The Catholic Foodie’s Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
I made these a month ago or so when we were in Florida on vacation. They are so yummy!
I searched the web for recipes when I first got a hankering for jalapeno poppers. I didn’t really like most of the ones I found, so I created my own version.
One of the trickiest aspects of the recipe was how to actually stuff the peppers. Some recipes suggested cutting off the tops, coring the peppers, then stuffing them from the top. The problem there is that the sausage will spill out when the peppers are on the grill.
Finally, I decided to cut the peppers in half from top to bottom, which made them into little boats. The peppers are bacon-wrapped. That helps keep the sausage from falling out of the “boat.” I put them on the grill pepper side down. The peppers cook, but the sausage also “hardens,” further helping to keep the sausage in the pepper. Once the peppers start to char, I flip them… sausage side down.
I can’t tell you how delicious these things are! You just have to try them yourself!
One thing to note: don’t be afraid of the peppers being to hot. Jalapenos are hot peppers, but when you core them, you remove the seeds and the membrane, which is where most of the heat resides. And, once on the grill, a lot of the juice / oils cook out of the pepper. I found them to be quite sweet.
You’ve got to try these!
I included this recipe (my version of jalapeno poppers) in an earlier post. I shared it along with another version of the recipe. But I’ve had so many people ask me about these jalapeno poppers that I decided my version deserved its own post.
Ingredients
- 2 links Mexican chorizo
- 1 cup shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese
- 5 strips of bacon, cut in half width-wise
- 5 medium jalapenos, stemmed and seeded
Directions
- Heat the grill to medium. Stem and seed the jalapenos. Slice down the middle length-wise. Make sure to spoon out all seeds AND the white membranes.
- In a medium-sized bowl shred 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Add 2 links of chorizo (minus the casing!). Mix well by hand.
- Divide the stuffing among the chiles, packing it in well.
- Wrap each popper (around the middle) with half a strip of bacon. Pierce popper with toothpick from side-to-side.
- Place, pepper side down, on grill. Grill for 7 to 10 minutes. You really want the pepper to soften. When the pepper starts to soften and brown on the bottom, turn the over onto the sausage side. Grill for another 5 to 7 minutes.
- Check for doneness. Pull from heat when the pepper is soft and the sausage is cooked.
- Serve immediately.
Yields 10 poppers. Good as an appetizer. Not as spicy as you might think. The heat is reduced by seeding and cooking the jalapenos.
I recommend wearing gloves when handling chiles.
