Bacon-wrapped jalapeños, better known as “jalapeño poppers,” are a tailgating staple across The South. These appetizing treats are the perfect addition to any tailgate and, with a variety of add-ons (see below), they can be fine-tuned for any audience. Making these delectable delicacies can be a time-consuming task that is even easy for the novices around the grill.
Ingredients
- 25 Jalapeños
- 2 Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese
- 2 12 oz. packages of sliced bacon (Hickory or Brown Sugar smoked)
- 50 toothpicks
- Bottle of preferred Barbeque Sauce
Serves 50 Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeños
Directions
Place the toothpicks in a cup of water as this will help saturate the wood so that the toothpicks do not immediately burn to a crisp, leaving a charred sliver in the middle of the “popper.” The next step is to slice the top and bottom off of each jalapeño and then cut the body in half. After halving all of the jalapeños you will then need to de-seed them with a spoon (If you enjoy practical jokes leave the seeds in a couple of the jalapeños and see which unlucky partaker gets a mouthful of fire). After de-seeding, be sure to rinse the jalapeños completely to remove any remnants of seeds from them. Now you’ll fill the jalapeño with cream cheese. It is ok to overfill the jalapeños because the cream cheese has a tendency to melt out while on the grill. After filling with cream cheese you will wrap the bacon around the jalapeño (you will want to cut the full slice of bacon in half) and pierce it with a toothpick to hold together. After wrapping and holding the “poppers” you are ready to place them on the grill. Something to note, you will not want to place these over the center of your fire, they will burn and char and be inedible in most cases. Be sure you place them on the outside of the fire so the bacon slowly cooks. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of bacon. However, it is best to brush on the barbeque sauce in the last 5 minutes of cooking. This lets the sauce marinate into the cheese and meat. After that they are ready to be taken off and eaten once they cool for about 3 minutes.
You may want to vary the recipe a bit. Some great additions would be to add dove, chicken, shrimp, or steak between the bacon and cream cheese. This will change the grill time because you would want to grill until the addition is fully cooked. You may also sprinkle on a Cajun spice prior to grilling to add another hint of flavor to the “poppers.” As always, no Colonel’s post is complete without mentioning that this bliss is better served with cold brews, great friends, and solid jams. A recommended playlist to accompany the palate pleaser would be Pandora’s Eric Clapton – Cocaine station with a hint of Bob Marley mixed in.
