Texas Twinkie beef sticks: the most fun, freakin’ delicious recipe you didn’t know you needed! I had a great time making these smoked beef sticks, so of course I wanted to do more experiments. Spicy jalapeños, brisket, bacon and cheesy goodness immediately came to mind. You’re going to love this twist on homemade beef jerky AND jalapeno poppers!
I used 90/10 ground beef so it’s meatier and less fatty but use what you like. You could even try a wild game meat like venison or elk. You can use whatever leftover brisket you can find for the brisket mixture; if you’re looking for recipe ideas to make your own brisket, you can check out my recipes for foil boat brisket, smoked brisket or overnight smoked brisket. Cooking up a brisket gives you a ton of meat, but don’t be intimidated. I guarantee you’ll find plenty of ways to use the leftovers (like in more Texas Twinkie beef sticks, of course).
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Texas Twinkie Beef Sticks
Texas Twinkies might be one of my favorite appetizers. You might be asking a justified question here: what exactly IS a Texas Twinkie? Basically, it’s a jalapeño pepper stuffed with cream cheese, smoky brisket and cheddar, wrapped in slices of bacon. Then, the wrapped pepper is smoked until you’ve got nice and crispy bacon. The perfect pairing of smoky goodness, if you ask me!
The spicy, meaty flavors in the stuffed jalapeño can be the foundation of so many different recipes. I’ve even made Texas Twinkies smoked jalapeño poppers into meatloaf! So, when my smoked beef sticks turned out the most tender jerky I’ve ever tasted, I knew that mixing in brisket, cheddar cheese, jalapeño peppers and Cowboy Butter Seasoning would take this homemade snack to the next level. No more gas station jerky for me! These beef sticks, with their smoky flavor and meaty texture, are the perfect protein bite when the craving hits. On the snack scale, that’s a five-star rating for me.
Has this got you interested in more peppers with a slice of bacon? Check out Texas Twinkie Meatloaf, Texas Twinkie Stuffed Onion Rings, Smoked Texas Twinkies and Beer Battered Texas Twinkies.
Texas Twinkie Beef Sticks Ingredients
- Beef: For the base of our Texas Twinkie beef sticks, I’m using 90/10 ground beef, finely chopped brisket, cheddar cheese, standard cream cheese, fresh jalapeños and Cowboy Butter Seasoning.
- Binder & Cure: Grab some Prague Powder #1 and ice water for this step in your beef sticks process.
Tips for the Best Beef Sticks
Homemade jerky might seem intimidating, but you’ve got this! Here are a few things to keep in mind.
- You can eat these Texas Twinkie beef sticks right off the smoker, but I recommend letting them completely cool as they might crumble if you don’t.
- Make sure the mixture is a wet-ish paste so it presses out better.
- Use a slightly larger jerky gun tip (about ½-¾”) so the Texas Twinkie beef sticks stay more moist.
- The temperatures I call for in this recipe are to prevent breakage and dryness, so go slowly on the smoker.
Bring the Flavor Home
How to Make Texas Twinkie Beef Sticks
To start making our beef sticks, grab a medium bowl or large bowl (fine, definitely a large bowl) combine ground beef, finely chopped brisket, Cowboy Butter Seasoning and Prague Powder #1. Add 1 cup ice cold water slowly while mixing. Mix aggressively until the meat becomes tacky/sticky. Fold in your cubed cheddar cheese, blocks semi-frozen cream cheese, and finely diced fresh jalapeños until well incorporated.
When you’re doing your jalapeño prep, make sure to use a sharp knife, hold the stem end at the top of the peppers and wear gloves if you’re sensitive to the heat. Take it from a guy who has chopped up a jalapeno pepper with bare hands and then touched his face — no bueno.
Load the meat mixture into a jerky gun. Grease a wire rack or two (you can set inside of a baking sheet if you’d like) and press out long ropes of the beef sticks with spacing between. Make sure to go slow and steady to not create breakage.
Add the Texas Twinkie beef sticks to your smoker at 130 degrees F for one hour to dry the outside and create a pellicle. Bump up the heat 10 degrees F every hour until the smoker gets to 170 degrees F. Let the beef sticks cook until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F. Cooking should take about 5-6 hours total. As an optional last step in the last hour, you can brush with beef tallow to get some extra flavor and shine on that perfect crust if you like.
Once the beef sticks are done cooking, pull them off the smoker. Then, place in the fridge to cool for at least 2 hours. Serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Texas Twinkie Beef Sticks
Thanks to the Texas Twinkie flavors in these beef sticks, they’d be right at home at a BBQ party, in a taco spread, or anything that’s got real jalapeño flavor to it. You could have them as appetizers with some tacos or one of these amazing BBQ sandwiches with juicy pork or sweet barbecue sauce for a sweet-heat experience. You can also change up the cheese you use in these Texas Twinkie beef sticks. Another high temp cheese like colby jack or pepper jack cheese would be freakin’ delicious you want more heat alongside that spicy jalapeño kick.
Snacktime!
Leftovers and Reheating
If you’ve got leftover smoked beef sticks, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. No need to reheat — just grab and go!
FAQs
This is a curing salt that preserves the Texas Twinkie beef mixture and prevents bacterial growth during the smoking process. If you’re making beef sticks, using this powder isn’t optional. You need it for food safety in smoked meat products like these. You can find it at specialty cooking stores, butcher shops, or online.
Using semi-frozen cream cheese ensures that the cheese holds its shape when you’re mixing. This will give you delicious pockets throughout the beef sticks instead of a uniform cream cheese mixture. The texture is just at a whole new level.
Sure! The same heat levels and smoke time will apply if you use your oven instead of the smoker. You won’t have the full smoky flavor, but it’ll do just fine.
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Texas Twinkie Beef Sticks
Ingredients
Beef
- 3 lbs 90/10 ground beef
- 2 lbs Finely Chopped Brisket
- 10 oz cheddar cheese small cubes
- 2 blocks Cream Cheese semi-frozen
- 3-4 fresh jalapeños finely diced
- ⅓ cup Cowboy Butter Rub
Binder & Cure
- 1 tsp Prague Powder #1
- 1 cup ice water
Instructions
- Combine ground beef, brisket, seasoning, cure, and binder. Add ice water slowly while mixing. Mix aggressively until the meat becomes tacky/sticky. Fold in the cheese, cream cheese & jalapeños at the end until well incorporated.
- Load the meat into a jerky gun. Grease some wire cooking racks and press out long ropes of the beef sticks with spacing between. Make sure to go slow and steady to not create breakage.
- Add to your smoker at 130F for one hour to dry the outside and create a pellicle. Bump up the heat 10F every hour until the smoker gets to 170F. Let cook until the beef sticks are at least 150F internal. Cooking should take about 5-6 hours total. (Optional) In the last hour, brush with beef tallow to get some extra flavor and shine if you like.
- Once done, pull off and place in the fridge to cool for at least 2 hours. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- You can eat these Texas Twinkie beef sticks right off the smoker, but I recommend letting them completely cool as they might crumble if you don’t.
- Make sure the mixture is a wet-ish paste so it presses out better.
- Use a slightly larger jerky gun tip (about ½-¾”) so the Texas Twinkie beef sticks stay more moist.
- The temperatures I call for in this recipe are to prevent breakage and dryness, so go slowly on the smoker.
