If you’re searching for a great way to excite everyone at your next gathering, smoked Texas Twinkies are it! These spicy poppers, wrapped in Thick Cut Wright Brand Bacon, are the perfect appetizer. Cream cheese, cheddar cheese, leftover smoked brisket, whole jalapeño peppers, BBQ seasoning and maple syrup create the ultimate crispy, savory and spicy bite.
Wrapping a slice of thick-cut bacon around each popper gives us the tastiest crispy pork goodness. I’ve found that Wright Brand Bacon is truly unlike any other bacon in the world. It’s like the best bacon ever, but with an even more pronounced classic smoky bacon flavor. Plus, it provides the perfectly crispy texture your dinner guests will crave in a smoked Texas Twinkie.
Post sponsored by Wright Brand Bacon.
Why You’ll Love Smoked Texas Twinkies
Texas Twinkies are a lot like homemade bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers — with a few key differences. Instead of stuffing the cream cheese mixture into half a jalapeño pepper, we use whole jalapenos. Why? Because everything’s bigger in Texas. You know what else the Texan’s love… Brisket. So we’re stuffing that into these peppers too!
And, unlike the prep for most smoked jalapeño poppers, we extract the pepper’s spicy seeds with a sharp “T” cut.
By adding leftover brisket to our jalapeno poppers recipe, we’ve got a much heartier and flavorful cream cheese filling. Really, the beef brisket is non-negotiable for authentic Texas Twinkies. You can, however, adapt the recipe to your tastes and use shredded beef chuck roast, pulled pork, or even chicken. Just don’t be surprised if Texas messes back.
Looking for more freakin’ delicious appetizers or game day ideas? Check out my roundups for Grilled Appetizer Recipes and The Best Tailgating Recipes.
Smoked Texas Twinkies Ingredients
- Jalapeños: Whole jalapeños are moderately spicy and have vibrant flavor, so these large green chili peppers are the perfect smoked Texas Twinkies vessel.
- Cream Cheese: This smooth and tangy cheese isn’t just for bagels. It binds the filling together perfectly and only adds more depth to the flavor.
- Shredded Smoked Brisket: You can outsource your brisket or make the chopped brisket yourself with the smoker. You’ll love the tender melt-in-your-mouth results that taste even better as leftovers. My recipes for smoked brisket and foil boat brisket are great places to start!
- Cheddar Cheese: Shredded cheddar is my go-to melty and tasty cheese for this recipe. If you’re looking for something different, I’m sure the poppers will taste just as amazing with some pepper Jack cheese, too.
- Thick Cut Bacon: Obviously, if you haven’t tried the Wright Brand Hickory Smoked Bacon yet, you are missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures. Life’s too short not to buy bacon that tastes this good!
- BBQ Seasoning: Make sure to grab some of my favorite BBQ spice rubs to keep in your pantry staples. This 4-Pack Beer-Infused Sampler will give you everything you need and more.
- Maple Syrup: A sweet maple syrup glaze over salty bacon is the perfect flavor match for this smoked Texas Twinkies recipe.
Better Bacon
Here are a few things to keep in mind when using bacon to wrap our jalapeno peppers. First, make sure to grab some thick-cut (obviously!) bacon with a well-balanced ratio of fat to meat. And secondly, for best results, use cold bacon, not room temperature bacon, to wrap around the jalapeños. Traditional crispy bacon is very difficult to achieve on a low and slow smoker. So, in other words, be patient.
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How to Make Smoked Texas Twinkies
Prepping the Peppers
First, fire up your smoker, add then toss in some wood chips or wood chunks, and aim for a steady temperature of 250 degrees F. Reaching this heat should take about 25-30 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 16 ounces of cream cheese with 1 cup of shredded smoked brisket and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Next, place each whole jalapeño (you’ll use about 8-10 peppers) on a cutting board and use a sharp paring knife to slice a capital “T” shape in each one.
Make a short slice under the stem, at the top of the pepper, and a longer straight line down the length of the pepper. Scoop out the seeds from the inside of the pepper with a small spoon. It’s always good to be a little bit careful at this point to avoid breaking the stems.
Once you’ve prepared the peppers, you can start stuffing them with the cream cheese brisket mixture. Wrap a slice of bacon and then sprinkle your favorite BBQ seasoning around each stuffed jalapeño. You’ll use about 10-12 slices of bacon for all your smoked Texas Twinkies. Place each wrapped pepper on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and set aside.
Smoking the Texas Twinkies
Add your Texas Twinkies to the smoker on the grill gates. Cook the stuffed jalapeños for 90 minutes, or until the fat in the bacon has rendered and dark amber coloring and crispy textures appear. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, glaze each Twinkie with the maple syrup. Once the appetizers are done, place them on a wire rack and let them cool off for about 5 minutes.
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Serving Smoked Texas Twinkies
You can serve them whole, or slice up your smoked Texas Twinkies with a sharp knife, serve, and enjoy!
What to Serve with Smoked Texas Twinkies
While Texas Twinkies stand out as perfectly delicious on their own, feel free to level up the flavor with some killer sauces. Barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, honey mustard, or a spicy aioli are some ideas that come to mind. Smoked Texas Twinkies also make a great appetizer before you serve up my Smoked Salmon with a mixed green salad.
For More Jalapeños
Leftovers and Reheating
Allow any leftover Texas Twinkies to cool before placing them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Store for up to 3-5 days. When you’re ready to dive in, you can gently reheat in some aluminum foil on the grill.
FAQs
Yes, you can make Texas Twinkies in an oven or on a grill with indirect heat. Simply use wood chips or pellets for a smoky flavor.
Traditional hardwoods like hickory, mesquite, or oak work great, however never shy away from the sweeter woods, like apple wood, maple wood, and cherry wood.
Yes, you can assemble the Texas Twinkies a day in advance and refrigerate them until you’re ready to smoke them.
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Smoked Texas Twinkies
Ingredients
Smoked Texas Twinkies:
- 8-10 Whole Jalapeños
- 16 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Shredded Smoked Brisket
- ½ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 10-12 slices Wright Brand Bacon Hickory Smoked
- Favorite BBQ Seasoning as needed
- Maple Syrup for glaze
Instructions
- Begin by mixing the cream cheese, shredded brisket, and cheddar cheese in a large bowl.
- Next, take a jalapeno and slice a “T” shape, with the short horizontal slice just beneath the stem and the long vertical slice down the length of the pepper.
- Using gloves or a small spoon, scoop out all the filling and seeds from the inside of the jalapeno. Be careful not to break off the stems.
- Once cleaned, stuff each pepper with the cream cheese mixture.
- Next, take 1 slice of Wright Brand Bacon and carefully wrap it around the whole jalapeno, making sure to fully encase it.
- Season the outside of the bacon with your favorite BBQ seasoning and set to the side. Repeat this for all the other jalapenos until completed.
- Preheat your smoker/grill to indirect heat at 250 degrees F. Add some wood chips or wood chunks to the smoker for added smoke flavor.
- Add your Texas Twinkies to the smoker and let cook for about 90 minutes or until the bacon has become dark amber and crispy.
- During the last 10 minutes of cooking, glaze the outside of each Twinkie with maple syrup and let cook to get a nice sheen.
- Once done, pull them off and let them cool for 5 minutes. Slice them up, serve and enjoy!
