Writing a recipe for Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers is stating the obvious – such a favorite here in Texas! Sometimes I get so caught up in making my recipes interesting and unique that I forget to post the everyday recipes. Sorry poppers, I took you for granted.
Over the last few years, I have noticed how the jalapeños sold in the produce aisle have gotten progresively larger. Shoppers seek out the larger peppers specifically to make jalapeño poppers. As a Texan, I give this trend a thumbs up.
This recipe for making jalapeño poppers uses the broiler in your home oven, but you can just as easily roast the poppers on your barbecue grill. Because the poppers are grilled with a soft cream cheese filling, it is best if they are cooked vertically, so the cheese doesn’t spill out. There are some special roasting racks available for outdoor barbecue pits which are immensely helpful.
I rigged up a version of a jalapeño roasting rack for the oven which works well. Metal skewers are better than bamboo skewers, and you will notice in the photos that my bamboo skewers are completely burnt up after broiling in the oven. Never mind, you aren’t going to eat the skewers. However, they do keep the poppers from falling apart, and help turn all of the poppers at once so that the batch cooks evenly.
The bacon wraps more easily around the jalapeño if it is room temperature. Just leave the bacon out of the fridge for about 30 minutes, and that should do the trick. The bacon becoms stretchy, thin, and sticky, which is an easy hack for a well assembled popper.
We tested this recipe twice at the ranch, and my husband enjoyed the leftovers at lunch while I was in town running errands. “Dang!” he called me to report. “Those poppers were so spicy that I had to stop eating them” he said. He loves spicy food, and has a much higher tolerance than I do. “Well, I could only eat half of one as the peppers were really hot.” I told him.
How many did you eat, dear?
“Uhm, I ate four.”
Yes dear, that’s probably enough.
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 8 min
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Broiled
- Cuisine: Southwestern
Ingredients
8 extra-large fresh jalapeño peppers
8 oz. cream cheese (250g)
1–2 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and minced
¼ cup chopped herbs, such as chives, cilantro or parlsey (6g)
1 tsp. salt (4g)
8 slices of bacon, room temperature
Instructions
Preheat the broiler in your oven. Use gloves to prepare the jalapeños so that the peppers do not irritate your hands.
Carefully slice open the jalapeños lengthwise, leaving the stem intact. (See photo) Scrape out the inner membrane and seeds.
Combine the cream cheese, garlic, herbs and salt in a microwavable bowl, and heat on high for one minute. Remove from the bowl from the microwave and stir to combine well. Using a small spoon, fill the cleaned jalapeños with the cream cheese mixture. Wipe away any excess filling.
Wrap the filled peppers with the bacon (see photos.) Skewer the peppers with either a bamboo or metal skewer, and balance in a baking pan lined with parchment. Use a toothpick to secure the bacon at the bottom of the jalapeño. Broil for approximately 8 minutes, until the bacon is crispy. Turn the skewers to reposition the jalapeños to broil for another minute or two if any part of the bacon is not sufficiently crisp. Serve immediately.
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