Cooking up a barbecue feast for your friends and family can (and will) be an all day affair. Depending on the size of your cut, briskets and pork butts can take every bit of 18 hours to slow smoke to perfection. As much as I like starving myself all day in anticipation of the gluttony that’s soon to come, my willpower tends to falter somewhere around the noon hour. Since the smoker is already chugging away, there’s no need to power up the oven for that well deserved mid-day snack. Instead, I prefer to toss in a few stuffed jalapeno peppers…especially the ones dubbed “Atomic Buffalo Turds”!!!
These smokey treats are really easy to prepare, and you may even have most of the ingredients hanging out in your fridge already:
12 fresh jalapeno peppers
12 slices of bacon
24 little smokies
1 package of cream cheese (room temperature)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Sweet barbecue rub
To start the construction of the atomic buffalo turds, you’ll first want to wash and trim the jalapeno peppers. I highly recommend wearing plastic food prep gloves during the trimming portion to keep the jalapeno juices from soaking into your skin, so proceed with caution if you choose not to heed my advice. Trimming these guys is a relatively simple task. Simply chop the stem off and slice the pepper lengthwise to expose the seeds and vein. Using a spoon, scrape out the white vein and rinse under water to wash away the seeds. The cream cheese will ultimately counteract the burn from the peppers, so leave a good amount of the inner membrane in tact if you want to feel the heat.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, paprika and cayenne pepper. Using a butter knife, or a pastry bag, fill each jalapeno half with a generous portion of the cream cheese mixture.
Top each one of the jalapeno “boats” with a little smokey.
Wrap each of the smokey topped jalapenos with a half slice of bacon, making sure that the seam is directly on top of the little smokey. Secure the wrap by inserting a toothpick straight down through the overlapping edges of the bacon all the way through the little smokey. Stop just short of going through the pepper though, that way the cream cheese doesn’t leak out through the hole.
Since bacon already contains a good amount of sodium, you’ll want to season the buffalo turds with a sugar based rub. Cowtown Rubs are among the staples in my spice rack, so I went with their Sweet Spot Rub this time around. If you’re the do-it-yourself type, a nice blend of brown sugar and cayenne pepper works great on these bad boys as well.
Cooking the buffalo turds is a matter of getting the bacon done to your liking. My preference is smoke at 250 degrees for about an hour and a half. At this point the bacon isn’t overly crispy, but it’s definitely cooked enough to be bite through. If you prefer a crispier bacon, then I’d suggest kicking the temperature up to 300 degrees for about an hour. You’ll want to keep a close eye on the peppers though. If they overcook, then they’ll loose their stability and your turds will spill out all over your smoker.
Once your buffalo turds are cooked to your liking, remove them from the grill to cool down a bit before serving. At this point I would typically top them with a generous helping of Blues Hog Barbecue Sauce cut with a little cran-apple juice, but this time around I happened to have a bottle of hot raspberry sauce from the folks over at Traverse Bay Farms. I used this sauce a few weeks ago on some pulled pork sandwiches and was pleasantly surprised as to how well the raspberry flavor melded with the smoked pork, but this blew the sandwich out of the water. The flavor of the smokey jalapeno matches perfectly with the sweet fruity sauce, and of course it’s heat is in good company with the medley of peppers tasted in each bite. A spoonful of sauce on each turd and you can guarantee these tasty treats will disappear in no time flat!
52 Responses to “Appetizer Recipe: Atomic Buffalo Turds”
Jason, those look amazing,they’ve got everything a person could want in an appetizer. I’m definitely making them this weekend. Great idea!
@smokinmanbbq – I can’t take credit for the original recipe, but they certainly are delicious!!!
Once again astounding! You guys are incredible!
Bacon, Sausage, Cheese, and Jalapenos! And… there’s fruit in there. So… it’s all healthy! Right?
[...] Would you eat something called a Atomic Buffalo Turd? [...]
Nice job, Jason!
We tried these last week. They are definitely made for the smoker.
We tried grilling them. #fail #1
We used thick cut bacon. #fail #2
Ha! Next time I’ll get it right.
@Brian – Grilling anything that’s wrapped in bacon is going to be tough. The grease drips down onto the coals or burners and causes flare ups. It can be done, but requires constant attention!
Trying these out today for a Smokey and Bandit / Brickyard watching party. So far so good!!
Awesome and absurd. Love it.
You can’t beat ABT’s for a snack while waiting for the ribs, butt and chicken to cook! Well, there are fatties. And Armadillo eggs. Let’s just call it a 3 way tie:)
I was never a fan of ‘lil smokies’. I like to simply cut the top off of the pepper and then stuff it with cheese. Leave a seed or two in there for ‘effect’.
I seen this recipe & just had to try it. The ABT were frick”n awesome. I smoked mine with apple and the last 15 min I spread on a little JD hickory BBQ sauce. They were out of this world. Next i will be trying the Bacon Explosion.
the ABT’s at the BBQ Shack in Paola (which I assumed were the originals) use water chestnuts in place of the little smokies. I would love to try the smokies – but the chestnuts were very good in the recipe.
[...] this page was mentioned by Dan J. (@bibowski), BBQ Addicts – Jason (@bbqaddictsjason), Eat Me TV (@eatmetv), mamaliga (@mamaliga), trentjones (@trentjones) and others. [...]
[...] Appetizer Recipe: Atomic Buffalo Turds (bbqaddicts.com) [...]
Wow, I made these yesterday afternoon. I raised my cholesterol and lit up my mouth. These are GREAT. This is going to be a hit at my house.
I made this recipe over the weekend. That red raspberry BBQ sauce was amazing. It added an entirely different dimension to food and the entire recipe.
@John – I’m a BIG fan of that raspberry sauce! We tried it on pulled pork sandwiches the same day we did the ABTs. Amazing!!!
I make something something very similar using shrimp instead. I use a piece of foil to limit the amount of direct heat/flame due to flair-up from the bacon. Constant attention and turning is still required, unless you like them extra crispy!!!!
check it
I used smoked paprika in the cream cheese. Adds a nice touch. It would also be nice if there was a link to print these articles that formats everything nicely. I love trying your recipes!
[...] Jalapeño, Cream Cheese, & Bacon Bites a.k.a. Atomic Buffalo Turds, or ABTs Adapted from BBQ Addicts [...]
Tried it with sliced water chestnuts and used a smoked cheddar instead of the cream cheese. Used Smokie Oakies BBQ sauce. (Added some raspberry compote) Also used chorizo instead of sausage. Smoked them for 10 minutes before I placed them over the grill. Great Idea. I’ll have fun with this one.
[...] Mmmm, Atomic Buffalo Turds Appetizer Recipe: Atomic Buffalo Turds [...]
Can’t wait to try it
[...] cannot make this stuff up if I tried! There are several variations, but atomic buffalo turds (a.k.a. ABT’s) are a really delicious Texas treat! There are several variations on this recipe, but this is my [...]
[...] will do multiple racks of ribs or a bigger turkey, or a whole brisket, or 100 breakfast sausages or atomic buffalo turds, then you can go for a smoker with an offset firebox like I convinced my wife to get me for my [...]
[...] Re: Appetizer Recipes Atomic Buffalo Turds 12 fresh jalapeno peppers 12 slices of bacon 24 little smokies 1 package of cream cheese (room temperature) 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp cayenne pepper Sweet barbecue rub Appetizer Recipe: Atomic Buffalo Turds [...]
I made these this weekend for the Eagles vs. Colts game at my friends house and slightly modified the recipe using a steak rub on thick maple-wood smoked bacon and instead of grilling them (which i wanted to do) i broiled them for 15 minutes in the oven. I also topped them off with a little fresh rosemary and minced garlic.
Big hit at the little get-together they had!
Next time i will be smoking these lil’smokies
Big up on this recipe!
Oh man, do those look good! 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. We have some pretty adventurous kids so I’m sure they’ll give them a try. Do you think I’ll have a better chance at more of these little tasty treats if I tell them the name first? My son will definitely be all over them but the girls might shy away just long enough for me to swoop in for the kill. Awesome recipe Jason!
[...] These Atomic Buffalo Turds make me wish I had a smoker. In fact, a lot of things on BBQ Addict make me wish I had a [...]
I cannot cook at all to save my life, but I just tried these for Thanksgiving at my in-law’s house and they were everyone’s favorite. They are literaly idiot proof, no offense. The only changes I made was that I used “Everglades Heat” seasoning instead of your BBQ rub and I didn’t used the fruity BBQ sauce. Thank you very much for making it so easy!!!!
[...] Re: WHo has BOwl Party recipes and favorite snacks as I prep our bowl party???? My personal favorite are Atomic Buffalo Turds 12 fresh jalapeno peppers 12 slices of bacon 24 little smokies 1 package of cream cheese (room temperature) 2 tsp paprika 1 tsp cayenne pepper Sweet barbecue rub Appetizer Recipe: Atomic Buffalo Turds BBQ Addicts – BBQ Blog [...]
Is this recipe available in the “BBQ Makes Everything Better” cookbook?
I had these for the first time last year on a float trip with the guys in Arkansas. I’m going to be making them this weekend on our annual float trip. They’re an awesome appetizer while waiting for the main course. I’ll be mixing some cowtown all purpose rub into the cream cheese and then sprinkling some more on top of everything before smoking them. Should turn out great.
I had these one year and they were phenomenal. I couldn’t find they raspberry sauce so I made my own.
12 tbsp Raspberry preserve
4 tbsp Honey BBQ Sauce
4 tbsp Water
1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tbsp tobasco sauce
*Bring to a simmer/slight boil then store in fridge or use after it cools for 10min.
Thanks for sharing Charlie! I’ll have to give that sauce a try.
Also I used thick cut bacon and slow cooked it at 250 deg for 3 hours with indirect heat. So a little time consuming but worth it. I was getting compliments all week on these.
I made these last weekend, and they were great. I modified the recipe, since my family does not like the heat like I do. I used less cayenne in the cream cheese, and added a little Ancho & Chipotle chile powder. I used brown sugar, a little cayenne, & both chile powders for my rub.
I also modified Eggman Charlie’s finishing sauce by microwaving until warm 1 pint of fresh rasberries, mashed them thru a strainer, and used that as my base. Then I added the BBQ sauce, cayenne, and hot sauce, but, omitted the water.
I don’t have a smoker, so I put them in a pan, and cooked them on low on my grill, with wood chips.
My kids loved them, and they will be at our tailgate parties this year.
I made some changes to the raspberry sauce and removed the tobacco and cut the cayenne to two teaspoons since it was a little spicy for most people.
Tobasco not tobacco haha.
Good one eggman!!!
I received an e-mail with your post, and was wondering how I missed tobacco in the recipe when I read it-LOL You should give the fresh rasberries a try in the finishing sauce. Thanks for adding your sauce recipe to the ABT’s. It really makes a nice presentation, and finish on them.
[...] a little smokie, wrapped in bacon and normally smoked or grilled. I used this guy’s recipe: BBQAddicts.com. Quick overview of what I [...]
[...] I got home, I Googled “Atomic Buffalo Turds”, and found a recipe that looked awfully similar to what had been described. I made it for the first time later that [...]
[...] enjoying some Breaking Bad and picking up piss sticks today. Gonna get the ingredients for some Atomic Buffalo Turds today. And on the to the good [...]
[...] Still in ketosis, as expected. Nothing says hello to the day like peeing on a stick! Feelin’ fine and ready to make some Atomic Buffalo Turds today. [...]
Made these tonight by memory from a friends bbq last week. Stellar. Can’t wait to try some varieties! I grilled for about 20 min then stuck them in the stove for about 30 min on 380. Broiled for two min to get extra crispy.
I didn’t have a wire rack so that is why they were started on the grill – crisped up the bottoms. I plan to buy one soon.
I made these yesterday and by golly they were great! I changed a couple of ingredients for the lack of having them in my pantry. I substituted chipotle powder for cayenne and I used my cousin Karin’s recipe for sweet barbecue rub.
I also cooked them in the oven because I was to lazy to fool with my smoker on Sunday after church.
Karin’s Special Dry Rub:
4 Tbs salt
6 Tbs brown sugar
3 Tsp cayenne pepper
6 Tsp smoked paprika (must be smoked, not regular)
3 Tsp garlic powder
I got here by searching Turd……
Hi All:
I Have made these several times since I first saw the recipe, and I do not own a smoker, so I grill them with thick bacon, and have had no failures.
I put them in an aluminum pan, put a foil packet filled with wood chips and pierced with holes in the bottom of the grill. Then just cook them on low and check often. I guarantee this will work.
Merry Christmas to all.
JG
SO good. I have made them 3 times in the last 3 months and the last 2 times were by request. man they are good.
Hi All:
Happy New Year!!
I have made these many times since I saw the recipe, and a major hit every time.
People were fighting over them at the tailgate party, and when I make them at home, as I did for the Giant-Green Bay game last Sunday, I have to guard them until I can finish and serve, because, my 16 year old son circles like a shark when they are cooking.
I have been tailgating for over 20 years, did some catering, cook and eat a lot of different nationality foods, and I can say with confidence, this is one of the best appetizers I have ever had or made.
My compliments and thanks to whomever came up with this recipe.
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