Smoked Jalapeno Poppers Recipe

5 from 22 votes

These bacon wrapped smoked jalapeno poppers are the ultimate party food, stuffed with cheese, then smoked for the most outstanding flavor. Get the recipe!

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: game day, jalapenos, party food, poppers, recipe, spicy

Servings: poppers

Calories: 143kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Ingredients

8 jalapeno peppers
8 ounces cream cheese or use 4 ounces cream cheese + 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon smoked paprika or more to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
Spicy red pepper flakes optional
16 slices bacon or use 8 slices cut in half for smaller poppers

Instructions

Heat your smoker to 300 degrees F.
Slice the jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides with a spoon.
Add the cream cheese (+ cheddar cheese, if using), smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and red chili flakes to a bowl and mix well.
Fill each jalapeno pepper half with the spicy cheese mixture. You might have some leftover, depending on the size of your peppers. Just distribute evenly.
Wrap each stuffed jalapeno boat with a slice of bacon. Pierce with toothpicks to hold the bacon in place. NOTE: You can use half a bacon slice with smaller peppers, and as a calorie saver.
Sprinkle the poppers with extra smoked paprika and red pepper flakes and smoke them for 60-80 minutes, or until the peppers soften and the bacon is starting to crisp. You can blast them with the broiler a couple of minutes at the end if you need to.
Remove from heat, cool slightly, and serve.

Notes

I like to get my smoke going right away by adding a couple handfuls of wood chips to the smoker first. Once they start to smoke, I add the poppers to the smoker and hit them with smoke right off the bat. Then, I do two more rounds of smoke part way through cooking. You can do only 1 round of smoking to a less pronounced smoky flavor. I used hickory chips today, but use your favorite wood.

Cooking Times can vary, depending on your temperatures and bacon. Just keep an eye on it and check after 45 minutes. If the bacon crisps up enough to your tastes, the poppers are probably done. The cheeses should be nice and soft, and the peppers themselves softened up.

Nutrition