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 appetizer 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.
If you are looking for a less spicy version, you can try stuffed banana peppers. They give you a similar experience with less risk of burning your taste buds.
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.
Pops’ Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
- 24 jalapenos
- 8 oz shredded cheddar
- 4 oz cream cheese
- dash of garlic salt optional
- ¼ cup crumbled crispy bacon
Instructions
- Mix together cream cheese, cheddar and garlic salt (and bacon if you’re using it)
- Cut jalapenos in half length wise. If you want to enjoy them, remove as many seeds as you can find. If you are a bit more sporting, leave some in. Pops cleaned these out pretty good because they were for a mixed crowd. Usually Matt and pops both like to leave a few. Sometimes they leave too many and sweat and cry as they tell us how much they love the heat. It is like playing a game a roulette when you leave those two to make peppers!
- Stuff peppers with filling.
- We normally cook them on the grill. Just grill over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the jalapenos are softened, usually about 10 minutes. They can also be baked on a cookie sheet in the oven. Bake them at 375°F until the cheese is melty and the pepper is cooked, usually 10-15 minutes.
Nutrition
Anonymous
Monday 17th of July 2017
thank for good post and sharing.......
goldenslot สูตรบาคาร่า
Rue
Friday 7th of August 2015
This was a really sweet post, Carlee :)
xo
Carlee
Friday 7th of August 2015
Thanks Rue!
mommar6
Wednesday 4th of February 2015
You tugged on you Daddy's heartstrings with this one Carlee.