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.

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.

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

It will burn your skin.

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

For the filling, I started with Italian sausage.

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

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.

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.

Next add the meat and combine everything together.

Fill each jalapeño with the meat and cheese mixture.

And then wrap them with bacon.

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.

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.

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?