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Smoked Jalapeno Poppers

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These smoked jalapeno poppers are filled with cream cheese, sharp cheddar, bacon, and green onion all stuffed inside a fresh jalapeno and then smoked to perfection on a pellet grill. If you’re looking for a new game-day appetizer or summer snack, this is it!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 10 medium/large jalapenos
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 8 oz. bacon, cooked and diced
  • 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion + more for garnish
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

  1. Turn the pellet grill to the smoke setting.
  2. Spray a pizza pan with olive oil spray.
  3. Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove the ribs and seeds and discard them.
  4. In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, bacon (reserve a few tablespoons for garnish), ½ of the shredded cheese, a 1/4 cup green onion, and a large pinch of salt and pepper.
  5. Divide the filling evenly between the cavities of the jalapenos.
  6. Place filled jalapenos about an inch apart on the pizza pan.
  7. Place on the smoker and smoke for 10 minutes.
  8. Then turn the heat to 250 degrees and smoke for another 30 minutes.
  9. Divide the remaining cheddar cheese evenly between the poppers. Rather than sprinkling the cheese on top, try to gently push it into the filling. This will hold it in place and keep it from falling onto the pizza pan.
  10. Smoke for another 5-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted, the filling is warmed through, and then the jalapenos are slightly roasted.
  11. Garnish with reserved crumbled bacon and sliced green onion and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

  • If you don’t have a pizza pan with holes in it you can just place the jalapeno poppers directly on the grates instead. Just sure you place them perpendicular to the grill grate so that they don’t fall through.
  • Remove as much of the pepper’s membranes and seeds as possible. The seeds and ribs hold the most heat so if you don’t want the poppers to be spicy, remove as much as you can. The easiest way to do this is to slice the jalapeños in half and then use a spoon to gently scrape the ribs and seeds out.
  • Wear gloves when you’re removing the ribs and seeds from the jalapenos. If you’re a fellow contact wearer like myself, I’d recommend wearing food-grade disposable gloves while you’re handling the jalapenos and removing the ribs and seeds. This is the easiest way to ensure that you don’t end up with any leftover oil from the jalapeno on your fingers. If you don’t have gloves, just make sure that you wash your hands very very well.
  • Spice it up with your favorite pantry spices! Feel free to stir some garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, or red pepper flakes into the jalapeno popper stuffing. I’d recommend starting with 1/4 of a teaspoon and adding more to taste.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/smoked-jalapeno-poppers/