Jalapeno Poppers, what a welcomed sight at any party. In Texas, where things are bigger, we wanted to go big with the flavor department. And that's what we did with this recipe, added more big flavor with a touch of freshness.
Jalapeno Poppers are great as an appetizer for parties. Serve them with a dipping sauce like ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, or even a sweet chili sauce. Your guests will love these delicious poppers!
How hot are jalapeno peppers? The answer just might surprise you. Hint: there are different levels of Scoville level spice when it comes to jalapenos.
⬇️ Table of Contents
How To Make Jalapeno Poppers
Making the best Texas jalapeno popper always begins at the grocery store. Selecting the best jalapenos for your recipe is the key.
Do you enjoy your peppers hot or mild? Did you know there's a way to tell how hot a pepper is without even touching one? You can tell by the stems.
Yep, that's right, the stems. The more the stem curves, the hotter the pepper.
🌶️ Jalapeno Peppers: 12 to 15 Fresh Jalapeno Peppers Sliced in Half lengthwise
The spiciness of a jalapeno measures 3,500 to 8,000 on the Scoville scale. Picked and consumed while still green, as well, is occasionally allowed to fully ripen and turn red, orange, or yellow. Jalapenos are wider and generally milder than the Serrano pepper.
How To Clean Jalapenos
When cleaning the inside of jalapeno peppers, be sure to remove as much of the rib as possible to lower the spice level, if desired. The ribs are the white part which is the hottest part of the pepper, not the seeds like most believe. However, the seeds are still spicy.
Make a cut down the middle of the pepper lengthwise. I suggest cutting right through the stem for a nice presentation.
Safety tip: the natural oils in the peppers can get on your hands and not come off easily. Even washing your hands under water with soup will not remove all the oils.
Make sure not to touch your face, especially your eyes, or risk getting a painful burn. The answer to this is to wear plastic gloves.
Ingredients
- Cream Cheese
- Applewood Bacon
- Garlic Powder
- Pimento Cheese - try our "Masters" Tournament Pimento Cheese
- Serrano Peppers - Hotter than Jalapeno peppers by around a factor of 2x, but comes with more flavor.
- Lime Juice
- Sweet Onion
- Cilantro
When it comes to adding fresh flavor to your recipes, cilantro is a great herb to turn to. It has a bright, peppery flavor that can really wake up your poppers.
Adobo Sauce (optional)
The addition of adobo sauce brings a balanced spice with a flavor profile that will keep your guests wondering what you did to make your poppers so special.
Jalapeno Popper Filling
What the filling ingredients create is complete perfection. Next time, bring these to a party and wow the guests.
Chop/mince one medium onion. Take your time with this step, as you don't want a large pie
What the filling ingredients create is complete perfection. Next time, bring these to a party and wow the guests.
Chop/mince one medium onion. Take your time with this step, as you don't want large pieces of onion.
The key reason it gets the name Texas Jalapeno Poppers? The addition of Serrano peppers. This pepper can be hot to most folks, yet if you shop for the ones with straight stems, you'll be ok with controlling the spice level.
Serranos have a very fruity flavor that is quite special. If you don't like the addition of more heat, no problem, just don't add them. We still have a few more ingredients that make these a Texas favorite.
We talked about the jalapenos above; I wanted to show you a picture of a jalapeno that would be considered less spicy than the rest. The reason is the stem is straighter, which indicates the pepper isn't very hot.
The Jalapeno Popper Bacon
You can't make Texas Jalapeno Poppers without bacon.
Chef Tip: You could change the bacon for prosciutto for a touch of elegance and fanciness.
You could even try making your own homemade bacon.
Bacon Wrapping
Begin wrapping with bacon by starting with the stem and try to keep the bacon flat without curling. This helps the bacon cook quicker and offers a nicer presentation along with even cooking.
The wrapping process will determine what the poppers are going to look like once baked.
A tip I like using is to cut each piece of bacon in half lengthwise. This will make it easier to wrap the bacon for a nice presentation and will help extend the number of poppers you can wrap.
Fill each jalapeno with around 1 ½ tablespoons of the filling. You do not want to add too much or risk the filling oozing out while cooking.
Baking Temperature & Time
Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. For best results, bake on a roasting rack. This will provide a more even cooking process as the heat can get underneath the poppers.
Make Them On a Smoker
My favorite way to cook jalapeno poppers. Using an offset smoker will allow for a longer cooking time. Place the poppers away from the smoker box, and let them cook away while being kissed with wonder smokiness.
Temperature: 225 degrees
Woods: Post Oak (Texas Classic), Mesquite, Hickory, Peach, or Apple.
Faqs
📖 Recipe
Texas Jalapeno Poppers
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 peppers Jalapenos
- 1 package Applewood Smoked Bacon
- 8 oz Cream Cheese / 1 package
- 4 Tablespoon Pimento Cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Serrano Peppers / Add more to up the spice level
- 2 teaspoons Adobo Sauce / Optional
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Salt
- ½ medium Onion Minced
- 1 juiced Lime You can squeeze more on top after cooking for a pop of freshness.
- 1 Tablespoon Cilantro
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
Cleaning and Preparing The Jalapenos
- Wash and dry the jalapenos.Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise. Try to preserve the stem for presentation. Clean the inside and make sure to remove all the white parts inside, which is called the rib. That is the super spicy part of the jalapeno.
The Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, add cream cheese, pimento cheese, onion, serrano, cilantro, garlic salt, lime, salt and mix well. Optional: Add adobo sauce to create a deeper flavor profile. Or make two batches of each option.
- Bacon Tip: Fold over the Bacon in half lengthwise, then cut down the middle to split the bacon in half. Splitting the Bacon helps with the cooking of the bacon. This helps render the bacon fat out quicker. Secondly, it gives you more strips of bacon to wrap the jalapenos Sprinkle the tops of the jalapenos with fresh, cracked black pepper.
- Fill each jalapeno with around 2 tablespoons. Try to add as much as you can without overfilling.
Baking
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until the bacon is evenly cooked.
Video
Notes
- Feeling like adding more heat/spice I suggest using some poblano and habanero.
- The poppers freeze well.
- The addition of shrimp works excellently.
- They are safe on the countertops at your party for up to 4 hours
- Add goats cheese to add a level of tang (not a Texas thing)
- Mix in chopped brisket for a real surprise your guest will freak out over.
Irma says
Love this.
Douglas DeUnger says
absolutely delicious! didn't ever think of pimento cheese