This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
Want to blow everyone's socks off with an intense flavor packed mouth watering appetizer? These cream cheese filled, bacon wrapped, smoked jalapeño poppers are RIDICULOUSLY tasty and even easier to make!
Jump to:
Video - How to make smoked jalapeno poppers
Ingredients
These bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeños are really easy to make with minimal ingredients. All of the following can be found at your local grocery store.
- Jalapenos
- Bacon (Thin Cut)
- Cream Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese
- Chives
- Green onions
- Garlic Powder
- Salt & Pepper
How to Make Smoked Jalapeno Poppers
This is as simple as mixing together a cream cheese mixture, stuffing some jalapenos, and wrapping in amazing bacon. Jalapeño peppers are a rather mild pepper that is great for grilling.
Slicing the jalapenos
Medium sized jalapenos, about 4" long works best for this appetizer. Rinse the jalapenos with fresh water and dry. Lay each pepper on a cutting board allowing them to lay flat naturally.
Slice off the top ⅓rd of the jalapeño lengthwise making sure to keep the stem attached to the hot pepper. Using a small spoon, scoop the seeds and capsaicin out of the jalapeno and discard along with the top ⅓rd that was cut off.
The goal is to have the pepper be a 'boat' to fill with the cream cheese. If you want your appetizer to be spicy and not just have a simple jalapeno flavor, leave some capsaicin in the pepper.
Cream Cheese Filling
Lay the block of cream cheese on your kitchen counter for about an hour to soften. Once softened, mix together the cream cheese filling ingredients in a medium bowl with a spoon.
Filling & Wrapping with Bacon
Lightly salt and pepper the inside of the jalapeno peppers before filling with the cream cheese. Fill the peppers ¾ full with the cream cheese filling.
Do not fill the jalapeno all the way to the top with cheese, the filling will overflow when smoking the peppers.
Wrap each jalapeño with 1 slice of bacon, starting from the stem side of the pepper. There is no need to use toothpicks to pin the bacon to the pepper, they will stay in place.
Do NOT use thick cut bacon, it doesn't wrap well and takes too long to cook. However, If you are just smoking bacon to eat for breakfast, then thick cut is the way to go. But not for this poppers recipe.
Smoking the Jalapeño Poppers
These are best to smoke low and slow for about an hour and then turn up the heat to finish off, just like smoking a chicken. Pre-heat the smoker to 225°F with your favorite wood pellets. Hickory wood and pecan wood work great.
Once the smoker is pre-heated, add the jalapeno peppers directly to the grill rack, cut size up. This will prevent the cheese from coming out of the pepper when it heats up during cooking.
Smoke for 1 hour at 225 degrees fahrenheit for a great smoke flavor. After 1 hour turn the temperature up to 325°F and cook until the bacon is crispy, about another 30 minutes.
The Smoker
I'm smoking these jalapeno poppers on my pellet smoker, just like the Camp Chef 36 smoker or Traeger 780. Pellet smokers are an easy and great way to impart fantastic smoke flavor without having to babysit a firebox all day.
A traditional offset smoker, like this Oklahoma Joe's Smoker can also be used when smoking this tasty grilled jalapeno poppers recipe. Grab your favorite wood and get your smoker fired up.
No smoker? No worries, you can also use a traditional bbq grill to make these peppers. Simply cook until the bacon is crisp and serve straight from the grill.
Serving
These can be served right after pulling from the smoker. This smoked jalapeño poppers recipe have a smoky cheese flavor paired with the incredible crispy bacon hugging the tender jalapeños making these an irresistible treat.
They are truly amazing! By far my favorite appetizer to smoke on the grill. Simply serve these peppers before your main course OR as a main course.
Pairing these with my smoked deviled egg appetizer makes the perfect start to any dinner party!
Here are some great dishes to accompany these jalapeño poppers:
Old Pro Tips
- Don't scrape all the capsaicin out of the pepper if you want them spicy.
- Add 8oz of cooked jimmy dean sausage to cream cheese filling for a more 'meatier' jalapeño poppers.
- Do not fill peppers to the top with the cream cheese filling, they will overflow when cooking.
- Use thin bacon instead of thick, it will wrap better and cook all the way through.
FAQ
No. Do not flip while cooking, this could cause the cream cheese to run out of the pepper.
Smoke for 1 hour at 225°F then turn up to 325°F and finish until bacon is crispy, about another 30 minutes.
Using cream cheese with some shredded sharp cheddar is the best combination for bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers.
Try Smoking These Recipes ... NOW!
Ingredients
- 12 each jalapeños
- 1 lb bacon (thin cut)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Cheese Filling
- 8 ounce cream cheese (softened)
- ½ cup extra sharp cheddar (shredded)
- ¼ cup fresh chives (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried chopped onion
Equipment
Instructions
- Rinse and dry jalapenos. Slice the top ⅓ of the pepper lengthwise and scoop seeds and capsicum from inside pepper and discard. Make sure to NOT cut off the stem of pepper.
- Mix together ingredients for cheese mixture until fully incorporated.
- Stuff peppers ¾ full with cream cheese mixture. Do not overfill.
- Wrap each filled jalapeño with 1 full slice of bacon starting at the stem and ending at the tip of the jalapeno.
- Preheat smoker to 225°F and place jalapeños directly on the grill rack. Smoke for 1 hour.
- Increase temperature to 325°F and continue cooking until the bacon is fully cooked. Remove from grill and serve immediately.
- After you finish eating these perfect jalapenos, don't forget to give a star rating and comment below!
Pro Tips
- Don't scrape all the capsaicin out of the pepper if you want them spicy.
- Add 8oz of cooked jimmy dean sausage to cream cheese filling for a more 'meatier' jalapeño poppers.
- Do not fill peppers to the top with the cream cheese filling, they will overflow when cooking.
- Use thin bacon instead of thick, it will wrap better and cook all the way through.
Nutrition
Steve Campbell says
This recipe is insanely good! Today was the second consecutive day that I made them and my drinking buddies absolutely love them. Perfect snack for an afternoon beer. First time I followed directions to the letter. Delicious! Next time, I upped the ante and substituted the sharp cheddar with 'Red Devil' cheese from Snodonia (an aged yellow cheddar with chile peppers). Game changer... just added a little extra heat without going overboard. Incredible! Thanks Will, you are two for two with the recipes I tried and look forward to trying a lot more.