Poppin' Hots

Jalapenos have a shape that just begs for stuffing. Unlike other peppers, they’re small and easily consumed as finger food. The question is what do you put into them?

Cheese is a popular choice because it offsets some of the heat in the pepper. Ground beef or cube steak do likewise. Other possible ingredients you can use to personalize this recipe include:

- Bacon

- Chicken meat with hot sauce (blue cheese dressing for dipping)

- Chorizo (or any sausage)

- Feta

- Goat cheese

- Mushroom

- Olives

- Onion

- Tomato

You can also get creative in how you cook them. Rather than smoking as presented here, how about dredging with bread crumbs and baking, deep frying, or wrapping them in bacon and grilling?

Ingredients

2-3 large jalapeno peppers per person
1 slice of bacon per person
Lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp fried ground beef per pepper
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz mixed mexican cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Instructions

Warm your smoker to 225F (cherry, hickory, or pecan wood is a good choice)
Wearing protective gloves, cut off the top of the peppers and clean them out thoroughly.
Lightly sprinkle the jalapenos with lemon pepper inside and out.
Mix the meat, bacon, cheeses, and flavorings together
Roll pieces of the blend into a size that fits snugly into the pepper
Smoke for one hour before serving