Pops’ Cream Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Jalapenos (Jalapeno Poppers)

Thanks for sharing!

Jalapenos stuffed with gooey cheese and plenty of bacon make for the perfect part spicy part cream all delicious appetizer. We have them almost every week during the summer!

These cheese and bacon stuffed jalapenos are the perfect appetizer or snack. We love them for game day. 

They are also a great starter for any meal.  We all plant giant jalapeno plants just to keep the supply plentiful and our family makes them almost every week during pepper season. 

They are super delicious and you can adjust the flavors in the filling a million ways to keep them interesting!

We loved stuffed jalapenos!  It all started when I lived in Springfield.

My neighbors, Ben and Rodney, had the most beautiful backyard full of flowers and vegetables all grown in pots.  You should have seen it!  (I will have to ask Rodney for a picture so I can prove it.)

They grew vegetables that won ribbons in the state fair and then turned those vegetables into BBQ sauce that also won ribbons at the fair!  They helped me start and take care of my container garden too.  

Mine was not nearly as large (or as pretty), but I had more tomatoes, pepper and jalapenos than I could eat!

Each summer, I hosted a BBQ for my extended family.  It worked great because Springfield was an handy spot for family to come from Bloomington, St. Louis and Quincy.  

Ben and Rodney cohosted the event, rolling over their grills and helping get everything together.  They were my guardian angels and the best neighbors a single girl in her first house could have asked for.

So, as one of my dishes one year, I decided to put my jalapenos to use.  I stuffed them with cheese and wrapped them in bacon and cooked them on the grill.

I am not sure where I got the idea, as it seems like they weren’t so popular at the time… but they were a hit.  I made dozens of pepper and they were promptly devoured.  

Ever since, we have had grilled stuffed peppers in one form or another every summer.

My dad loves to make stuffed jalapenos too.  We have them almost every week for family dinners when they are in season.

He has a huge garden at the farm, so he was a plethora of chili peppers.  He makes them into hot sauce, dehydrates them for use during the winter and makes his own red pepper flakes.  

He has a huge dehydrator, and you can really tell when he is doing his hot peppers!

Anyway, he makes his peppers a little different than we do ours.  We tend to go heavy on cream cheese with some grated cheese mixed in.  

Pops prefers to do his mostly hard cheese with just enough cream cheese to hold it together (and sometimes he does all hard cheese!)

He has even cleaned some out and stuck them in the freezer to stuff later.  It works better than you’d think. 

Last time he gave it a go, one of my sisters ate at least a dozen of them, but I won’t tell you which one!!  I freeze jalapenos every year too.   

 I freeze them whole and slice them right out of the freezer for chili and casseroles etc. during the winter.  I have never used frozen jalapenos like this, but I may have to!

Tips for cooking with jalapenos

After working with jalapenos, be careful when touching your eyes or other sensitive parts. The heat is easily transferred to your skin and you can feel the burn!

Wearing rubber gloves while you are cleaning and cutting jalapenos is a great way to keep the oils and juices out of your eyes later. If your don’t have gloves, be sure to wash your hands really well when you are done.

To keep your dip mild, carefully remove all of the membrane and seeds from the peppers. To increase the heat level, leave the membranes in.

Red jalapenos are the ripe version of the pepper and tend to be a little bit sweeter. The green peppers have a brighter flavor.

Weather can affect the heat of jalapenos. Peppers grown in hotter weather with less water tend to have a more concentrated heat.

For another fabulous stuffed jalapeno recipe, check out my jalapenos with shrimp and bacon. Or try making sausage stuffed jalapenos in the oven.

Pops is also known for turning venison backstrap into a fabulous bul kogi. He cooks it medium-rare and it is always so tender and flavorful.

Thanks for sharing!