Smoked Turkey Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
While some call them "rattlesnake bites," bacon-wrapped smoked jalapeño poppers are the easiest and tastiest smoky snacks you can make.
Equipment
- Smoker
- Apple wood chips or pellets
- Clean latex-free gloves (optional)
- Medium Bowl
Ingredients
- 8 large jalapeños
- 16 strips turkey bacon (or 32 strips pork bacon)
- 1 block reduced-fat cream cheese
- 1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp parsley flakes
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 275ºF. Load it with applewood chips or pellets, depending on the type of smoker you have.
- You may choose to wear gloves to cut your jalapeños. This prevents the oil from being on your hands and potentially getting on your face later.
- Slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise, leaving the stem on. Use a spoon to scoop out the ribs and seeds.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar, garlic powder, and parsley flakes until everything evenly distributed.
- Use a spoon to scoop tablespoon-sized dollops of filling into your hand. Roll the filling into logs the approximate size and shape of a jalapeño half. Press one into each pepper.
- Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with a strip of turkey bacon. Start at the stem-end, and wrap it tightly all the way to the bottom to seal the filling in. If using pork bacon, double wrap your peppers to ensure full coverage.
- Set your peppers on a foil-lined baking tray in the center of your smoker, and let them cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the turkey bacon is crisp to your liking.