Smoked Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers are one of my favorite gamey appetizers. If you are making Chicken Wings then you should be making these bacon wrapped jalapeños right along side. The crispy bacon with the spicy cheese stuffed jalapeño is my ultimate Super Bowl appetizer every year!!
To make these stuffed jalapeños the best you will want to make sure you don't wrap the bacon too tight or the filling will burst out. For more helpful tips keep on reading.
Why You Need to Make These Smoked Jalapeño Poppers
These Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños are perfect for making ahead of time so all you need to do is smoke them for about 90 minutes, and you will have one of the greatest bites of food on this earth.
Bacon wrapped jalapeños are also very cost effective. All of the ingredients are pretty cheap and you can prep a bunch ahead of time which is why I make these for every tailgate!!
Sometimes playfully referred to as Atomic Buffalo Turds or ABT’s you won’t find a better appetizer for game day tailgating or your next backyard BBQ!
Ingredients
This is everything you will need to make these amazing tasty bites. If you can try to buy large jalapeños that are straight without a curve for best presentation.
- Jalapeño Peppers, fresh large
- Bacon, Thin Cut
- Cream Cheese, Softened or Whipped
- Shredded Cheddar
- Cotija Cheese
- BBQ Sauce
- BBQ Dry Rub
- Chives, Diced Fresh
Cooking Instructions
- Put on latex gloves and cut the top half off the pepper leaving the stem on peppers in half. Then, dice up the top halves of the jalapeños and set aside to mix in with the cheese mixture. Next use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds and the inner white membrane of the jalapeños.
- Mix the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, Cotija, bbq sauce, dry rub and chives along with the diced jalapeno tops leftover until fully combined.
- Stuff the peppers with the cheese mix and wrap with a full slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick. Refridgerate for 30 minutes
- Preheat Smoker to 250 Degrees F.
- Place the stuffed jalapeno peppers on the smoker and dust with dry rub. Cook for about 90 minutes until bacon is fully cooked.
Variations and Substitutions
Cheese: I like to use a melty cheese like cheddar and a dry cheese like Cotija to add texture and a nutty flavor. If you can’t find Cotija you can substitute parmesan or even queso fresco. If prefer, You can also use a cheddar jack blend.
Cream Cheese: If you already have cream cheese on hand make sure that you let it soften before using it. You can even microwave it in ten-second intervals to make it easier to work with. If you have to buy cream cheese anyway, consider buying whipped cream cheese for your smoked jalapeno pepper stuffing.
Healthier Version: If you want to cut the calories down on this recipe you can use fat-free cream cheese and fat-free cheddar along with a sugar-free bbq sauce. The calories and fat will be cut by over 50%, and I was actually blown away by how good this version was.
Recipe Tips
Pro Tips: Don’t overstuff the jalapeños with the cream cheese filling. Make a few extra if you have leftover filling. Also don’t wrap the bacon too tight around the jalapeño as it will shrink during cooking.
Bacon: Believe it or not I don't recommend Thick center cut bacon. Thin cheap bacon will crisp up much faster making it the preferred bacon for smoked jalapeño poppers
Feeding a Crowd: If you have a lot of people coming over you can cut the jalapeños in half and remove the stem and double the number of stuffed peppers. Use less filling and only a ½ slice of bacon. Cooking time will be closer to 75 minutes.
Shred Your Own Cheese: If at all possible don’t use bagged shredded cheese for this recipe, no matter what type of cheese you use. The flavors and meltiness are much better if you shred the cheese from the block yourself.
Make in Advance: You don’t have to make these stuffed jalapeno poppers on the day of the big game or your gathering. You can make them the day before, put them on a baking sheet, wrap them with plastic wrap and leave them in the fridge until ready to smoke.
Can't Take the Heat: If you don’t like spicy foods or you have kids coming over you can make this same recipe with mini bell peppers and then everyone can enjoy them. You can also skip putting the diced jalapeno tops into the cheese mixture for some of your smoked stuffed jalapeno peppers so that some are spicier than others for those who really enjoy the heat!
Oven/ Air Fryer Version: Preheat the oven or air fryer to 300 degrees F and cook for about 20-25 minutes until the bacon is golden. The higher heat may cause them to blow out a little so they may not be as pretty but they’ll still be delicious.
Storage and Reheating
Any leftover smoked stuffed jalapeno peppers need to be refrigerated and stored in an airtight container. You can still enjoy your stuffed peppers for 2 to 3 days, after that your jalapenos may start getting a little slimy.
How do I reheat the leftovers?
Reheat by microwaving in 15-second intervals, or put them on a baking sheet in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes or until warmed through. You could also reheat these in your air fryer if you have one.
Smoked Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers FAQs
Similar, but the main difference is that jalapeño poppers are breaded and deep fried for a crispy exterior whereas stuffed jalapeños are grilled, smoked, or baked and wrapped with bacon.
Since there is no raw meat inside the stuffed jalapeño you only need to cook them until the bacon is done. This takes about 90 minutes at 250 degrees F.
Make sure to remove not only the seeds but any of the white ribs inside the jalapeño as well. You can also rinse them in water.
For best results smoke the jalapeños at 250 degrees F you can go a little higher but definitely don't go over 275 degrees or below 225 degrees F.
Actually smoking the jalapeños makes them milder. There is still a good amount of spice depending on how many seeds are left in but the overall heat is milder when cooked.
This is very subjective but I like hickory or oak would when I smoke veggies wrapped with bacon. It gives a mild smoky flavor without overwhelming the ingredients.
More like these Spicy Smoked Stuffed Jalapenos
- Habanero, Onion, and Green Pepper Stuffed Flank Steak
- Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joe's on Martin's Potato Rolls
- Buffalo Chicken Fatty
- Pulled Pork Soft Tacos With Sriracha Coleslaw
- Bang Bang Shrimp Dip
Smoked Jalapeno Peppers
Equipment
- Toothpicks (optional)
Ingredients
- 12 Jalapeno Peppers
- 12 Slices Bacon Thin Cut
- 8 oz Cream Cheese Softened
- ½ cup Shredded Cheddar
- ¼ cup Cotija Cheese
- ¼ Cup BBQ Sauce
- 1 tsp BBQ Dry Rub
- ¼ cup Chives, Diced Fresh
Instructions
- Put on latex gloves and cut the top half off the pepper leaving the stem on peppers in half. Dice up the top halves of the jalapenos and set aside to mix in with the cheese mixture. Next use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds and the inner white membrane of the jalapenos.
- Mix the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, Cotija, bbq sauce, dry rub and chives along with the diced jalapeno tops leftover until fully combined.
- Stuff the peppers with the cheese mix and wrap with a full slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick. Refridgerate for 30 minutes
- Preheat Smoker to 250 Degrees F.
- Place the stuffed jalapeno peppers on the smoker and dust with dry rub. Cook for about 90 minutes until bacon is fully cooked.
Lisa Cowan
Hubby said "Best jalapeno popper I've ever eaten"! They're GREAT!
TJ Rae
Looks great! Im Excited to start using my smoker. Have you ever tried strawberry cream cheese?!? I know it sounds weird, but if you leave a few seeds in for some heat. It's a wonderful flavor combo!
Culinary Lion
I love the combination of spicy and sweet. Strawberry and jalapeño sounds awesome
John W Fuller
Here's a suggestion. Don't wrap the peppers in bacon right away. First, fill them with the mixture, then smoke on the grill for about 45 minutes, or until they appear to be ready. Do this on low, smoke only. Let's say 120 degrees. This allows the smoke to penetrate both the pepper, and the cheese filling without cooking them too much. This makes a huge difference in flavor trust me. That cream cheese filling just sops up the smoke. In the meantime, get your bacon started in the oven, just until its half cooked and not nearly crispy yet. Then when peppers are ready, wrap them in the half cooked bacon strips. There is still plenty of juiciness in the bacon, don't worry. then back on the smoker at about 350 to cook and crisp up. You're welcome!
Frank Campanella
that's a very solid idea, makes sense. I will give that a try!! Thanks
Jennifer Fulk
Could you tell me what's in the dipping sauce in the picture? Thanks! Can't wait to try this!
Frank Campanella
yes its my southwest ranch
chayo Huff
what dry spice do you use?
Frank Campanella
Normally a sweet and spicy bbq dry rub