You had me at “bacon wrapped”. These are jalapeno poppers on steroids. A touch of heat from the jalapeno, the creaminess of the cheeses, somehow manage to include chorizo and bacon and you’ve got a knock-out appetizer for any gathering. I don’t care if it’s Christmas or 4th of July…gimmie gimmie gimmie! Careful though, make these once and you’ll be making them again and again. These little things are addictive!
For those of you who don't know, my wife is gluten-free and doesn't eat red meat. I'm always trying to think of fun ways to make things gluten-free and exciting. I feel there is misconception that gluten-free means boring. This dish is gluten-free and I urge all gluten-free individuals to make this and eat the entire plate of appetizers in front of their naysayer friends...that'll show them.
Fast Facts
Category: Sides and Appetizers – Vegetables (I’m stretching but hey, I do what I want)
Grill: Traeger
Heat Source: Wood Pellets
Type of Wood: Traeger Signature Blend
Estimated Cook Time: 1 hour
Actual Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Estimated Cooking Temperature: 180 degrees for 30 minutes and then 375 degrees for 30 minutes
Actual Cooking Temperature: 180 degrees for 30 minutes, then 375 degrees for 30 minutes, finally 450 degrees for 15 minutes to further crisp the bacon
Location of Purchase: Local grocery store
Cook Date: August 8, 2020
Ingredient List
12 medium to small jalapenos
12 slices of regular cut bacon (do not use thick or thin cut)
8 ounces of cream cheese
1 cup additional cheese of your choice – I used Tillamook sharp white cheddar
Pork chorizo 9 ounces
Optional – Basil for garnish
Supply List
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your smoker to 180 degrees. Place 12 toothpicks in a bowl of water to start soaking.
Step 2: Cook your chorizo and set aside to cool.
Step 3: Slice your jalapenos in half and deseed.
Step 4: Prepare your filling. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, additional cup of cheese and chorizo. Add some of the seasoning to the mix as well. I’d suggest about 2 teaspoons. Mix well.
Step 5: Stuff the jalapenos with the mix, wrap with one piece of bacon and fasten with a toothpick that has been soaked in water. Sprinkle additional seasoning over the bacon. Again, I’d suggest at least 2 teaspoons but this is personal preference. I used closer to a tablespoon.
Tip: Do not use thick cut bacon as it won’t crisp up enough in time and be chewy. Do not use thin cut bacon as it’ll fall apart.
Tip #2: Use room temperature bacon as it gives the bacon more flexibility to wrap and manipulate.
Step 6: Place the poppers on the smoker and smoke for 30 minutes.
Step 7: Crank the temp up to 375 degrees and cook for an additional 30 minutes to crisp the bacon. If the bacon is not to your liking at the end of 30 minutes, which it wasn’t for me, crank the grill up to 450 degrees but keep an eye on the bacon. Mine took an additional 15 minutes to finish..
Enjoy!
Lessons Learned (Note: I will update this section to include your lessons learned from the comment section)
Take your time with the bacon wrap step. The cheese filling will ooze out if you’re careless. This will always happen to some but you don’t want all your cheese melting out of the jalapeno.
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