Jalapeño Poppers

Name: Jalapeño Poppers
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 90 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: Tex-Mex Menu
Ingredients: Jalapeños — 12; Pork Chorizo — 250 g; Cream Cheese — 225 g; Barbecue Rub — To taste; Bacon — 6 slices; Barbecue Rub — To taste

These hearty Tex-Mex jalapeño poppers are stuffed with a savoury, spiced chorizo and cream cheese mixture, then wrapped in crispy bacon for an irresistible smoky bite. Seasoned generously with a honey-based barbecue rub, they offer a perfect harmony of creamy, spicy, and savoury flavours that make them the ultimate appetizer or a substantial, indulgent meal for any outdoor gathering.

Cuisines

Cooking Instructions

Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 90 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

Notes:

Customise the heat level by carefully coring the jalapeños; removing the veins and seeds significantly reduces the heat, while leaving them in provides an extra spicy kick.

Regular-cut bacon is superior to thick-cut for this recipe, as it wraps more snugly around the pepper boats and stays securely in place without requiring toothpicks.

The chorizo and cream cheese filling is highly versatile; you can experiment with ground beef, venison, or even crab meat to create your own signature version of this hearty appetizer.

Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature before mixing with the cooked chorizo and barbecue seasoning to ensure a perfectly smooth, easy-to-pipe consistency.

Cook the poppers on a rack set inside the smoker; this makes moving the entire batch in and out of the smoker effortless and allows for consistent, even heat circulation during the cook.

Prep Jalapeños
Cut the fresh jalapeños into 5 cm portions, then core out the seeds and veins, and slice each piece in half lengthwise to create boat-like shapes.

Build Stuffing
Sauté the pork chorizo in a skillet until cooked, mix thoroughly with the softened cream cheese and your favourite barbecue rub, then stir until smooth.

Stuff and Wrap
Fill each jalapeño boat with the chorizo-cream cheese mixture, taking care not to overfill, and wrap each piece snugly with a half-slice of bacon.

Season and Smoke
Dust the tops of the bacon-wrapped poppers with additional barbecue seasoning, let them rest for 10 minutes, and place on a smoker rack preheated to 135 C.

Finish
Smoke the poppers for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the bacon reaches your preferred level of crispiness, then allow to cool slightly before serving.