Turkey Bacon-Wrapped Smoked Jalapeño Poppers on the Traeger
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My parents were really sweet and got my husband and me a Traeger smoker for Christmas. To christen our new smoker, we set out to make some chicken wings and smoked, turkey bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers.
Honestly, we had originally thought we were making Superbowl snacks, but the game wasn’t until the next weekend. Neither of us really pays attention to sports, and it just kind of fell off the radar. We just knew Snack Day was coming, and jalapeño poppers sounded really yummy.
Anyway, this recipe is really easy, and it’s one of those that you can play with a little bit. Also, I know Elle Jay at Home is meant for stress-baking, but y’all, sometimes you have to smoke some stuff, too. Right?
So let’s get into it!
Let’s Smoke Some Jalapeño Poppers!
First things first, you’re going to need a smoker. Big surprise, right? And like I said, I’m using a Traeger. Personally, I think it’s amazing. This isn’t sponsored by Traeger, but maybe one day!
Secondly, you will need applewood chips or pellets. Pellet grills like Traeger use pellets for an even and efficient smoke. And we’re using applewood for a mellow flavor.
For a more full-bodied “smoky” flavor, you might opt for mesquite or hickory. In my opinion, those are too strong for this, but obviously, do what you think tastes best!
The Smoked Jalapeño Poppers Ingredients List
Finally, you’ll need the actual ingredients: Jalapeños, cream cheese, cheddar, garlic powder, parsley, and turkey bacon (or real bacon).
When picking out your jalapeños look for large, straight peppers without divots. This just makes it easier to fill them.
Now, the filling is made really simply by mixing together cream cheese, cheddar, garlic powder, and parsley. Whether you use full fat or reduced fat doesn’t actually matter. I’ve done it both ways, and my personal preference is the lower fat just because they aren’t as heavy.
Turkey Bacon vs. Pork Bacon
As for bacon, use your favorite brand of nitrate-free turkey bacon. This makes it a little healthier, but turkey bacon also doesn’t shrink as much. That helps keep your filling from melting out.
Of course, you can use the real thing, instead. But look for good uncured, center-cut, applewood-smoked bacon. Having the smoke flavor consistent prevents muddled flavors and allows the delicate, sweet, earthy flavor of the jalapeño to come through (right before the heat kicks in, right? Ha!).
You should also note that if you use real bacon, it’s going to stretch while you’re wrapping. Since it also shrinks up, this means your bacon wrap is going to get thin. I recommend doubling it up with two strips of bacon per pepper to prevent filling loss.
Tips for Handling Jalapeños
The first step in this process is halving your peppers. So, let’s quickly talk about being safe about it.
Jalapeños are obviously pretty darn spicy. The heat is extra intense in the oils of the ribs and seeds. So, my recommendation is to wear some plastic gloves to prevent oil from getting on your hands at all.
You are going to leave the stem on to keep the filling from oozing out the top in the smoker. So, you’ll cut from top to bottom and focus on cutting the stem right down the middle.
Use a spoon to scrape out all the seeds and ribs. I really don’t recommend leaving any in unless you are a real heat fanatic and like the texture of seeds in your food.
Continue wearing your gloves as you assemble your peppers. Once they are on the baking sheet, though, remove your gloves and throw them away. Wash your hands thoroughly with dish soap and baking soda to make sure you definitely don’t have any pepper oil on your hands.
Nothing is worse than itching your nose or rubbing your eye only to find that you had jalapeño left on your finger. If that does happen, rinse with cold water. If it’s really bad, try a compress with cold milk and possibly call your doctor.
Making the Filling for Your Poppers
There’s no real secret to making the filling, just a couple notes and tips. All you have to do is mix the ingredients together. It’s super simple, but you might still have a couple questions.
So, yes, it is supposed to be really stinking thick and kind of hard to mix. Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature, and that will help a whole lot with mixing.
It’s supposed to be thick so it’s easy to mold. You’ll take a regular old spoon to portion it out. Then you’ll roll little logs of filling between your palms so they can fit more easily into your peppers. Once the filling is nestled into its jalapeño bed, squish it in to fill all the crevices.
You can leave it mounded up a little bit or squished level with the top of your pepper. The filling isn’t super melty, but it can still leak out, so don’t go too overboard.
The other trick to avoiding leakage, especially if you mounded your filling, is wrapping the bacon properly.
Wrapping Your Jalapeño Poppers in Bacon
You’re almost ready to smoke these bad boys, so let’s start wrapping them in turkey bacon. Hold your pepper in one hand and place the end of a strip of bacon at the top, near the stem. You can press it into the filling just a bit for stability.
Then, tightly wind it around your pepper. Overlap the previously wound layer just a little to make sure no filling shows through. You also don’t want to overlap too much or your turkey bacon won’t crisp.
Remember if you’re using real bacon, you need to double wrap your peppers because it stretches and shrinks. You’re going to lose coverage, and you might end up losing some of your filling, too.
Set your bacon-wrapped peppers on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet, and head to your smoker! Set the tray in the middle of your grill, and smoke at 275ºF for 45 minutes to an hour, until the turkey bacon is as crispy as you like it.
Enjoy Your Smoked Jalapeño Poppers!
I love my smoked jalapeño poppers as a side to pizza and beer or grilled chicken and, well, beer. But seriously, they are so good, I could also just sit down and have only those for dinner. They’re spicy, creamy, smoky, meaty, and very filling. After about 4, I’m ready for a nap.
So, what if this sounds really yummy but you have zero heat tolerance? That’s okay! Here’s what you do.
Look for mini sweet bell peppers in the produce section. They’re usually in a bag, and they’re multi-colored (red, yellow, and orange). These little peppers aren’t even a little bit spicy!
You should definitely look for the biggest “mini” peppers though. They tend to be considerably smaller than jalapeños, so you will need to cut your bacon strips down to fit.
Other than that, you can continue on your merry way and come out the other side with smoked turkey bacon-wrapped pepper poppers. They’re totally delicious and you won’t have to worry about the burn.
Tools You’ll Need
Here’s what I recommend to make your smoked jalapeño poppers:
Comment below if you have questions, concerns, or opinions. And tag me @ellejayathome on Instagram or Twitter if you share pictures from any of my recipes. I love to hear from you!
Smoked Turkey Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
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.
