Jalapeño Poppers are a great appetizer for any BBQ or Football party, but frying is messy and a pain to clean up. I came across a recipe on the internet for grilled poppers and made some modifications and this is the recipe I use when making poppers at our house. They are mild and have great smokey flavor. This is something you can put on the smoker during your long smokes to have as a snack and hold you over till the main course is ready.
Ingredients:
8-10 large fresh jalapeño peppers
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1/2lb of hot sausage
1lb center cut bacon
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
I start by cleaning, seeding and coring the jalapeños. I wear blue nitrile gloves to protect my hands. I then split each of the Jalapeños in half and make sure the membrane is removed. By removing the membrane this keeps the heat of the pepper down.
Next take the hot sausage, cream cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese and mix thoroughly in a bowl. I let the cream cheese sit on the counter for about an hour to soften up prior to mixing this makes the process a lot easier.
I take a tablespoon of the sausage stuffing and stuff each of the peppers.
The next step is to wrap each of the stuffed peppers with a slice of center cut bacon. I wrap them tightly and then stick a toothpick through each pepper to hold bacon in place while cooking.
I then place the peppers on the smoker and let them cook at 250 degrees for 1 hour on indirect heat. This is perfect for when I am smoking a pork butt or brisket and makes the perfect snack. If you are making them on your charcoal or gas grill cook them on indirect low heat till the bacon becomes crispy. These are a great snack while grilling or make them as an appetizer for a football tailgate. We love them. Enjoy
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