Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Prep the Jalapeños
- Wash and dry the jalapeños. Stand each one upright and cut off roughly the top quarter, like removing a cap. Do not cut them in half, you want the walls intact so they hold more filling and can smoke standing up.
- Hollow out the inside of each pepper with a small spoon or knife, removing the seeds and membranes. Leave some in if you want more heat.
Cook the Filling
- Finely dice the kielbasa and cook it in a skillet over medium high heat until browned and crispy.
- Add the shrimp, cut into 4 pieces each, and cook until done. Then add the finely diced jalapeño and cook another couple of minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl and let it cool a bit, or it will melt the cream cheese into soup. Add the cream cheese, shredded cheddar and sweet BBQ seasoning and mix thoroughly.
Stuff and Smoke
- Pack the filling generously into each jalapeño.
- Preheat your smoker to 275°F to 300°F. Place the poppers upright and smoke over applewood about 30 minutes, until the jalapeños are tender and the filling is hot and melted.
- Remove from the smoker and top with the cooked bacon bits. Add them after smoking, not before, or they go soggy.
Notes
Cut a cup, not a half: Taking the top quarter off leaves the walls intact, so the pepper holds far more filling and nothing falls out. It also lets you smoke them standing upright.
Cook the filling first: 30 minutes on the smoker softens the jalapeño and melts the cheese, but it will not safely cook raw sausage through, and shrimp only needs 2 to 3 minutes on its own. Cooking the filling separately means the smoker only has one job.
Let the filling cool: Adding cream cheese to a hot pan mixture turns it to soup.
Bacon bits at the end: They go soggy if smoked.
Timing: Prep time is an estimate. The 275°F to 300°F and 30 minutes are as given.