Football season is here, and to celebrate tailgating season, I’m teaming up with Kroger to make some insane BBQ Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers. All I needed was the Kroger app to get all the ingredients delivered right to my door by professional drivers using refrigerated trucks to keep all the ingredients fresh!
Once Kroger Delivery handled my shopping, I cored some jalapeños and stuffed them with a cream cheese mixture, BBQ shrimp and wrapped it all in bacon. Finally, I smoked them up and enjoyed them at the tailgate with all my buddies.
Post Sponsored by Kroger.
You won’t believe how easy this recipe is. All you need is 30 minutes of prep time and 1 hour of cooking time, and you’ll be ready to serve up to four people. If your party is bigger than four, make sure to double… or triple this recipe!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- BBQ Shrimp Jalapeño Popper Ingredients
- How to Make This Easy Appetizer
- ShRimp Jalapeño Poppers Tips and Tricks
- This sauce is FYR!
- How to Store Leftovers & Reheat
- What to Serve with Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers
- More Bacon Wrapped goodness
- Recipe FAQ’s
- Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
- Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you love BBQ Scorpion Bites, you’ll love this Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers appetizer that’s a combination between them and my Surf and Turf Jalapeno Poppers and Grilled Jalapeno Poppers with Bacon. With the spicy peppers, smooth cream cheese, BBQ jumbo shrimp, cheddar cheese, and bacon, the combination of flavors is mind-blowing! Perfect for a weeknight cook or a game day appetizer.
BBQ Shrimp Jalapeño Popper Ingredients
To make this delicious recipe, you’ll start out with some raw shrimp, paired with your favorite BBQ rub and BBQ sauce.
Next, you’ll make your poppers out of jalapeño peppers, cream cheese, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and thick bacon strips. Now, let’s get cooking!
How to Make This Easy Appetizer
Start off your smoked poppers by mixing together the softened cream cheese, shredded cheese and bbq rub in a medium bowl. Next, take a jalapeño and slice it in half lengthwise.
Using gloves or a utensil, scoop out all the filling and seeds from the inside of the jalapeño halves. Once cleaned, stuff each jalapeño half with some of the room temperature cream cheese mixture. I say room temperature because that makes it easier to spread.
Then, slather your shrimp with oil and generously season them with your favorite barbecue rub. Take one of the shrimp and place it on top of the cream cheese in each pepper half with the tail sticking up.
Then wrap the entire thing in a slice of bacon and secure everything with a toothpick. Repeat this until all your jalapeño poppers are wrapped in a strip of bacon, then set everything to the side until ready to cook.
Now, it’s time to smoke these Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers! Preheat your smoker for indirect cooking at medium heat, about 250F. Add some wood chips or chunks for added smoke flavor.
Finally, add your jalapeño poppers to the smoker and cook until the bacon is fully done (about 30-45 minutes). About 10 minutes before pulling off, glaze the outside with your favorite bbq sauce and continue cooking.
Then, pull them off and let them cool for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
ShRimp Jalapeño Poppers Tips and Tricks
Now, I’ll admit I’m biased, but I truly believe my Big Bad BBQ Ale All-Purpose BBQ Rub brings the flavor on that shrimp. And don’t forget your choice of FYR BBQ sauces and customize them to the vibe you’re going for. The RED sauce is my go-to for a screamin’ hot flavor with a hint of blood orange. The BLK is better for garlic lovers who don’t love the spice. GLD is a good middle ground, with sweetness and spice anyone will love.
Get stoked for life
This sauce is FYR!
Born from a deep passion for food and flavor. Whether you’re grilling in the backyard or live fire cooking around the world, we have what you need to transform every meal into an adventure.
How to Store Leftovers & Reheat
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you need to stack your poppers in the Tupperware, put a layer of parchment paper or aluminum foil between each level. Slowly warm them back up in the oven on a baking sheet until fully warmed through.
What to Serve with Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers
This tasty recipe works best with other tailgate foods. Tortilla chips with queso, buffalo chicken quesadillas, smoked chicken lollipops, and loaded chili cheese fries, and of course, an ice-cold beer to wash it all down with!
More Bacon Wrapped goodness
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, you can substitute another type of cheese in this recipe. For example, you can try using pepper jack cheese, Mexican shredded cheese, or Monterey jack cheese. Keep in mind which cheese will match your ideal flavor profile, based on the type of BBQ rub and BBQ sauce you chose.
You could also use a flavored cream cheese, if you’re really feeling fancy.
I used raw shrimp for this jalapeño poppers recipe, but it’s okay if you’d prefer to use frozen shrimp. Just make sure to completely thaw your jumbo shrimp before cooking.
Not necessary. I remove them so that they’re not so spicy. It also creates a better cavity for the filling. However, if you want the spicy heat, you can definitely leave the seeds intact.
Get The Cookbooks!
Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire
All the major tastes—salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami—are explored in depth, along with an investigation of other components you should consider when it comes to flavor, such as aroma, heat, and texture.
Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers
Ingredients
Shrimp:
- 1.5 lbs Jumbo Shrimp peeled w/tails
- 2.5 tbsp Big Bad BBQ Ale Or your favorite BBQ rub
- Favorite BBQ Sauce for glazing
- Canola Oil as needed
Poppers:
- 5-6 Fresh Jalapeños cored & seeded
- 20 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Shredded Cheese
- 10-12 Bacon Strips
Instructions
- Begin by mixing together the cream cheese, shredded cheese and bbq rub in one bowl.
- Next, take a jalapeno and slice it in half lengthwise. Using gloves or a utensil, scoop out all the filling and seeds from the inside of the jalapeno.
- Once cleaned, stuff the pepper with some of the cream cheese mixture.
- Next, slather your shrimp with oil and generously season with Big Bad BBQ Ale seasoning, or your favorite barbecue rub.
- Take one of the shrimp and place it on top of the cream cheese in the jalapeno with the tail sticking up.
- Wrap the shrimp in bacon and secure everything with a toothpick.
- Repeat this for all your jalapeno poppers, then set everything to the side until ready to cook.
- Preheat your smoker for indirect cooking at 250F. Add some wood chips or chunks for added smoke flavor.
- Add your jalapeno poppers to the smoker and cook until the bacon is fully done (about 30-45 minutes).
- About 10 minutes before pulling off, glaze the outside with your favorite bbq sauce and continue cooking.
- Once they are done, pull them out and let them cool for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Add some horseradish
Can you cook these in an oven?
Sure!