Jalapeño appetizer

[EricT]

I just wanted to share an appetizer recipe I made this weekend that was incredibly delicious. I got the idea from my wife's friend.

15 Jalapeño peppers
1 "brick" of cream cheese
1 lb package of bacon
Toothpicks

You can probably guess the rest:
- Cut off the tops of the peppers, slice down one side lengthwise, then open them up to remove the seeds and veins
- Stuff with a generous spoonful of cream cheese
- Wrap each one with a piece of the bacon, securing with a toothpick

I baked them on a sheet pan for 20 minutes at 350F, then put them under the broiler for a couple of minutes at the end to crisp the bacon.

They were the hit of the BBQ. The peppers still had some crunch, and the baking removed much of the heat, leaving a mild kick with lots of that green chile flavor. And if you're like me, you'll eat ANYTHING if it has bacon on it.

[phoebe]

Thank you EricT; that sounds great! And I have a bush filled with red jalapenos growing in a pot outside and was wanting something to do with them.

[mudbug]

phoebe,

If you still have a surplus, you can preserve them in cooking sherry or pickle or dry them.

[henry]

Eric,

You can flavor the cream cheese with spices, cheeses or sauces and put it in a piping bag with a large tip to fill the chilis. I then top with a 'little smokey' cocktail wiener or leftover bbq'd meat before wrapping it with 1/2 slice bacon. I put them in the smoker or on the grill w/indirect heat.

Best to wear gloves if you're doing a bunch of jalapenos because the heat will stay on your hands even after washing.

Here's a link to a bbq forum that has pics on it.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/vi...&highlight=abt


H.

[EricT]

Originally Posted by henry

Best to wear gloves if you're doing a bunch of jalapenos because the heat will stay on your hands even after washing.

You're not kidding! I scratched my ear about halfway through prepping the chiles, and it felt like it was on fire for the next 15 minutes!

Seasoning the cheese sounds like a great idea, as does cooking them in a smoker. Don't have one of those yet, but I'd like to get one. Oh and mine were not completely split in half, I just cut down one side of the pepper, then sort of spread it open to clean it out and put the cheese in. Then push it back together so it looks almost like a whole chile again. But your way looks much easier, I'll probably do that next time

[CaryAnne]

I love trying foods wrapped in bacon - this sounds like a great recipe - I'll try it! Two of my favorite foods to wrap in bacon are Duck and Scallops... yum!

[AlbanyMike]

I know what I'm making this weekend when I watch the Giants vs Falcons game.

[notoriouslyKEN]

I've made a very similar dish for tailgating Redskins games before. Instead of cream cheese, I put in a rice/ground beef/cheese mixture. I would grill instead of bake/broil. The only problem I had was that on some of them the filling would start to spill out as the cheese got all gooey. Everyone loved them at my tailgates though. Thanks for the reminder. Maybe I will do it again next Sunday.