Hickory Smoked Jalapeño Poppers Recipes

FOX BROS. BAR-B-Q SMOKED PORK JALAPENO POPPERS

Steps:

• Bring a few inches of canola oil to 350 degrees F in a deep pot.
• Trim the tops from the jalapenos, then fry until blistered and soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Cut in half and remove seeds and membranes. (Keep oil warm.)
• Mix the cream cheese and Cheddar Jack together in a bowl.
• Open a jalapeno half and spread some Chopped Pork along the bottom of the jalapeno, making a 1/4- to 1/2-inch layer. Spread the cheese mixture along the top of the pork mixture. Repeat until all jalapeno poppers are prepped.
• Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the flour to a second bowl. Add the breadcrumbs to a third.
• Roll the stuffed jalapeno in the flour first, then submerge it in the egg, then move to coat in the breadcrumbs. Set on a rack. Repeat until all jalapenos are breaded, then repeat the breading process one more time on all jalapenos.
• Bring frying oil back to 350 degrees F.
• Fry poppers until golden brown. Remove to a rack to dry. Serve with ranch dressing or your favorite dipping sauce.
• Preheat a smoker to 225 degrees F.
• Stir together the paprika, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper in a bowl. (See Cook's Note.)
• Season the pork butt liberally with the dry rub (save the remainder for another use). Place on smoker and let smoke, adding wood chips as necessary to provide smoke, until the internal temperature registers 200 degrees F, 10 to 12 hours. Let rest for 2 hours, then chop.

SMOKY JALAPENO POPPERS

Steps:

• Put on your food prep gloves. Slice each jalapeno open lengthwise using a paring knife, then make a small crosswise cut at the stem end to form a T.
• Insert your (gloved!) fingertip through the top of the opening and gently wiggle the core loose, then remove. Rinse under cold water to remove any additional seeds. Pat dry gently with a paper or clean towel and set aside. Repeat with the remaining peppers.
• Combine the Cheddar, Asiago, cream cheese and smoked hot sauce in a large bowl until smooth and well blended.
• Gently nudge the cheese filling into each pepper with a spoon. To close the peppers, gently squeeze each one until it resembles its original shape. Don't worry if the peppers tear a bit, just squeeze them shut.
• Sift together the breadcrumbs, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a shallow bowl.
• Lightly beat the eggs in a second shallow bowl.
• One at a time, hold the peppers by the stems and dip them in the beaten eggs, letting the excess drip off, and roll in the breadcrumbs; dip in the eggs again and reroll in breadcrumbs. Set on a plate to dry slightly.
• In the meantime, heat 2 1/2 inches of the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed cast-iron skillet until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F. Add three or four of the jalapeno poppers, making sure not to crowd your pan, and fry in batches until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the temperature of the oil and adjust the heat as necessary so it stays steady.
• Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate; season with salt. Repeat with the remaining poppers and serve immediately.

GRILLED JALAPEñO POPPERS RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. Cook the bacon to the level of doneness you prefer. It will not cook any more once you stuff the jalapeños with the cheese. Let it cool and chop it into bits.
• Prepare the Home-made Boursin-style Cheese Spread and mix in the bacon, cheddar, and pineapple.
• Put on rubber gloves to work on the peppers. If you are going to halve them, use a thin sharp filleting or paring knife to cut off the stems and discard them. Then cut the peppers in half lengthwise. Run the blade along the inside wall of the pepper removing the seeds and the white ribs. If you like hot stuff, leave the ribs in. If you are going to leave them whole and cook them in a rack, slice off the stem and cap and use a potato peeler or narrow knife to remove the seed pod inside. It will be hard to remove the ribs this way, so they will be hotter than the sliced peppers.
• You can cut them in half, remove the seeds, and stuff them as shown at the top of the recipe. The stem is woody and not very good to eat, so you use it as a handle and bite it off just below the cap. Or, you can cut them in half, remove the inedible cap, and keep the cheese from oozing out with an olive as a plug. Hence the name "One-Eyed Jalapeño Poppers". For this option, the olive is not only functional, it tastes great.
• If you have a jalapeño grilling rack like the King Kooker Stainless-Steel 36-Hole Jalapeño Rack with Corer shown here, you can just chop off the top, cut out the seeds, and stuff them.
• You can also cut a small hole in the side and using a pastry bag pipe the cheese in.
• Spread the cheese mix into the peppers, but not so much that it will overflow when cooking. To make them one-eyed, put an olive at the stem end. Sprinkle the paprika on top.
• Fire up. Get the smoker or grill going with a 2-zone setup and aim for 225°F (107°C) on the indirect side.
• Cook. Grill the poppers at about 225°F (107°C) over indirect heat until the cheese melts and the pepper gets a little soft. Try not to let the peppers go limp-they're better with a little crunch.
• Serve. Remove gently with a spatula and let them cool a bit before serving. They are also fine at room temp or right out of the fridge. Make sure you have plenty of cold beer on hand.

CAJUN JALAPENO POPPERS

Steps:

• Halve the jalapenos leaving the stem attached, de-vein and seed them.
• Setting the halved jalapenos and bread crumbs aside, mix all of the other ingredients together.
• Take your mixture and completely fill the jalepeno cavities to their brim and set aside.
• Put bread crumbs on a flat plate.
• Take jalapeno halves, one at a time, and roll cheese side only in bread crumbs and place cheese/crumb side up on a baking pan Once completed if you like a thick crumb layer, you can repeat this step.
• If you do not intend to bake finished product skip the rolling part and just lightly sprinkle the top of the jalepenos with the bread crumbs.
• Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until mixture starts to bubble.
• I like to refrigerate at least 1 hour prior to baking Sometimes I prepare the day before, cover and refrigerate.
• Serve warm, room temperature or chilled with any or all of the recommended sauces.