Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño poppers

You should have known it wouldn’t be long before we were taking our ‘Dish of the Week’ post outside to the fire!

Get the fire going

Berto likes spicy food and I don’t. He ate deep fried jalapeño poppers in a restaurant one day and loved them. I wanted to know how it tasted and then he promised that when he made it, even I would like it. So, here’s Berto’s take on ‘not so spicy bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers’.

Put it on the table:

It’s hard to believe that so few ingredients can produce such a tasty snack.

Ingredients

4 jalapeño peppers

4 strips of streaky bacon

½ cup of grated cheddar cheese

½ cup of plain cream cheese

toothpicks

(There will probably be some of the cheese mixture left over. Put it in the fridge and spread it on toast the next morning – it’s delicious!)

Mix the cheddar cheese and cream cheese well

The spiciest part of jalapeños is not the seeds themselves (as many believe), but rather the placenta, or membrane. So, when you remove the seeds you also need to make sure you cut out the white membrane. Of course, if you want a spicier dish, keep the membrane (and probably the seeds).

Jalapeños cut in halve and all seeds and membranes removed

Use a teaspoon to stuff each jalapeño half with the cheese mixture

After filling the jalapeño halves, put them back together. Now take a strip of bacon and wrap it around each jalapeño pepper. Use a toothpick to hold the bacon in place.

Jalapeño poppers ready for the fire

We are waiting for hot coals

Jalapeño poppers on the fire

Turn the jalapeño poppers frequently so the bacon doesn’t burn. Once the bacon is golden brown and crispy (and the cheese starts to ooze out), it’s time to take it off.

Almost ready

We eat the poppers right there next to the fire as a snack. With cheese dripping deliciously over your fingers, it might be a good idea to eat it outside anyway.

Delicious bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers

Now, these aren’t your traditional jalapeño poppers, but they are just as delicious. Oh yes, and of course you can also cook these in the oven, but where’s the fun in that?