I know summer is technically over – but this is south Texas – and we all like our grilled foods no matter what the calendar reads. One of my favorite things on the grill (besides my husband’s famous steak and ribs) are bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers.
I do not mind a little jalapeno heat – but I am not a glutton for punishment. So I have a few tricks to protect you from hurting yourself during and after the assembly process.
INGREDIENTS
- Whole jalapenos (2 poppers from one jalapeno)
- Cream cheese (softened)
- I use about 12 ounces per dozen poppers
- Shredded cheese
- Bacon (one strip of bacon per popper)
- If the poppers are longer – might need two strips of bacon
- Salt and pepper
TOOLS
- Gloves – disposable gloves to protect your hands from the hot part of the pepper
- Spoon – to de-vein the jalapenos
- Toothpicks – to secure the bacon
My first experience with jalapenos was when I moved to Texas about 25 years ago. My soon to be cousins-in-law asked me to finely chop up some jalapenos for a pico sauce. Needless to say — I rubbed my face and spent the next several hours with burning eyes, tears, and even burning fingertips.
In an effort to avoid that from happening – I advise investing in some cheap, disposable gloves. You can grab a box at the local grocery store for about $5.00.
ASSEMBLY
Start by cutting the tops off the jalapenos and then splitting them in half. Remember – if you want 12 poppers, you only buy 6 jalapenos.
To make the jalapeno NOT be so hot — you can use the back of a spoon to scrape off the ribs and seeds of the inside of the jalapeno.
Next – we will make the mixture. Using the softened cream cheese — add in the desired seasonings and shredded cheese (typically a small handful per dozen poppers). Mix together then cover the entire popper with a heaping amount of mixture.
Using an entire slice of bacon — wrap it around the popper from tip to tip. The key is to have the mixture completely covered by the bacon so that it doesn’t ooze out onto your grill.
My hubby pre-heats the grill to about 275 or 300 degrees (medium). The cooking times can vary – typically about an hour. You are looking for the bacon to be cooked, the cheese may ooze a little, and the exposed jalapeno will start to bubble. You will rotate the poppers a few times before they are done.
This is an example of a badly wrapped popper — the bacon was not secure enough and the cheese mixture spilled out all over the grill (hubby not thrilled).
This is an example of a good bacon-wrapped cooked popper. The bacon is crisp and completely covered the popper – keeping the mixture inside and not on the grill (hubby is happy).
VARIATIONS
You can get really fancy with the cream cheese mixture. You can add chopped up shrimp or chicken – your favorite spices or even your favorite cheeses. And if you do not have a grill – you can cook them in an oven — but it will not have the awesome outdoor grilled flavor.
As with any recipe – make them the way you like and you will enjoy them.
