Smoked Jalapeno Poppers

The first time we made these they were almost too hot to eat.  Almost.  We managed to disregard any damage to the esophagus and chowed 'em down anyway.  That was the last time I bought Jalapenos.  Since then we grow our own, so we have some control over the variety and heat.  The second time we made them we ate them so fast we forgot to get a photo for the blog!  Oh well, at least we know they’re that good!  I have to give credit for this recipe to a BBQ/smoker grill newsletter a friend turned us onto (thanks Trace!) called Smoking-Meat.com.  We’ve made a few adjustments, like using blackened seasoning instead of BBQ rub, and the addition of some chunk pineapple on top.  Makes one dozen appetizers.  Enjoy, but keep a cold one on hand to put out the fire!

Jalapeno Poppers, fresh off the grill.

  

Ingredients

6 large Jalapeno peppers

4 oz. cream cheese

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, softened

3 tbl. grated Cheddar or Mexican cheese mix

½ tsp. blackened seasoning mix (we use the blackened steak seasoning, but any kind will do)

1 tbl. grated onion

good dash of garlic powder

3 strips of bacon, cut in half, then in half again lengthwise

12 pieces of chunk pineapple

12 toothpicks (Here’s a tip:  do not use colored toothpicks on the grill!  The color melts off.  Who knew?)

  

Directions

·        Cut jalapenos in half length-wise and remove seeds

·        Mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese, blackened seasoning, onion & garlic powder together in a bowl

·        Stuff each pepper half with the cheese mixture

·        Wrap a piece of the bacon lengthwise around the peppers and secure with a toothpick

·        Top each toothpick with a chunk of pineapple

·        Place the Jalapenos on a grilling tray (we have one that was made for smoking fish that we use for these) and smoke on the grill over LOW heat for about 2 hours.  Be sure not to let the heat get above 200°

·        Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before serving

If you let the heat get too high on your smoker the cheese will melt out of the peppers.  Wrapping the bacon lengthwise around the peppers also helps hold in the filling.  The first time we tried this recipe, we bought Jalapenos from a local grocery, so we had no idea how hot they were.  WOW!  We almost couldn’t eat them.  Now we only use our homegrown peppers, so we know what we’re getting into.  We got the idea for this recipe was from a friend who got it from a smoker/grilling newsletter (thanks, Trace!), but we’ve made quite a few changes to the original recipe.  Enjoy!