Smoked Mummy Jalapeño Poppers with Bacon and Cheddar
Jalapeño halves filled with cream cheese, sharp cheddar, crispy bacon, and scallions, wrapped in thin crescent-dough bandages and cooked over indirect heat. Add little olive eyes for a savory Halloween appetizer, with an easy oven option.
Equipment
- Smoker, pellet grill, covered grill with indirect heat, or oven
- Rimmed metal baking sheet that fits your cooker
- Lightly oiled aluminum foil
- Cutting board and small sharp knife
- Disposable food-preparation gloves
- Small spoon
- Mixing bowl and sturdy spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Pizza cutter or knife for dough strips
- Pastry brush
- Instant-read thermometer
- Heat-resistant gloves or oven mitts
Ingredients
- 10 large jalapeños about 3–4 inches long; halved lengthwise and seeded
- 6 ounces block cream cheese softened; reserve 1 tablespoon for attaching the eyes
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar about 4 ounces / 113g
- 4 slices cooked bacon crisp, drained, cooled, and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sliced scallions green parts, finely sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 8-ounce tube refrigerated crescent dough sheet or crescent rolls with the seams pinched closed
- 1 tablespoon milk for lightly brushing the dough
- 6 pitted black olives cut into at least 40 small eye pieces; pat dry
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil for the foil-lined baking sheet
Instructions
- Set up the cooker. Preheat a smoker, pellet grill, or covered grill to 375°F with indirect heat. For the oven method, preheat to 375°F with a rack in the center. Line a rimmed metal baking sheet with foil and lightly oil it. Use cooked, crisp bacon; allow extra time if cooking bacon from raw.
- Prepare the peppers. Wear food-preparation gloves. Wash and dry the jalapeños, halve them lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds and pale inner ribs with a small spoon. Keep the pepper walls and tips intact. Wash tools and hands after handling peppers, and avoid touching your eyes.
- Mix and fill. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese in the refrigerator for the eyes. Mix the remaining cream cheese with cheddar, cooked bacon, scallions, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. Divide among the 20 pepper halves, filling just to the rim or with a slight mound. Smooth the surface; do not pile the filling high.
- Wrap the mummies. Unroll the cold crescent dough, pinching any seams closed. Cut into strips about 1/4 inch wide. Wind strips loosely around each filled pepper, securing the ends underneath. Leave small gaps between wraps and an uncovered space near the wide end for two eyes. Avoid thick overlapping layers on the bottom. If the dough gets sticky, chill it briefly before continuing. Brush the exposed dough lightly with milk.
- Cook over indirect heat. Arrange the poppers filling-side up about 1 inch apart on the prepared sheet. Cook with the lid closed at 375°F for about 20–30 minutes, rotating the tray if one side browns faster. Start checking at 20 minutes. The dough should be golden and baked through underneath, the peppers slightly tender, and the filling hot; use 165°F in the filling as a conservative check. If the tops brown early, tent loosely with foil and continue until the underside is fully baked. In the oven, bake at 375°F for about 18–25 minutes, checking the same signs of doneness.
- Rest, add eyes, and serve. Let the poppers rest for at least 5 minutes. Place two small dots of the reserved cream cheese in each eye opening and press a dry olive piece into each dot. Serve warm, allowing extra cooling if the cheese is still too hot to bite. The stems are handles, not part of the bite. Makes 20 poppers; plan on 2 per appetizer serving.
Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Smoker/Grill/Oven Temperature: 375°F; indirect heat on a grill
Target Internal Temperature: 165°F in the filling as a conservative check; dough must also be fully baked. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.
Yield: 20 poppers; 10 appetizer servings of 2.
Smoker/Grill/Oven Temperature: 375°F; indirect heat on a grill
Target Internal Temperature: 165°F in the filling as a conservative check; dough must also be fully baked. Reheat leftovers to 165°F.
Yield: 20 poppers; 10 appetizer servings of 2.
- Timing starts with cooked bacon and softened cream cheese. Preheat during prep. Allow extra time for cooking bacon, chilling sticky dough, or unusually large peppers. The card uses the upper end of the smoker range.
- Use light smoke. Keep the tray away from direct flame; a metal sheet supports the dough and catches any cheese.
- Do not put raw bacon in the filling. Use block cream cheese rather than a loose whipped spread. No extra salt is usually needed.
- Thin dough strips and minimal overlap help the undersides bake. Pepper size, dough brand, and cooker temperature affect timing; judge doneness rather than the clock.
- Milder option: use 10 similarly sized mini sweet peppers. Removing jalapeño ribs reduces heat but does not guarantee mild peppers.
- Make ahead: fill the peppers up to 1 day ahead, cover, and refrigerate at 40°F or below. Wrap with cold dough just before cooking. Refrigerated filling can lengthen the cook.
- Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Use within 3–4 days, counting any older cooked bacon's existing storage time. Reheat at 350°F until the filling reaches 165°F; add fresh eye decorations afterward if needed.
- Estimated cost and nutrition vary by brands, pepper size, bacon thickness, and dough used. Contains milk and wheat; check dough and bacon labels for other allergens.
- From Our Backyard to Yours.