Armadillo Eggs (Sausage wrapped Jalapeno Poppers)
A variation of Traditional Texas staple, Jalapeno Popper. Cheesy stuffed jalapenos wrapped in pork sausage meat then wrapped in bacon and smoked or baked to perfection.
Ingredients
- 12 medium fresh jalapeno peppers tops sliced off and seeds and veins removed
- 4 oz Cream cheese, softened
- 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese or cheese blend
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 750 grams pork sausage * or 375g pork sausage and 375g Italian Sausage
- 500 grams regular or thin sliced bacon *12 slices
- Barbeque Sauce *optional
Instructions
- preheat your smoker to 250℉
- Cut the top off the jalapenos and remove the seeds and veins
- In a bowl combine4 oz Cream cheese, softened, 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese or cheese blend, 1 tsp granulated garlic, and ½ tsp smoked paprika
- Spoon some of the cheese filling into the peppers. I use a small spoon and wear kitchen gloves to push the filling all the way down to the bottom of the pepper and fill to the top.
- Divide the sausage meat into 12 portions (or 6 pork and 6 Italian sausage portions if using). Flatten the sausage meat into a disk then lay a filled pepper on top and wrap the pepper with the sausage meat, ensuring that there are no gaps, roll into an egg shape, repeat with all 12
- Wrap each sausage covered pepper with a slice of bacon. I like to press and stretch each bacon slice before wrapping to ensure that it covers all of the sausage meat. Secure the bacon with toothpicks if necessary.
- Place the bacon wrapped Armadillo Eggs on the rack of your smoker over indirect heat and close the lid.
- Cook until an internal temperature of 165℉ is reached. This will take between 1.5-2 hours depending on how big your armadillo eggs are.
- Before removing from the smoker, you can brush the armadillo eggs with your favorite bbq sauce before serving.
- If you like them crispy, you can place them under your broiler for about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
A Perfect appetizer for game day!