ABT's. Where did the heat go?

RAF128 · November 22, 2009, 06:55:22 PM

I made some today just to try. They tasted OK but where did the heat go? I don't know what happened to the heat in the Jalapenas. There wasn't any ???. The supply of hot peppers here is limited. Don't know where I can find any hotter ones.

classicrockgriller · November 22, 2009, 06:59:37 PM

You can always little pieces of hotter peppers and toss in the mix.

HawkeyeSmokes · November 22, 2009, 07:19:59 PM

Jalapeno's are that way. Some hot, some not so much. When I clean them, I like to take a slice off the end and taste it to see how hot they are. After that, I adjust by leaving more of the membrane and seeds in which will up the heat level a bit. Or you can add some cayenne pepper to the filling to kick them up. Even some fine diced hab's works but have to be careful with those. ;D

RAF128 · November 23, 2009, 07:04:06 AM

I had them in the smoker for 3 hours plus the warm up time. they were still crunchy. They were mild and even my wife had one and didn't complain of heat. I'm going to check around at a few other stores to see if anyone has any habenaros. All they had at the Safeway was jalapenos.

classicrockgriller · November 23, 2009, 09:00:37 AM

Raf, I have a therory on Jala's, that i use when buying jala's.

The more pointed the end of the jala, the hotter.

The more of a rounded point, the milder.

It may be just a belief in my head but it holds pretty true for me, but most of the jala's I get are from mexico.

ArnieM · November 23, 2009, 07:16:34 PM

Quote from: RAF128 on November 23, 2009, 07:04:06 AM
I had them in the smoker for 3 hours plus the warm up time. they were still crunchy. They were mild and even my wife had one and didn't complain of heat. I'm going to check around at a few other stores to see if anyone has any habenaros. All they had at the Safeway was jalapenos.

First - crunchy. I usually give them about a minute in lightly salted boiling water after cleaning. That takes some of the crunch out.

Second, I've brought home about a dozen from the same shelf in the same store. The heat varied quite a lot between all of them. You can do as Hawkeye suggests. The problem is they seem to vary from pepper to pepper.

Some Habaneros or Scotch Bonnets should certainly light you up some.

JoeHifi · November 23, 2009, 09:14:34 PM

The first two batches I did, I left the seeds and membranes in. Those were HOT.

The last batch I did were essentially castrated. All seeds and membranes removed. However for a little kick I mixed the cream cheese with some home brewed smoked hot relish. Relative to the other batches somewhat mild. Just a little bight.

As to the crunch. I have no idea how long they cook. But I keep them in the OBS until the bacon is crisp and the jalapeno flesh (skin) looks as if it had been pickled.

Joe

RAF128 · November 24, 2009, 04:30:59 AM

As I said I had them in the smoker for 3 hours after I preheated the tower and the burner. I had the temp set at 220. I noticed that the back was nice and brown on the outside but still soft on the inside. Therefore I guess the peppers weren't done right through. Next time I'll turn up the heat 10 degrees and let 'em go longer. Going to start the search for peppers later today ;).

pensrock · November 24, 2009, 01:37:48 PM

I do my ABT's at 230-250 degrees F. 2 to 2-1/2 hours are normally good. If you put them in hot water to soften them some, you will also lose some of the heat.

bigredsmoker · November 24, 2009, 03:28:12 PM

I have found that the more of the membrane I leave in the hotter they are. To completely remove the heat I take all the membrane out and then was them. Then I get little to no heat for those that do not like them hot.

pensrock · November 24, 2009, 05:49:00 PM

Quotehave found that the more of the membrane I leave in the hotter they are. To completely remove the heat I take all the membrane out and then was them. Then I get little to no heat for those that do not like them hot.

That is correct, most of the heat is in the membrane not the seeds like many believe.

RAF128 · November 24, 2009, 06:16:58 PM

Today I went out and found some more peppers in a different store. I bought jalapenas, and 1/2 dozen red chilli peppers. Now I'm not a pepper expert by any stretch of the imagination and I don't know if those red peppers are hotter or not. I going to take someones suggestion and taste test them before I start. They had habenaros but in my opinion they were way too small for ABT's. They were only about and inch and a half long.

classicrockgriller · November 24, 2009, 06:31:45 PM

Raf, Even if they were big enough I don't think you would want to make ABT's out of Habaneros.

HawkeyeSmokes · November 24, 2009, 06:39:13 PM

I like to taste test all hot peppers before I use them no matter what they are being used for. It's the only sure way to know how hot they are. And yes, if I'm making a bunch of ABT's, most of them will be tasted. Then you can adjust fillings or how many to use. Good luck and I hope you get some heat from them. ;D

ArnieM · November 24, 2009, 08:12:12 PM

Quote from: classicrockgriller on November 24, 2009, 06:31:45 PM
Raf, Even if they were big enough I don't think you would want to make ABT's out of Habaneros.

Don't listen to CRG. It's simple. One hab, one beer. Two habs tow bears. Three habs - where was I?