Atomic Buffalo Turd Jalapeno Poppers (aka – A.B.T.)

Before I talk about the ingredients that make up the atomic buffalo turd, I need to speak to the name. I have no idea where the name for these came from and even though atomic buffalo turds (aka ABT) have an unappealing name, the taste of them is lights out delicious! ABT’s have been all over BBQ circles for years and many people seem to have their own variation on these bite size treats. It is hard to describe these little delights to someone who has never had them before. I like jalapeno poppers as much as anyone, but these ABTs kick basic jalapeno poppers into the ground. They are seriously that good.

Atomic Buffalo Turd Jalapeno Poppers

The smokie is part of what makes the ABTs so much better than your standard popper. It is the combination of flavours in the smokie, bacon, cheese filling and jalapeno pepper that make every bite outstanding. These are great cooked in a smoker and it is possible to bake these in the oven or grill them, but they do not hold a candle to the smoked version. I am not a fan of them grilled as the temperature needs to be low so that the jalapeno can be cooked through. Most grills struggle to have a low heat (below 250F) and the ABTs can have the bacon overcooked and the jalapeno undercooked.

Some in my family do not like spicy food, so I used red and orange sweet bell peppers. They turned out delicious as well and were enjoyed by those who prefer milder food. Living in Canada it is close to impossible to get anaheim or poblano but they would be a great alternative to jalapenos. I like it hot though and I wonder if I would ever have the guts to try these in a habanero. YIKES!

Atomic Buffalo Turd Jalapeno Poppers

Use a small spoon to scoop out the seed and the membranes to make little jalapeno boats. The majority of the heat is in the seeds and the membrane, so if you want the ABTs to have some extra kick, leave some of the membrane in the pepper.

Atomic Buffalo Turd Jalapeno Poppers

Depending on the size of the smokies, you may need to cut them in half or quarters. The smokies that I used are cut lengthwise and fit perfectly on the jalapeno pepper.

Atomic Buffalo Turd Jalapeno Poppers

After being wrapped in the bacon they are ready for the party in the smoker!

Atomic Buffalo Turd Jalapeno Poppers

I cut the sweet bell peppers into quarters and followed the same procedure as the jalapeño peppers

Atomic Buffalo Turd Jalapeno Poppers

The ABTs could easily be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours before smoking them. Look at these beauties! These are truly the ultimate tailgate party snack! Make sure you make a lot as they will go fast.

The bell peppers turned out great as well. The pepper tastes like a roasted red pepper and there is a smokey flavour throughout every part of this delicious bite size treat.

Atomic Buffalo Turd Jalapeno Poppers

Atomic Buffalo Turd Jalapeno Poppers (aka - A.B.T.)

4.92 out of 5
25 reviews
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Jalapeno pepper stuffed with cream cheese and monterey jack, topped with a smokie sausage, wrapped in bacon and smoked in the Bradley Smoker. ABTs, the ultimate tailgate party food.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 20 ABTs

Ingredients

  • 10 jalapeno peppers
  • 10 slices bacon , cut in half
  • 10 mini sausages or smokies , or 20 if they are very small
  • 1 cup cream cheese
  • 1 cup grated monterey jack
  • 1 tsp chipotle or chili powder
  • 2 shallots , minced

Instructions

  • Slice the jalapenos lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and membrane. If using bell peppers, quarter them after they are seeded.
  • Mix the cream cheese, monterey jack, chipotle powder and minced shallots. Fill the hollowed out portion of the peppers with the cheese mixture.
  • Place the smokie on top of the cream cheese. Wrap the half slice of bacon around the jalapeno. If the bacon is not staying tightly wrapped, it may be necessary to use a toothpick to hold it in place.
  • Smoke the ABTs in the smoker, set at 225F, for 2-3 hours, or until the bacon is browned

Notes

To cook on the grill: Cook on a medium heat grill until the jalapeno is tender and the bacon is browned. Keep the lid covered while cooking. To cook in the oven: Bake the ABT's in the oven, set at 425F, for 20-30 minutes or until the bacon is browned.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Calories: 123kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 4gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 188mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g

Nutrition Disclaimer

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4.92 from 25 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




72 comments

  • 5 stars
    I was privy to enjoy these just yesterday. OH MY GOSH… these are FANTASTIC, not spicey hot as you might expect. The ones I had did not have the sausages in them, just the cheese mixture but I cannot over state how delicious these poppers are. Do yourself a favor and try them. You’ll be VERY glad you did.

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  • 5 stars
    I need to make these again as they were a HUGE HIT
    Highly recommend

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  • Definitely gonna make these, but what type of wood would you use? Hickory? Apple?

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  • i love your bacon habanero bites

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  • 5 stars
    I have tried these a couple times and it requires 4 hours + to get the bacon crispy and still can’t get it crispy my biggest question is what do you place these on when you put them in the smoker or are they on a rack with a drip tray underneath maybe that would do it if I could see how they are cooked in the smoker I think maybe that’s the problem I was putting them on a baking sheet type thing… I have cooked them in the oven before they only take 20 minutes they are absolutely delicious and the bacon is crispy however the smoke flavor in the smoker you are right it takes them to a whole nother level I just can’t get the bacon crispy and I think it is more of the placement and what I am using to cook them on that may be the problem.

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  • These sound delicious! I don’t have a smoker, so will use the oven method. I notice that the comments are all fairly old, so if you have any new hints for baking them that you’ve accumulated with time, I’d appreciate knowing about them so they turn out best as possible. Have you tried adding finely diced garlic along with the shallots? What about pepper jack cheese instead of Monterey jack? Would it add too much additional flavor and conflict with the other ingredients? Thanks!

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  • 4 stars
    These look wonderful! I can’t wait to make them now. Another delicious snack for football season!

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  • 5 stars
    I just smoked these on my Yoder YS-640 on the top rack on Frog mats at 250 for an hour and 45 minutes. I did not use the smokies. They are AMAZING. I also tried to grill them on my charcoal pit. The smoker made them hands down better. MONEY

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  • I ve been looking to try something new with our masterbuilt electric smoker and these Atomic Buffalo Turds look like they ll fit the bill perfectly.

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  • I see no one has made a comment of awhile, hope I can get a reply.
    Was wondering if I could make these up & cover and leave in refrigerator overnight. Then bake the next day?
    Would love to make for our yearly branding!!

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    • I do this often. I make them all up and wrap them in plastic wrap or keep them in a Rubbermaid. Then, later that day or the next day they can go in the smoker.

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      • Thanks for the reply! Showed these to my husband & he just about went to his knees!! Will be making them real soon!!

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    • 5 stars
      Dear Bonnie – I too just found this recipe & I also just copied the author’s recipe for smoked armadillo eggs & in one of the comments for that recipe a person commented that that were making some up U& wrapping them individually in plastic wrap to freeze in the freezer to bake or smoke for a party coming up a little bit later. I see no reason that you can’t refrigerate these ovenight for the next day. I would wrap them individually though like she was going to do for her freezer. This way each one is not going to absorb any moisture overnight & get soggy. I’m planning to make a batch of each & freeze them individually for when my grandchildren ar coming over for Easter Sunday on April 12th.

      • Reply
  • 5 stars
    for an extra kick, make some radpberry chipotle sauce as a dip. Outstanding !!

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  • When you say 2 shallots, do you mean 2 entire bulbs? Or two of the cloves inside a bulb? Because technically it’s the entire bulb, but after adding only 2 cloves, it looks like *plenty* of shallot, and we LOVE onions and shallots…

    • Reply
    • I did mean 2 but shallots do really vary in size. I would say they measured a little less than 1/4 cup minced.

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      • 5 stars
        That’s about how much I added. Perhaps more. On a further note, I cooked them in the oven at 450. For my oven, 20 min was not nearly long enough to get the bacon crispy, and the material of the pan made a difference too – one of my pans cooked far faster than the other. Oddly, it was my cheaper pan. I cooked them for 30-40 min. Getting thin bacon, and stretching it helped, as did the occasional toothpick. Some of the cheese made it’s way out of the “turds”, but much stayed in as well. These were delicious, and a hit at the party. Thanks for the recipe!

        • Reply
  • I grew up in Texas in a border city so we grew up with these, you can also try mixing in some crushed chile de arbol when you are making the cheesy mixture… It spices it up and it give the cheesy mixture some red flakey look. We used them to have the traditional red white and green in Hispanic cuisine.

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  • I LOVE bison meat, hvving bought it at $5/ pound at the discount Grocery.

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    • 5 stars
      Dear Norm, do you mind sharing the name of your discount grocery. We haven’t gone hunting this past 2 years & I would love some bison meat!

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  • If you want to kick these up a notch without using habenero, try browning some spicey sausage up and using that instead of a smokey or coctail sausage. It will really perk up the heat without being overbearing. I put these on the grill as appetizers and never have any left. People eat them as soon as I can pull them off the grill.

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  • I’ve been making these for several years and they DISAPPEAR at parties!! the key is cooking low and slow…and if you really want to gild the lily, when they come out of the oven (or smoke, in your case) brush them with copious amounts of Fischer & Weiser raspberry chipotle bbq sauce!!! off the chain!!!! enjoy!!

    • Reply
    • Making these for dinner tonight with fries lol. I like the idea of brushing with raspberry Chipotle be sauce and we have some in the fridge all the time! Can’t wait for dinner!!

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  • When smoking, do you use water in the water tray or dry smoke?

    • Reply
    • Yes, I use water in the bowl at the bottom.

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  • These things are what Poppers are supposed to be like. Plain and simply awesome. They disappear off the plate within minutes. I saw a recipe where instead of the cocktail smokies, someone put beef brisket in them. I am definitely going to spend a weekend smoking brisket, then making ABT’s with the brisket instead of the smokies. Either way, it’s a win-win situation. Total Bacon, Brisket, Jalapeno, Cheesy Contentment. I made 20 of these original ABT’s and when I broke them out at work, they didn’t last 10 minutes. Whoever came up with this truly should be famous. So sad it wasn’t me.

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  • 5 stars
    I serve a bit of blueberry BBQ sauce with these. Just add some blueberry preserves to your standard BBQ sauce and cool it down.

    trust me on this, it goes amazing with these ABT’s

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  • I am a huge Jalapeno fan, I make 20-30 every couple of weeks…..my friends know when I make them and the house fills on those days…this version looks extremely tasty and has my mouth watering already. I WILL be making a batch of these even though I prefer the whole pepper cored instead of sliced in half.

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    • 5 stars
      If you have some left over pulled pork try that in there too instead of the sausages. Good stuff!

      • Reply
    • Why not make it your way Randy? It will not ruin the taste & you won’t lose any of the goodness!

      • Reply

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