Smoked Jalapeno Poppers

Ready to spice it up? Smoked Jalapeno Poppers are the spiciest way to kick off your BBQ. The perfect combination of the spicy jalapeno pepper and smooth cream cheese filling will help you get things kicked off on the way to BBQ perfection.

Smoked Jalapeno Poppers

Everybody expects the usual suspects when it comes to BBQ sides and starters, but why not spice things up a bit! Smoked Jalapeno Poppers will add some color to your table while providing a bit more bite.

Smooth creamy filling that combines cream cheese with thick cut bacon and shredded cheeses make these poppers a delicious alternative to your typical BBQ sides. But it’s the addition of that smoky flavor that will make them the talk of the BBQ. Just as with everything else, smoking these Jalapeno Poppers elevates them to the next level.

When the season turn to the colors of fall, these Smoked Jalapeno Poppers will at some color to your table. Along with some Smoked Corn on the Cobb, Smoked Twice Baked Potatoes and Watermelon Feta Salad, your table will impress everyone at your BBQ!

How to make Smoked Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients:

Jalapenos – The backbone of any popper, you’ll want to choose Jalapenos that are medium to large in size. It’s also good to remember that when your picking up some Jalapenos at your local grocery store, look for wrinkles. The more wrinkles the spicier the jalapeno. You might like spicy, but know your audience, not everyone goes all in for the heat.

Prepare the Peppers:

You may want to grab some gloves for these next steps.

After washing your jalapeno peppers cut each pepper in half. Make sure when cutting that you split directly through the stem. Once you’ve cut all your peppers, using a small tea spoon, scoop out all the seeds. It might be easiest to cut the stem right at the widest point before the seeds begin.

The seeds bring the fire. For those of you who prefer to bring the heat to your dishes, set the seeds aside. You can add the seeds to your filling to spice things up, but beware, they pack a punch.

Remove as much of the white membrane as possible in each pepper. Your filling is what makes these poppers pop, you want to make sure you have as much room for it as possible.

Preparing the Filling

Ingredients:

Cream Cheese – Your favorite brand, left out at room temperature to soften, cream cheese adds the perfect counter point for the spicy pepper.

Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese – Mixing with the cream cheese, the sharp cheddar packs some cheesy flavor to complement the mix.

Monterey Jack Shredded Cheese – Known for it’s mild flavor and sweetness, the Monterey Jack cheese adds in more of that gooey cheese people expect.

Bacon – Thick center cut back is your best bet here! You want your bacon to present but not take over the show. Is there a fine line between too much and just enough bacon, probably not.

Salt & Pepper – The importance of these two ingredients in any dish can not be overstated.

Directions:

Prepare your smoker as needed and preheat it to the temperature of 250° (try to maintain between 250° and 275°, but not any higher). Use mild wood for smoking your poppers unless you want something strong.

Cooking the bacon in the oven:

Bake your thick cut bacon at 400° for about 25 minutes or until it reaches your desired level of crispiness.

Preparing the filling:

Once your bacon has reached the desired level of crispiness, combine all your filling ingredients into a bowl and mix together thoroughly until smooth. Remember to set some bacon aside, you’ll want to use it to top off the poppers.

Building the jalapeno poppers

Once you have finished mixing the filling, divide the filling among all of the jalapeno halves evenly. Each jalapeno half should be filled to the top with a little dome.

You want to be generous when filling each jalapeno half, but don’t skimp on the last of the batch. You want everyone to be able to enjoy the creamy centers of the poppers. Once you have filled each of the pepper halves, top with a little more cheese and place on your smoker ready tray.

Now that your smoker is maintaining a temperature of between 250° and 275°, pop those poppers in! 45 to 60 minutes should do the trick in the smoker. Your looking for that nice brownish cooked cheese to form on top of each dome of filling.

Once your poppers are done in the smoker, pull them and top them with the bacon you set aside and some fresh chives.

Frequently Asked Questions

What temperature should should you use to smoke jalapeno poppers?

Since your looking to infuse that smoky flavor into you poppers, you’ll want to cook low and slow. A temperature between 250° and 275° should be perfect.

What wood should you use when smoking jalapeno poppers?

You want to use a mild wood when smoking your poppers. Pecan, maple should work but stay away from the more fruity woods. While you want to add to the flavor with smoke, you don’t want to take away from the star of the show, the popper.

How long should you smoke jalapeno poppers?

With your smoker maintaining a temperature between 250° and 275°, it should take about 45 to 60 minutes to smoke your poppers.

How to serve:

Now that you have finished your Smoked Jalapeno Poppers, it’s time to take them to the table. These poppers will add some color to your table among the typical reds and browns of the BBQ scene. That makes them the perfect compliment to your Smoked Twice Baked Potatoes, Smoked Baked Beans and Grilled Mushrooms. For even more color and flavor add some Watermelon Feta Salad and Grilled Corn Salad to that table as well!

CLICK TO PIN THESE SMOKED JALAPENO POPPERS FOR LATER