Joe's Screaming Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

Submitted by Epi Curious

"Recipe from the Food Network, courtesy of Joe Rao."

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Yields: 18 appetizers
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese (may use less, depending on size of peppers used)
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped (use less if you use less cream cheese or small peppers)
• 1⁄4 cup sun-dried tomato, finely chopped (nice handful from the jar)
• fresh basil, chopped (to taste)
• 1 pinch salt
• 18 jalapeno peppers (larger than average size will make them easier to stuff)
• 1 lb bacon, thinly sliced (use less if you use smaller peppers)
• toothpick (for the peppers, not your teeth!)

directions

1. Mix cream cheese with chopped garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and a dash of chopped basil. Add a pinch of salt. Mix until the mixture is soft and manageable.
2. Slice each jalapeno lengthwise on 1 side, being careful not to cut the jalapeno in half. Remove the seeds if you don't want them too hot -- depending on your pepper, you may have to slice around the stem of the pepper to create a manageable opening to squeeze the filling inches.
3. Fill either a pastry bag or tool of your choise with the filling. Use something that will allow you to squeeze the filling into the opening of the pepper with ease. Be careful not to overfill as the filling may spurt out while cooking.
4. Wrap each pepper with 1 to 2 strips of bacon, securing the opening in the pepper. Secure the bacon with a toothpick (best to soak them first to prevent burning on the grill). This also helps prevent the peppers from falling into the grill! Long metal or wood skewers work well for large amounts.
5. BBQ the peppers until they are lightly roasted, or until the bacon is fully cooked. Use some foil to cook on if your peppers are cooking too fast or beginning to burn on a hot grill.
6. Serve immediately.

Reviews

[jmmitche]

Best poppers ever. Make extra filling for a bagel scholarship! I like to put them on a smoker alongside the Boston butts for about 45min-1hr.