Smoked Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers (From A Competition BBQ Veteran)

This recipe just screams out “HOW MUCH FUN”! What could be better than a crisp, smokey jalapeno filled with a creamy bacon and cheddar cheese filling? Nothing! And these offset smoker jalapeno poppers are the ultimate go-to, pop-in-your-mouth party or tailgating snacks. The combination of the herbed cream cheese, melted cheddar cheese, crisp bacon, and sweet pineapple, all deliciously oozing out of a smoked jalapeno, is a mouthwatering, uncompromising treat.

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY THIS SMOKED JALAPENO POPPER RECIPE

• Just a few ingredients – jalapeno, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon and pineapple.

• Fun to make – how could stuffing a jalapeno with tasty cream cheese filling not be fun?

• Uncomplicated smoking – no flipping or turning. Just set it on the grill grate and smoke away!

• Speedy smoking time – 30 minutes from grill to mouth!

• Unbelievably delicious – wait until you try one! The smoking process removes most of the heat from the jalapeno, leaving a mildly sweet yet robust pepper flavor.

INGREDIENTS FOR SMOKED JALAPENO PEPPERS

For this recipe, you will need to purchase a jalapeno popper holder for the grill. They are inexpensive and fun to use!

• 20 very large jalapenos – smaller jalapenos do not fit in the popper holder very well. Besides, bigger is better, right? More to eat!

• 16 ounces herbed cream cheese – I like to use chive and onion cream cheese spread. The spread is easier to mix with and creates a creamer texture. Be sure to bring the cream cheese to room temperature for easier mixing.

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese – any shredded cheese can be substituted, but cheddar and bacon go so well together.

• 8 strips of bacon – fried crispy and chopped into a small dice.

• 1 cup finely diced pineapple – right out of the can and diced up is just perfect!

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING SMOKED JALAPENO PEPPERS

1. Bring your offset smoker to temperature – You will want to maintain a temperature of roughly 250 degrees throughout the smoking process.

2. Prepare the jalapenos – Slice the top off the jalapeno and set aside. You will use the top later. Take a long, thin knife (a fish fileting knife is perfect) and cut out the seeds and the veins to create a hollow core.

3. Mix the filling – In a large bowl,thoroughly mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon and pineapple.

4. Fill the jalapeno – Using a small spoon, start to fill the jalapeno with the cream cheese filling. Use your finger to push the filling all the way to the bottom of the jalapeno. Keep repeating this process until the jalapeno is completely stuffed with the filling.

5. Place into the holder – Place the filled jalapenos upright and as straight as you can into the jalapeno holder. Replace the cut-off tops back onto the jalapeno, just like little hats!

6. Place the jalapeno holder onto the smoker – Smoke the jalapenos at roughly 250 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes. You will know when the jalapeno peppers are ready when the jalapeno is no longer firm, and gives just a bit when you squeeze it. But you don’t want the jalapeno to be too soft, as you want a little texture and bite in your jalapeno.

7. Remove the jalapeno holder from the smoker – Let the smoked jalapenos rest for 10 minutes. Then, you can eat your smoked jalapeno whole or slice it into bite-sized pieces.

VARIATIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS FOR SMOKED JALAPENO PEPPERS

No jalapeno popper holder, no problem – Simply slice your jalapeno in half lengthwise, remove the stems and seeds, and fill each half with the cream cheese filling. Wrap a piece of bacon around each half and secure it with a toothpick. Smoke the bacon-wrapped jalapenos as before until the bacon is crisp and the jalapenos are soft.

Using another variety of pepper – As I mentioned above, removing the seeds and the ribs of the pepper and then smoking the pepper removes most of the heat and spiciness of the pepper. However, if you are not a fan of jalapenos, you can substitute banana peppers, which have almost no spicy flavor at all but are still delicious, stuffed with the cream cheese filling and smoked on your offset smoker.

Play around with other filling ingredients – Cream cheese is the base for the filling, but so many different ingredients can be added to the filling to create other spectacular flavors. A few of my alternative additions to the filling are olives, capers, white or red onion, shallots, mushrooms, pickles, any type of diced cooked sausage, horseradish, chives, red pepper flakes, truffle oil, dates or figs, anchovy, and furikake.

Pro Offset Smoker Tip #1 – I purposely increased the amount of cream cheese filling in the recipe so you will have just a little left over after stuffing all your peppers. Why, you ask? Because tomorrow morning you are going to spread the left-over delicious cream cheese filling on your favorite toasted bagel. You’re welcome!

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SMOKED JALAPENO PEPPERS

It needs to fit in the jalapeno – Any ingredient you choose to be mixed into the cream cheese needs to be diced fairly fine so it can be stuffed into the jalapeno. Big chunks will not do!

Hollowing out the jalapeno – You can buy a gadget called a jalapeno pepper corer, and it works just fine, but using a long, thin knife, which I prefer, works just as well.

Don’t be shy, push it in, get messy – The humorous portion of preparing the smoked jalapeno peppers is stuffing them with the cream cheese filling. You’re asking yourself, “How is all this filling going to fit into this little pepper?” It does, and it will because you’re going to push it in with your finger. Get messy. It’s fun and gooey. And if you decide to use a piping bag (why?), you will still need to push it in with your finger, so just do that!

Wear gloves AND wash your hands – The heat injalapeno peppers is caused by a substance called capsaicin, found in almost all peppers, to some degree. Mostly, this is found in the ribs and the seeds of the pepper, but it is also found on the pepper’s skin. If you are very sensitive to capsaicin, wear gloves when preparing them. If you don’t wear gloves, BE SURE to wash your hands well after handling the peppers. And DO NOT touch your eyes or other sensitive parts of your body until you wash your hands. I’ve the mistake of forgetting to wash my hands and paid the price. PLEASE, remember to wash your hands!

EQUIPMENT LIST

Offset smoker

Jalapeno holder for the grill

Fish filet knife or similar long sharp knife