Jalapeño poppers are arguably the most popular barbecue snack for cookouts, tailgates, and parties. This recipe combines the classic bacon-wrapped popper with an extra smoky kick by stuffing them with smoked cream cheese to create the ultimate BBQ snack! 

If you’re a fan of jalapeño poppers, you owe it to yourself to try smoking the cream cheese first. The smoky flavor will take your taste buds on a journey, and the spiciness of the jalapeños will keep you coming back for more.

So, fire up your smoker, grab a cold drink, and enjoy a batch of these delicious smoked jalapeño poppers.

Smoked jalapeño poppers

This recipe is easy to whip up and comes together in just a few hours. It only takes a few ingredients and will impress your guests at your next cookout or barbecue. 

Ingredients you’ll need

• Jalapeños – You’ll need eight jalapeño peppers. I recommend finding the biggest jalapeños you can, but any size works. If you want to cut back on the spice, you can also use sweet peppers instead.
• Cream cheese – You can use regular softened cream cheese for this recipe, but I highly recommend whipping some smoked cream cheese. It adds an extra punch of smoke flavor from the inside out and takes these poppers to the next level.
• BBQ rub/seasoning – Grab a bottle of your favorite barbecue rub to add flavor to the filling.
• Shredded cheese – A touch of shredded cheese in the filling helps to bring a bold, cheesy flavor. I like to use a cheddar/jack cheese blend, but any shredded cheese you have in the fridge will work great!
• Bacon – Thin cut is best.

Equipment you’ll need

• Smoker or pellet grill – This recipe will work on any pellet grill or smoker as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 275°F. I used my Trager Woodridge Pro for these poppers and some hickory blend pellets.
• Knife – You’ll need a knife to chop the tops off the jalapeños and slice them in half.
• Small spoon – I find that a small spoon is the best tool for removing the seeds and stems from the jalapeños. This spoon will also be helpful when you fill the jalapeños with the cheese.
• Medium-sized mixing bowl
• Wire rack – I like to smoke poppers on a wire rack, which makes it easier to get them on and off the grill. You can also place the rack on an aluminum-lined baking sheet for easy clean-up.

How to make smoked jalapeño poppers

1. Smoke the cream cheese

You can use regular softened cream cheese for this recipe if you’re in a time crunch, but pre-smoking the cream cheese for the filling for a couple of hours adds a fantastic layer of smoky flavor that is well worth the extra effort.

The process is simple—all you have to do is season a couple of blocks of cream cheese and pop them in a 200°F smoker for 1-½ to 2 hours. The cream cheese will soften while smoking and soak up all that extra smoky flavor.

While your cream cheese is on the smoker, it’s a perfect time to prep your jalapenos.

2. Prep the jalapeños 

Take a knife and slice off the end with the stem. Then, cut each one in half lengthways. 

Using a small spoon, run it along the inside to remove the seeds. With just a bit of pressure from your spoon, they should slide right out. 

If you really want to amplify the spice, you can add the seeds to your cream cheese mixture, but I usually just discard them so that my poppers don’t end up being too spicy. It just depends on your preference. 

3. Prep the filling

After your cream cheese has been on the smoker for 1-½ to 2 hours, it should be nice and soft. The cream cheese will have soaked up a lot of smoke flavor, making it the perfect base for your filling.

Place the smoked cream cheese in a medium-sized mixing bowl, and then add about ¾ of a cup of shredded cheese. I like to use a cheddar/jack cheese blend for this recipe, but you can use any shredded cheese hanging out in your fridge. Give it a good mix.

Other great additions to the filling include diced jalapeños, onions, or bell peppers.

4. Build your poppers 

Spoon the filling into each of your halved jalapeños. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but you want the cheese mixture to fill the entire cavity of each pepper. 

Once your poppers are stuffed with cream cheese, you can wrap each one in a slice of bacon. I don’t recommend using thick-cut bacon for this recipe, as it doesn’t render as quickly.

Start at the larger end of the jalapeño and wrap the bacon around to the smaller tip. If your bacon doesn’t stretch to the end, you can also use a toothpick to secure it in place if needed.

Once your poppers are wrapped in bacon, they are ready to hit the smoker!

5. Smoke your poppers

Preheat your smoker (or pellet grill) to 275°F.

For this recipe, I used my Traeger Woodridge Pro and some hickory blend pellets.

You can use any smoker or pellet grill as long as it can maintain a steady temperature of 275°F for at least 1-1½ hours. You could also use a charcoal or gas grill; it just won’t put off as much smoke flavor. But since the filling has smoked cream cheese, it will still taste smoky and delicious.

I like to place my poppers on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath to catch all the grease. You can also place the poppers directly on your grill grates and put a foil pan underneath for easy cleanup.

Once your grill is preheated, place the rack on the grates and let them smoke for 1-1½ hours.

You want the bacon to be cooked and crisped. Some people like really crispy bacon and some prefer softer bacon, so just pull them off when the bacon is done to your liking.

Serve them up immediately with barbecue sauce and ranch dressing on the side for dipping.

If you want a heartier version of this recipe, try our Bacon-wrapped Smoked Armadillo Eggs. For a less spicy alternative, you can make Smoked Stuffed Sweet Peppers or our Smoked Mushroom Poppers.

Print

Smoked Jalapeño Poppers

These bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers will definitely heat up your next game day party.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Smoked cream cheese 2 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours

Servings 10

Calories 359kcal

Author Jordan Hanger

Ingredients

• 8 jalapeños
• 16 oz cream cheese
• ¾ cup shredded cheddar/jack cheese
• 2 tbsp BBQ seasoning
• 16 slices thin cut bacon

Instructions

• Preheat smoker to 200°F.
• Season your cream cheese blocks on all sides with the BBQ rub, then place them in a cast iron skillet or baking dish.
• Smoke the cream cheese for two hours, or until soft and golden brown, then remove from the smoker and let cool.
• Increase the smoker temperature to 275°F.
• While your cream cheese is smoking, you can prepare the jalapeños by chopping off the stems, slicing them in half, and scooping out the seeds.
• Add the smoked cream cheese to a mixing bowl and add the shredded cheese. Mix until well combined.
• Fill the jalapeño halves with the cream cheese mixture, then wrap each one in a slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick if needed.
• Transfer the bacon-wrapped jalapeños to a wire rack and place on the smoker for 1-1½ hours, or until the bacon is crisped to your liking.
• Serve immediately alongside your favorite dipping sauces.

Nutrition

Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 552mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 785IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 1mg