it was clear the Flamin’ Hot were quite a bit different than the Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos, as the heat doesn’t hit you right away with the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The heat snuck up on me, and kept building, reaching its peak after a minute or so.Time to get to work!
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, bacon, and jalapeños ready for action:
Cheetos ready to roll:
The ensuing pile of spicy Cheeto dust:
Jalapeños stuffed with Colby Jack:
Wrapped in bacon:
The ABT’s given a light sprinkle of McCormack’s Sweet & Smoky Rub:
Now the dusting begins:
All the ABT’s have been dusted:
Weber Kettle fired up indirect, with some oak:
ABT’s on:
About 40 minutes later, right before I pulled them:
And plated, ready to eat:
So here’s the taste report:
I was surprised how good these tasted - the Cheeto “crust” held together nicely, so there was an audible crunch with each bite of the ABT, not something I’ve experienced before as I’ve only had smoked/grilled ABT’s, and not their deep fried “popper” cousins.
Then there was the heat – the heat from the jalapeño was the first thing to hit me, then shortly after, the Cheeto heat kicked in, so there were two kinds of heat happening at once that lingered for quite some time. I only wished I had made 3x as many of them! I'm going to try this again soon, but using regular crunchy Cheetos to see how I like them.
A special thanks to SirPorkaLot for the inspiration for these, and saving me from the perils of the "Death Chip"!
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=286610
I liked John’s idea of using the “Death Chip” as a crust of sorts to add texture to another food item, though we learned the “Death Chip” might not be practical and would cause intestinal ruin to anyone who consumed it. Encrusting another food item intrigued me, and ABT’s came to mind. Maybe Cheetos? The texture of those crushed crunchy bits covering an ABT would certainly kick it up to another level. It was settled, then. Cheetos it would be.
I had originally planned to use Cheddar Jalapeño Cheetos, but all they had was Flamin’ Hot, so that’s what I grabbed. After I got home and opened the bag and popped a few in my mouth, it was clear the Flamin’ Hot were quite a bit different than the Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos, as the heat doesn’t hit you right away with the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The heat snuck up on me, and kept building, reaching its peak after a minute or so.Time to get to work!
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, bacon, and jalapeños ready for action:
Cheetos ready to roll:
The ensuing pile of spicy Cheeto dust:
Jalapeños stuffed with Colby Jack:
Wrapped in bacon:
The ABT’s given a light sprinkle of McCormack’s Sweet & Smoky Rub:
Now the dusting begins:
All the ABT’s have been dusted:
Weber Kettle fired up indirect, with some oak:
ABT’s on:
About 40 minutes later, right before I pulled them:
And plated, ready to eat:
So here’s the taste report:
I was surprised how good these tasted - the Cheeto “crust” held together nicely, so there was an audible crunch with each bite of the ABT, not something I’ve experienced before as I’ve only had smoked/grilled ABT’s, and not their deep fried “popper” cousins.
Then there was the heat – the heat from the jalapeño was the first thing to hit me, then shortly after, the Cheeto heat kicked in, so there were two kinds of heat happening at once that lingered for quite some time. I only wished I had made 3x as many of them! I'm going to try this again soon, but using regular crunchy Cheetos to see how I like them.
A special thanks to SirPorkaLot for the inspiration for these, and saving me from the perils of the "Death Chip"!
