Smoked/Grilled Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos

**Chuck@OldWoodFireGrill** · 06-08-2011, 09:39 AM

Description: Here's a little something to make in the afternoon and goes well with an ice cold beer after a day at the beach! Bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos have become our number one appetizer at tailgate parties and backyard BBQ's. Alot of folks call these things ABTs, or Atomic Buffalo T*rds, but I just cannot make myself associate t*rds with eating or food, so I just call them poppers. You can make them with any number of stuffings, cook them on a variety of cookers, and feed them to folks who swear they'd never eat a jalapeno pepper! But if you decide to make these things and are unsure if your family or guests will like them and/or eat them, go ahead and make twice the number you think you'll need. If you can get them to try one, trust me, they will LOVE them!

Time: Prep time varies, depending on number of jalapenos; cook time - +/-1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

Here's what you'll need:
Whole fresh jalapeno peppers (larger ones are best)
Small smoked sausgaes
Philly cream cheese
Medium thickness bacon
Toothpicks
BBQ rub or seasoning
Surgical gloves

Preparation:

Okay here we go:
Let me start off with a safety meeting. Before you start the process of preparing these things, put on some surgical gloves! I can't stress that enough! When you open up these jalapenos, the juices will get on your fingers, and potentially cause big problems. The juice is strong and can cause a burning sensation on your skin, even if you don't have very sensitive skin. And then you will inevitably rub your eyes and Lord knows where else with your fingers, and next thing you know, your whole body is on fire! So PLEASE wear your gloves, you'll be glad you did. Now, once you've donned your gloves, trim the tops off of the jalapenos and split them in half. Clean out all of the seeds and the whitish colored membrane from inside the peppers, using your finger or a spoon. You want to make sure you get all the seeds and membrane out, as they are what gives the jalapeno its heat. If you want them pretty spicy, leave a little membrane in there, but I warn you, a little goes a long way with this stuff. Even if you thoroughly clean them out, you will inevitably have a few that are still a little spicy once they get cooked, that's how potent this stuff is. After you have cleaned them out, wash them up good with cold water and pat them dry with a paper towel.
Next, fill the jalapenos with Philly cream cheese, place a little smoked sausage in the middle, and wrap with bacon. You want to make sure the bacon is not super thin when you buy it, as it will just fall apart and not give you a nice full wrap. The trick to the bacon wrap is to start at the top of the jalapeno, wrap it around the pointed end, then come back up to the middle and go perpendicular around the jalapeno. Stick a toothpick through the middle to hold it all in place.

Instructions:

Then, sprinkle them lightly with your favorite BBQ rub or seasoning, and they are ready to go on the cooker. I have cooked them on my offset smoker, vertical smoker, Weber Kettle, a Big Green Egg, even a gas grill. You want to keep the heat low, say around 225-250 degrees. If you are using a charcoal grill such as a Weber Kettle, I would suggest banking your charcoal on one side and leaving the other side open so you can cook them offset style, not directly over the heat. The bacon grease will drip on the charcoal, flare up, and you'll be out of business. If you cook them on a gas grill, light the burner on one side and place the stuffed jalapenos on the opposite end of the grate. If you maintain around 250 degrees, they will take about an hour to cook. Just keep an eye on them and when the bacon is crisp, the cheese is nice and melted and the jalapeno looks to have softened up, they are ready. Pay more attention to how they look than how long they have cooked.
When you take them off the grill, you and your guests are in for a real treat! As I said earlier, you can try different meats and cheeses in the suffing, so experiment and find out how you like 'em best!