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Bacon-wrapped smoked brisket-stuffed jalapeño boats with sticky BBQ glaze on a white enamel tray

Smoked Jalapeño Poppers, Brisket Stuffed Boats

Leftover smoked brisket diced into cream cheese and cheddar, stuffed into jalapeños cut as boats rather than halves, wrapped in thick cut bacon and smoked at 250°F over applewood. Glazed with BBQ sauce in the last 5 minutes.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cool Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 12 poppers
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American, BBQ
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Brisket Filling
  • 0.75 lb leftover smoked brisket finely diced
  • 8 oz cream cheese One block, softened.
  • 2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 tbsp sweet BBQ rub Into the filling.
Jalapeño Boats
  • 12 large jalapeños The biggest you can find.
  • 12 slices thick cut bacon One per jalapeño. Thin cut works too.
  • 1 tbsp BBQ sauce 1 to 2 tbsp, for glazing at the end.
  • 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper Over the bacon.
  • 24 toothpicks Two per popper.

Equipment

  • Smoker Running at 250°F with applewood.
  • Sharp knife For cutting the boats.
  • Small spoon For scraping out seeds and membranes.
  • Toothpicks Two per popper. One will let the bacon unwrap.
  • Mixing Bowl For the filling.
  • Basting brush For the glaze.

Method
 

Make the Filling
  1. Add the diced brisket, softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar and sweet BBQ rub to a bowl. Mix until well combined.
Cut the Boats
  1. 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.
  2. Scrape out the seeds and membranes with a small spoon or knife. Leave some behind if you want more heat.
Stuff and Wrap
  1. Fill each jalapeño generously with the brisket and cheese mixture.
  2. 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.
Smoke and Glaze
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Remove from the smoker and let them cool about 10 minutes before serving. The filling is piping hot.

Notes

Boats, not halves: Halving a jalapeño gives you a flat channel and the filling runs off the sides during a long smoke. Taking a thin cap off the top leaves the walls intact so the filling stays put, and it holds more.
Two toothpicks: Bacon shrinks as it renders, which is exactly when a single-pin wrap comes loose. Two at opposite ends stop it rotating.
Glaze at the end: BBQ sauce is mostly sugar. Five minutes is enough for it to tack up and not enough for it to burn.
Let them cool: Ten minutes. That filling comes off the smoker extremely hot.
Reheating leftovers: This uses already-cooked brisket. The USDA recommends reheating leftovers to 165°F, which an hour or more at 250°F comfortably reaches.
Timing: The 60 to 90 minute range is an estimate and varies with the size of your jalapeños. Miguel goes by the bacon being fully rendered and crisp rather than the clock. The 250°F, 5 minute glaze and 10 minute cool are as given.

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