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Jalapeno Poppers Recipe | Texas Style

Published: Jan 14, 2018 · Modified: Nov 30, 2022 by Steven Pennington · This post may contain affiliate links.

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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!

Jalapeno poppers
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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.

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.

Freshly cleaned jalapeno with seeds and stem removed

Safety tip, the natural oils in the peppers can get on your hands and not come off easily. Even washing your hand under water with soup will not remove all the oils.

Make sure to not touch your face, especially your eyes, or risk getting a painful burn. The answer to this is to wear plastic gloves.

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.

Fresh jalapeno for poppers

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
Cilantro for a pop of freshness

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)

Adobo sauce recipe

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.

Get Adobo Sauce Recipe

The 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 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.

Chopping onion finely

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're going to be ok with controlling the spice level.

Less spicy jalapeno due to the straighter stem

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

Can't make Texas Jalapeno Poppers without bacon.

Chef Tip: You could change out the bacon for prosciutto for a touch of elegance and fanciness.

You could even try making your own homemade bacon.

The bacon for the jalapeno poppers

Bacon Wrapping

Begin wrapping with bacon by starting by 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.

Wrapping bacon around the jalapeno poppers

The wrapping process will determine what the poppers are going to look like once baked.

A tip I like using, 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 tablespoon 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.

Texas Poppers Cooked On Smoker

My favorite way to cook jalapeno poppers. Using an offset smoker will allow for a longer cook 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.

Recipes To Try

Texas Chile Con Queso

45 Types of Peppers | A to Z | Defined | Photos

Bacon Pepperoni Sticks w/ Homemade Ranch 

Candied Bacon Technique

Garden Fresh Banana Pepper Salsa

Texas Smoked Prime Rib

Faqs

Texas jalapeno poppers

Texas Jalapeno Poppers

Steven Pennington
Award-winning Texafied game day appetizer. Make a double batch for the win.
4.88 from 8 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 12 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 52 mins
Course Party / Appetizer
Cuisine Texan / Southern
Servings 24
Calories 84 kcal

Suggested Equipment

Cook Sheet
Wire Rack

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 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.
  • Use a cookie sheet with a wire rack on top. This will give you the best finished texture. The oven's heat can then get underneath the jalapeno poppers.
    If they are just laid out on the cookie sheet the bottoms will be moister than the rest of the popper.

Baking

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until the bacon is evenly cooked.

Video

Notes

Texafied Bonus Round
  • 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.
Here's Our Homemade Adobo Sauce Recipe
Party platter with jalapeno poppers layout out on top of cheetos.

Nutrition

Serving: 24poppersCalories: 84kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 2.1gFat: 6.18gSaturated Fat: 3.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.68gMonounsaturated Fat: 2.1gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 186mgPotassium: 57mgFiber: 1.6gSugar: 1.4gVitamin A: 67IUVitamin C: 0.41mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Jalapeno Poppers, Texafied, Texas Jalapeno Poppers
Try This Recipe, You'll Love It. Pin it!Mention @ButterNThyme or tag #butternthyme!

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Reader Interactions

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  1. Irma

    February 12, 2020 at 4:01 pm

    Love this.

    Reply
  2. Douglas DeUnger

    January 30, 2020 at 7:03 am

    absolutely delicious! didn't ever think of pimento cheese

    Reply

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