ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

This was my first time making Jalapeño Poppers, or ABTs as my friends over on the Big Green Egg forum call them.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers


I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know what I was doing but those are the best meals.

Figure it out as you go and make all of the necessary changes next time. That’s where the fun is, I think.

This is what I did.

Wash and dry the jalapeños.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

Cut them in half and be very careful of the capsaicin, or chile oil.

It will burn your skin.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

Remove the insides and seeds, and then wash your hands.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

For the filling, I started with Italian sausage.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

Once that was browned, I added chorizo and cooked them together for a few more minutes.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

The chorizo will release a lot of oil. While the sausage and chorizo are cooling, tip your pan to one side so the oil/grease can move away from the meat.

Combine softened cream cheese, goat cheese, and any shredded cheese you like. I had gouda in the refrigerator so that’s what I used.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

Pepper Jack and Gruyere would be good, too.

Some people just use cream cheese but you know me, I needed to sneak goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes in there somewhere.

Scallions, too.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

Next add the meat and combine everything together.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

Fill each jalapeño with the meat and cheese mixture.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

And then wrap them with bacon.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

I used a whole piece of bacon for each popper, some people use half. It’s all up to you.

You can cook these in the oven at about 350-400F, but I cooked them on my Big Green Egg.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

I grilled them on a raised grid to create more space between the poppers and the fire.

They were very good but next time I’ll cook them indirect with a barrier between the poppers and the fire.

ABTs aka Jalapeño Poppers

I loved all of the flavors but I can’t wait to make them again and change it up a bit.

What ingredients do you like to use in your Jalapeño Poppers / ABTs?

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