Planning

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annekegleijm

Newbie
Original poster
May 23, 2014
12
10
I think one of the things I find most challenging is the whole planning thing. A few questions:

- I'd like to optimize the smoker's use, in other words fill it up completely, what pieces of meat go together well?

- Some cuts take up till 12 hours (or even more). How do I get some night rest and still have my meat done at dinner time? IF, I wake up at 6 am to put in my meat, do I still have some time to get back to bed :) ?

- What kind of meat cuts can I use for "spontaneous" smoking. Just for these days that you crave something bold but you only have a couple of hours left for dinner?

Any suggestions??

It's pretty funny that since I found these forums, I constantly get Google Ads advising me to "Quit Smoking", I just started!!!! 
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I tend to do one kind of meat at a time. It's just my wife and kids so when I do a 8-10 butt I have lots of leftovers to freeze :-) now I will do ABT'S whenever I am smoking cause they fit so nicely on the top rack.

As for a quick smoke? Chicken.....whole chickens take about 2 hours.....pieces will be done in 1.5 hours. This is always good in a time pinch.

Scott
 
I have to look up the ABT thing.

Wow these pictures look awesome!! Do I see shrimps??

I have done chickens as my first smoke, a week ago or so. That went real nicely indeed!
 
x2 what kind of smoker?  I have an electric smoker.  If I'm needing a quick smoke fix after work on a weeknight I'll usually toss in chicken drumsticks, start to finish it can be done in under two hours including preheat, cook, and final crisping up of the skin on the BBQ.  You can also do burgers fairly fast under two hours as well, pork tenderloin might take a little over 2 hours or so until eating time. Don't forget steaks!
 
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I am certainly going to try the ABT's, aren't they very spicy/hot? But how do you guys deal with time management when a chunk of meat needs 10+ hours?
 
Smoked Italian Sausage or Brats go quick and are tasty. Two hours at 225 but less if the smoker will do, 300°F or more. Even Ribs will get done in 4 hours at 275, 3 at around 300-325°F. Most Seafood only needs 30-40 minutes at 225°F. You can always get started early. Large Butts and Briskets will hold hot in the Oven set at 150°F for as long as needed. And if you double wrap in Foil and Towels, then go in a Cooler, the meat will stay hot up to 5 hours or longer if you have multiple meats.

Getting sleep while smoking requires an Electric Smoker with some type of Smoke Generator. I use a 1st Gen MES40 and an AMNPS Pellet maze smoke generator from http://www.amazenproducts.com/Default.asp . There are other smokers that are fairly set and forget, Gassers, Ugly Drum Smokers and Weber Smokey Mountain Charcoal smokers but they require a much longer learning curve and I am not one to be comfortable leaving a Fire unattended...JJ
 
ABT's are as spicy as u make them. The peppers themselves lose a lot of their heat during the smoking process...leaving behind a small amount of spice and all the great jalapeño flavor.

When I do a smoke for 10+ hours I usually do it from early in the morning....say 4 or 5 am to dinnertime. I only check the thermometer every hour or so bit if I miss an hour it's not that bad. I don't open my smoker to see what it's doing in there....it does it on its own :-) by the way I have an electric smoker ( Smokin-it #2) and love the set and forget it allows me.

Scott
 
OK now knowing what you're working with will help when giving advice. I am a stick burner so we're on different playing fields. I would imagine that you can set that at the temp you want and be good for a while. In my Rf I can normally count on holding temp for about an hour at a time then have to add another split of wood. I'm not quite sure about a propane smoker. I haven't used propane in about 8 years like charcoal better. I'm sure someone that knows about your type smoker will be around shortly. Sorry I could not be of much help
 
 
I am certainly going to try the ABT's, aren't they very spicy/hot? But how do you guys deal with time management when a chunk of meat needs 10+ hours?
Atomic Buffalo Turds better know as ABT's. They are easy to make and have unlimited variations much like the "Fatties" and "Moink Balls".

 
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Basically you stuff some jalapeno's with any mixture you conjure up, some folks use a cream cheese mix, I prefer meats and cheddar, or a Mexican blend of cheeses.

You can stuff them whole or half them, like little canoes, whatever you decide on your gonna love 'em!
 
Basic Jalapeno Pepper Preparation
Pepper Preparation: Cut the tops off the jalapenos, using a potato peeler, core the inside making sure to remove all of the seeds Poke a small hole with a toothpick in the bottom of the Pepper. Place it in a "Chile Grill" or similar holder and salt the inside of the peppers.

Stuffing the Peppers: (see pictures below) Stuff the papers, top off with “Thick Sliced” bacon , if wrapping use thin sliced bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Smoking: Put them in your smoker for 2- 3 Hours at 210 - 225ºF

Serving: Cool for 20 minutes then serve whole or slice in half lay out on a serving tray
Notes:​
  • Peppers are finished when the bacon is done.
  • Useful Tools: A "Melon Baller", "Grapefruit Spoon", "Potato Peeler", "corer", "jerky gun", "Ziploc Bag" and "Pastry Bag" are all great tools when making ABT's. For the individual that must have every kitchen gadget, here is an item called a "Pepper Shark", I have not used it, nor endorse it.
  • If stuffing the peppers in the cone style make sure to poke a whole in the bottom of the pepper again, after it has been stuffed, the reason for this is, the grease or extra moisture will drain from the pepper, hopefully preventing the pepper from getting mushy, especially with recipes containing wet or greasy ingredients.

  • Safety; Use: Wear gloves when preparing hot peppers and safety goggles are suggested as well. I will clean my peppers under cold running water. When you are finished, wash your hands well with soap and water. After touching a jalapeno, be careful not to touch anything, rub your eyes or go to the bathroom before washing your hands.

  • Reducing Heat: Removing the seeds and vein will reduce the heat of the pepper, you can also reduce the heat by soaking the peppers in heavily salted water for several hours. Also the longer they cook the mellower the pepper becomes.
  • Adding Heat; (technically your not adding heat you are just NOT removing any heat). For hotter peppers leave the vein intact and some seeds as well, and cook for a shorter period of time.

  • If you plan on trying these out on individuals with no heat tolerance, be kind enough to serve with a glass of milk or some yogurt.

  • Tailgating tip the Loaded Pepper, place a few strips of habanero inside a jalapeno that the vein was left intact, as a hot surprise, just make sure to let everyone know that there is a "Loaded Pepper" in the mix.
 
There are other methods to cutting these as well, some will cut off the top and slit lengthwise down one side of the pepper to the bottom to leave the pepper intact. Another method is to leave the top on and half the pepper just below the top, sort of butterflying, this works well when using Little smokies. Some will do sort of a slit like a coin purse.

At Black Eyed Pigz they slice lengthwise about a 1/4 of the pepper off the side to allow room to stuff, others split down the middle, stem and everything such as over at Pioneer Woman does, you need a sharp knife and really fresh peppers for this.

Over at Bamaque they use a little cream cheese a little smokie then the halves are put back together again then wrapped in bacon.

The tops can be removed, core and stuff the pepper then placed the top back on, whatever you decide just remember, its supposed to be fun, keep it simple!

 ​
 
Every time I made these with cream cheese I did not care for them, although I love cream cheese, I could not figure out why they never wowed me. Most Individuals making these, use cream cheese. Recently I had another go at a cream cheese ABT and was very happy, see Taco ABT's. If I make these "cone" style, I will split them in half TO serve​
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Buffalo Chicken ABT's no pic​
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Pizza ABT's no pic​
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Taco ABT's​
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SQWIBS Abt's

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Taco ABT's

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And my favorite to date.

Sqwib's Cannoli ABT's

August 1, 2012

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OK, this is one of those think outside the box recipes, when I was hammering out the details on my Luau Pork Shots, I played around with the idea of a Cannoli Abt. So far to date I have not really liked any ABT's I have made that contained cream cheese, I prefer meats.
I figured I would give this recipe a shot anyway.



Ingredients.

  • Cream Cheese

  • Ricotta cheese

  • Confectioners Sugar

  • Raisins

  • Chocolate Morsels

  • Jalapeno Peppers

  • Bacon
  • Toothpicks​

I know by the list of ingredients you're probably getting ready to move along, but continue reading it's worth it.​
 
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  • I started with a basic filling of equal parts Confectioners Sugar, cream cheese and ricotta cheese.​
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Folded in the three, it helps to soften the cream cheese a bit.

 ​
  • Then the filling was cut into three parts.​
50% plain
25% raisins
25% Chocolate morsels​
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  • Everything was mixed and placed in the refrigerator.​
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  • Jalapenos were sliced and the seeds were removed as well as much of the vein as possible, I was trying to minimize the heat as much as possible.​
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  • Jalapenos were filled with the three different fillings. I will usually try several variations of a recipe to see what the results are, sometimes the outcome is favorable, sometimes not and sometimes an off shoot recipe will come of it.​
I strongly suggest tweaking, modifying and thinking outside the box when working on a recipe.​
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  • Wrapped in Bacon and ready for the smoker. I try not to use toothpicks when making ABT's the bacon will stick to itself just fine.
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  • ABT's are place on a pan, slit side up and placed in the smoker.
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  • After an hour, the ABT's are transferred to the cooking grate​
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  • After 3 hours on the smoker, they are removed and allowed to cool.
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Results are in.
I only got to make a few of the chocolate Cannoli ABT'S , Stephen and I liked the mix so much we ate most of it.


Out of the three, the raisin Cannoli Abt's were the best, the raisins added texture as well as a bit of flavor.
The plain ABT's were really good and better cold.
The chocolate ABT's were OK
All three had a great little mouth warming effect, not a burn followed by the sweetness, your mouth stayed warm from the casein but it wasn't hot.​
  • Serving Suggestion: Refrigerate till firm, remove and halve, flatten the bottom by trimming and serve room temperature.The best part of trimming these up is there's a lot of pickings for the chef!​
 ​
I suggest serving these at room temperature as well, they are also good cold
I would not serve these hot.

Time for a picture overload.​
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OMG, these all look to die for. Thanks you guys for all the advises and the lovely pictures of course.

Choc. chips in peppers, that's one for different!

But I am going to experiment with this. I am nog good with heat but I do have some in my family who love to need beer for the purpose of heat extinction :)

I am planning to have a "smoker" day tomorrow just to get every thing done without having to crunch for time on the day of the party.

My plan is to have 

a pork shoulder or but, for pulled pork

something beef, that goes well with it, time and temperature wise

and of course the TBS, the TBS only goes in for maybe 3-4 hours, so I just scoop them out on one of the basting/mopping "breaks"?

I guess that means I have to marinate/rub/brine tonight?

Is there any topic that's about filling it up, advise on what goes well together? 

Is the difference between a gas smoker and a "regular" smoker, that you don't have to babysit the meat? In many of the topics it says that you have to mop, or temp every 1-3 hours? Is that just for the charcoal ones?
 
It is a good idea to get a probe therm that monitors smoker temps. The Maverick 732/733 are good as they have one probe that monitors Smoker temp and one that monitors meat internal temp (IT). It has a remote with alarms that you can keep close and will wake you if temps exceed the set limits. In general Mping is a personal choice. I have found it doesn't make a big difference and opening the smoker even a short time can drop the temp and add as much as 20 minutes to your cook time every time to spritz or mop. Propane is mostly set and forget but because it is not self adjusting is effected by weather changes. Wind can drop temps or blow out the flame and since it is black and non-insulated, the sun can change temps on you. If you start the cook at night, by noon the smoker temp can rise 50+ degrees. Monitoring the temp with the MAV alarm set lets you take a nap or work on side dishes and not babysit the smoker. The MAV is available at a good price from Todd at A-MAZE-N...  http://www.amazenproducts.com/Default.asp  Take a look at the AMNTS Tube Pellet Smoke Generator. They work well in Gassers and burn several hours without having to reload...JJ
 
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