Smoked Jack-O’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers with BBQ Pulled Pork
Orange jack-o’-lantern peppers filled with smoked pulled pork, cooked rice, tangy BBQ sauce, sautéed onion, and sharp cheddar. Smoke at 375°F until tender and hot throughout, or use the easy oven method for a hearty Halloween BBQ dinner.
Equipment
- Smoker, pellet grill, covered grill with indirect heat, or oven
- 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan, lightly oiled
- Large skillet
- Small sharp paring knife
- Cutting board
- Mixing spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Instant-read food thermometer
- Wide spatula
- Heat-resistant gloves or oven mitts
- Leave-in probe thermometer, optional
- Aluminum foil (optional, for support rings or tenting)
Ingredients
Peppers
- 6 large orange bell peppers broad, thick-walled, and able to stand upright
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil for greasing the pan
BBQ Pulled Pork Filling
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil for sautéing
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced; about 1 cup / 150g
- 1 pound cooked smoked pulled pork about 3 loosely packed cups / 454g; chop long strands
- 1 1/2 cups cooked white rice about 240g; cooked brown rice also works
- 3/4 cup BBQ sauce start with 1/2 cup if pork is already sauced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar about 6 ounces / 170g, divided
- 1-3 tablespoons water optional, only if filling needs loosening
Instructions
- Preheat the cooker. Set the smoker or pellet grill to 375°F. For a covered grill, use indirect heat at 375°F. For the oven method, preheat to 375°F and use the center rack. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with 1 teaspoon oil.
- Carve the peppers. Wash and dry the peppers. Cut off the tops in one piece, keeping the stems attached, and reserve the lids. Remove seeds and white membranes. Place each pepper securely on a cutting board and use a paring knife to cut small triangle eyes and a simple mouth, keeping your supporting hand out of the blade’s path. Leave wide strips of pepper between cuts. Keep the base intact; use a small foil ring to support any wobbly pepper.
- Sauté the onion. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced yellow onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until softened. Clean pepper scraps can go in with the onion.
- Heat the filling. Stir in the cooked pulled pork, cooked rice, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until hot throughout, about 5 minutes or longer if very cold. When using refrigerated leftover pork or rice, heat the mixture to 165°F. Add the optional water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed; the filling should be moist, not soupy. Remove from the heat and fold in 1 cup cheddar.
- Stuff the peppers. Stand the peppers in the pan. Divide the hot filling among them, spooning it in gently to just below the rim. Do not pack tightly or push filling through the faces. Put any extra filling in a small cooker-safe dish to heat alongside. Place the pepper lids beside the peppers.
- Cook and top with cheese. Smoke or grill over indirect heat, uncovered with the cooker lid closed, for about 25–35 minutes. Alternatively, bake in the oven for about 30–35 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar during the final 5–10 minutes. Start checking the smoked peppers at 25 minutes. Continue until the pepper walls are fork-tender but still upright and the center of the filling in each pepper reaches 165°F. If the tops brown too quickly, loosely tent with foil and continue cooking.
- Rest and serve. Rest for 5 minutes. Set or lean a reserved lid on each pepper and lift carefully from underneath with a wide spatula. Serve one large stuffed pepper per person.
Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Smoker/Grill/Oven Temperature: 375°F; indirect heat for a grill
Target Internal Temperature: 165°F in the center of every pepper's filling
Serving Size: 1 large stuffed pepper
Smoker/Grill/Oven Temperature: 375°F; indirect heat for a grill
Target Internal Temperature: 165°F in the center of every pepper's filling
Serving Size: 1 large stuffed pepper
- Start with cooked pork and cooked rice. The timing excludes smoking a pork shoulder and cooking rice from scratch. Preheat the cooker during prep.
- Total skillet time is approximately 10 minutes; smoker time is 25–35 minutes. The card uses 45 minutes Cook Time and 75 minutes Total Time to allow the upper end. Cold ingredients, large peppers, and cooker recovery can take longer; temperature and texture decide doneness.
- Hot filling helps the centers finish before the carved walls soften too much. Do not boil or blanch the peppers first.
- Sauced pork: start with 1/2 cup extra BBQ sauce and add more only if needed. Taste only once the leftover filling is thoroughly reheated. Additional salt is usually unnecessary.
- Keep the faces small and sturdy, and use light smoke. The pork already supplies plenty of BBQ flavor.
- Oven alternative: 375°F, center rack, about 30–35 minutes with hot filling; add topping cheese during the last 5–10 minutes. Confirm 165°F in each center.
- Make ahead: refrigerate carved peppers, covered, up to 1 day. Keep cooked pork and rice chilled separately; make the hot filling just before stuffing.
- Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Stay within the original storage window of the oldest cooked ingredient. Reheat covered at 350°F until the filling reaches 165°F; the peppers will be softer.
- Nutrition and cost are estimates; sauce, pork seasoning/fat, pepper size, and optional extra filling affect the totals. Allergens include milk and potentially fish, soy, or wheat depending on sauces. Check labels before making dietary claims.
- From Our Backyard to Yours.