By Jim
Hingst
What
are Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers aka Atomic Buffalo Turds?
Bacon-wrapped
jalapeno poppers are peppers stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese and
shredded cheddar cheese. In some circles, these are also commonly referred to
as ABTs or Atomic Buffalo Turds – not the most appetizing name for a really
tasty appetizer. ABTs can also include a piece of sausage, such as Lil’ Smokies.
What could be better than an ice-cold bottle of beer to wash it down!
This story will describe:
• how to prepare the jalapeno peppers
• the jalapeno pepper corer
• the cream cheese filling
• stuffing the peppers
• wrapping the poppers
• the jalapeno grill tray
• grilling the poppers, and
• what to do with leftovers.
Are Poppers a Healthy Snack?
ABTs
are popular treats for tailgaters and Super Bowl parties. It’s ludicrous,
however, to suggest that bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are in any way healthy because they are gluten-free or low-carb. Jalapeno poppers may be allowed on
your keto diet, but they’re as nutritionally beneficial and heart-healthy as
chicken wings. Bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers just taste great, which is
why they are always a popular appetizer at any party.
Preparing
the Jalapeno Peppers
When
you are shopping for jalapeno peppers, select those with a large circumference.
These larger peppers are easier to stuff.
Jalapeno
peppers are not necessarily fiery hot if you remove the seeds and the white
membrane. For most people, after the pepper is seeded the heat level is
tolerable. On the other hand, if you are one of those who can’t handle the
heat, the cream cheese filling will help offset the spiciness of the pepper.
The Jalapeno Pepper Corer
The next step in preparing the peppers is to
remove the seeds and the white membrane. That’s where nearly all of the pepper’s
heat resides. Removing the seeds and membranes is easily done when working with
pepper halves. You can easily clean out the cavity of the pepper, using your
thumb or a teaspoon. In handling any hot peppers it is a good idea is to wear
nitrile gloves. Avoid touching your face during this process.
To remove the seeds and membrane from a whole
pepper, invest in a jalapeno pepper corer. While this corer is not the only tool
that you will need for this task, it is the most important accessory for making
poppers. What a corer does not remove, you can scrape out with a table knife.
After removing the seeds and membrane, wash
the peppers inside and out in cold water to eliminate remaining seeds.
The Basic Cream Cheese
Filling
You
can stuff jalapeno peppers with a variety of fillings. The most common stuffing
consists of cream cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. More creative mixtures also
incorporate browned sausage, chorizo or little smokies, as well as seasonings
such as garlic powder.
The traditional
filling for poppers is a mixture of equal amounts of cream cheese and sharp
cheddar cheese seasoned with garlic powder or a sweet BBQ rub. In my story on
making armadillo eggs,
a number of fillings are explained. I prefer flavoring the cream cheese mixture
with dry onion soup mix as described below.
Onion Flavored Cream
Cheese Mixture
Combine the following
ingredients:
2 8oz. packages of
cream cheese (softened)
2 cups of shredded
sharp cheddar cheese
1 envelope of dry
onion soup mix (pulverized in a blender)
Pulverize in a blender or food processor the
dehydrated pieces of onion in the soup mix. Little by little add the onion soup mix
powder. Test the flavoring of the filling as you proceed to
see if the amount of seasoning added agrees with your tastes. If you have more
cream cheese mixture than needed for the poppers, you can use the extra filling
as a spread for Ritz crackers.
Filling
Pepper Halves
Half
poppers and whole poppers stuffed with a cream cheese mixture before wrapping
with bacon.
Many
people will slice off the tops of the peppers so that their guests will not
eat the stems. They then cut the pepper
in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and membrane. The problem with this
approach is that as the popper cooks, the filling becomes gooey and runs out of
the pepper.
My
suggestion is that you just cut the pepper in half, keeping the top with the
stem intact. That way you create a little boat that holds the filling in place.
The stem also serves as a handle for the popper.
Filling Whole Peppers
If you are going to stuff the whole pepper,
cut the top off. To fill the whole peppers with the cream cheese mixture, many
people will use a piping bag or pastry bag. After the bag is packed with the mixture,
it is twisted to squeeze out the filling through a cone.
A poor man’s
version of this is to fill a plastic sandwich bag and cut off a corner, creating
a small hole as a substitute for a cone tip. This technique has never worked for
me. I have had better luck just pressing the
filling into the pepper with the back side of a teaspoon.
Wrapping the Poppers
To
wrap the filled pepper, buy thin-sliced bacon. The thicker bacon is just not
appropriate for this recipe because it may not get satisfactorily crispy. Thinner cut bacon is easier to
wrap around the poppers, and cooks faster than thicker slices.
For each popper, you will need 1 slice of
bacon. Begin wrapping the stuffed pepper at its tip and work to the top. Secure
the bacon using a toothpick. If desired, dust the wrapped popper with a sweet BBQ
rub.
Jalapeno Grill Tray
When cooking whole poppers, a jalapeno grill tray is recommended. This device may not be an absolute necessity for barbequing whole jalapeno poppers, but it sure can make your life easier.
Jalapeno grill trays consist of a stainless-steel basket with holes on the top. The holes allow you to arrange poppers in an upright position. This arrangement prevents the filling in stuffed jalapenos to spill out. It also allows the poppers to cook more evenly, which is especially advantageous when grilling wrapped poppers, because the bacon crisps uniformly.
According to my daughter, Lindsay, the jalapeno grill rack is also ideal for barbequing chicken wings.
To prevent sticking and aid in cleanup, spray the rack or tray with non-stick cooking spray.
Grilling
the Poppers
Prepare your grill for indirect cooking. With the indirect method you arrange the coals on
one side of the grill. The food is positioned on the cool side of the grill. Of course, in this cooking method your food is exposed to heat
provided that you keep the grill cover closed.
Once you close the lid,
keep it closed – no peeking. Every time you lift the cover, heat escapes and
you extend your cooking time. Remember the golden barbequing rule: “when you’re
lookin’, you ain’t cookin’”.
Cooking
Temperatures
A cardinal rule when barbequing many dishes is to cook “low and slow”. For example,
ribs or a pork shoulder are typically cooked at a temperature of 250º F for many
hours.
Cooking
bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers at low temperatures, on the other hand, is a
mistake. The bacon may never get crispy enough and the pepper may not blister sufficiently
to give it a roasted flavor.
Before putting the poppers on the grill, the temperature
needs to reach between 400º F and 450º F. Check
the poppers after 10 minutes.
Cook the poppers until the bacon is crispy.
At 450º F, the popper should be ready after 15 to 20 minutes. You can also make
bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers in your oven.
Whether you are barbequing pepper halves on
the grill or baking them in your oven, you may want to arrange the poppers on a
wire rack. In the oven, position the rack inside of a cookie sheet lined with
aluminum foil to facilitate cleanup. The
wire rack allows heat to evenly circulate around the poppers to uniformly crisp
the bacon. It also assists easy removal of the poppers from grill.
What
to do with Leftovers
Sometimes
your eyes are bigger than your stomach. If you have made more poppers than you
can eat, you can store the leftovers in the fridge and reheat them the next day
either in the microwave or oven.
Try these other Signpost Recipes
The Best Beef and Cheese Enchiladas
Bon Appetite!
© 2021 Jim Hingst, All Rights Reserved
