Smoked Jalapeño Poppers
These smoked jalapeño poppers are filled with brisket that you have leftover. Cut as boats not halves. Diced brisket added to cream cheese and cheddar cheese stuffed into jalapeños. Wrapped in bacon thick cut. Smoked at 250 with applewood. Glazed with bbq sauce last 5 mins.
Ingredients To Make Smoked Jalapeño Poppers
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Brisket | I had about 3/4 lb left over and diced it up. |
| Cream cheese | 1 block softened. |
| Cheddar cheese | 2 cups shredded. |
| Sweet bbq rub | Used in the filling. |
| Jalapenos | Get the largest you can find. |
| Bacon thick cut | 1 slice per jalapeno. |
| Bbq sauce | To glaze the poppers. |
| Pepper black | Sprinkle on top of the bacon. |
| Toothpicks | 2 per popper. |
See recipe card below for exact amounts.
Why Cut Jalapeño Poppers As Boats
Normally when making jalapeno poppers people will cut them in half. We are not doing that.
Take your jalapeno and set it on its side. Starting at the stem end cut towards the tip. Only remove a thin layer from the top of the jalapeno. You should now have your whole jalapeno with a slit down the center. Resembling a boat.
By cutting the jalapeno this way you have the walls of the jalapeno. When you cut a jalapeno in half it creates a channel, so everything you stuff into it sits flat. Your filling will run off the sides once you throw them on the smoker. Because we are cutting these as boats our filling will stay put.
You are able to fit more filling as well since you’re using the whole jalapeno. Which is why you want to find the largest ones you can.
Remove the seeds and membranes. You can leave some if you want more heat.
How I Made Smoked Jalapeño Poppers
I took my brisket that I had leftover and diced it up. Added it to a bowl with my cream cheese, shredded cheddar and sweet bbq rub.
Cut a cap off each jalapeno starting at the stem end and cutting towards the tip. This will create a boat shape.
Removed all the seeds and membranes.
Filled each jalapeno with brisket and cheese mixture.
Wrapped each jalapeno with bacon and used 2 toothpicks to secure.
Sprinkled some black pepper on top.
Smoked at 250 degrees with applewood until the bacon was fully cooked and crisp.
About 5 mins before I removed them from the smoker I glazed them with bbq sauce.
Let cool for about 10 mins before serving.
See recipe card for times and temperatures.
Use Two Toothpicks
When using only one toothpick the bacon will spin around it and unwrap. Using two toothpicks prevents this from happening.
Stick the toothpicks on opposite ends of the bacon wrap. You want them to go through the bacon and into the jalapeno.
As the bacon cooks it will shrink. Which is when your bacon will come off of a single toothpick. So by using two you eliminate that problem.
This is very important when smoking bacon wrapped items. Since they will be on the smoker for a good amount of time.
Glaze At The End
Apply bbq sauce the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Most bbq sauces are loaded with sugar. If you were to apply bbq sauce to your poppers at the beginning of the cook they would burn. By adding it the last 5 minutes it has enough time to adhere to the bacon. Just like glazing ribs or chicken.
Allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Your filling will be hot when you take them off the smoker.
Author’s Notes
Use The Biggest Jalapeños
Pro tip on these. Use the biggest jalapeños that you can find so we can do a lot of stuffing.
By making them into little boats, all the stuffing does not come out of it. It all stays in.
Thick cut bacon just works really good, but you can also choose thin cut, whatever you like. I think they both work.
Miguel
Tips From Miguel
- Biggest jalapeños you can find. More room for filling.
- Boats, not halves. The sides keep the filling in.
- Two toothpicks per popper. One and the bacon unwraps.
- Thick cut bacon holds up well on the smoker. Thin cut works too.
- Glaze five minutes out. Sugar burns over a long cook.
- Ten minutes to cool. They’re piping hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
How spicy are these?
Depends how much of the membranes you leave in. Scrape it all out and they’re mild, leave some and they’ve got heat.
Can I use thin cut bacon?
Yes. I like thick cut for the meaty bite and it holds up on a long smoke, but both work.
What if I don’t have leftover brisket?
Buy chopped brisket from a bbq place near you, or use pulled pork or chicken instead.
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Smoked Jalapeño Poppers, Brisket Stuffed Boats
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the diced brisket, softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar and sweet BBQ rub to a bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Lay each jalapeño on its side and cut from the stem end toward the tip, removing only a thin layer from the top. You want the whole pepper with a slit down the center, not two halves. The walls are what keep the filling from running off on the smoker.
- Scrape out the seeds and membranes with a small spoon or knife. Leave some behind if you want more heat.
- Fill each jalapeño generously with the brisket and cheese mixture.
- Wrap each one with a slice of thick cut bacon and secure with two toothpicks at opposite ends of the wrap, through the bacon and into the pepper. Bacon shrinks as it renders and a single toothpick lets it spin loose. Sprinkle with black pepper.
- Preheat your smoker to 250°F with applewood. Smoke the poppers until the bacon is fully rendered and crispy and the filling is hot and melted, roughly 60 to 90 minutes depending on the size of your jalapeños.
- About 5 minutes before they come off, brush the bacon with BBQ sauce and let it cook until sticky and caramelized. Do not glaze earlier, the sugar will burn over a long cook.
- Remove from the smoker and let them cool about 10 minutes before serving. The filling is piping hot.
