INGREDIENTS:
6 jalapeños6 oz. cream cheese1 cup cheddar cheese1 lb sausage (mild, Italian, breakfast)1 tbsp bbq rub (I used Hardcore Carnivore Red)1 cup BBQ sauce of choiceadditional rub (optional)6-12 slices of bacon (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Take the cream cheese out of the fridge so it can come to room temp (this makes it easier to work with). Mix with cheddar cheese and rub to combine. Set aside.There’s two ways to do the jalapeno part of this: either just slice off the stems of the jalapeños and then use the opposite end of a spoon or fork to core the jalapeno (scrape out the ribs and seeds) OR slice the jalapeños in half, remove the stem, ribs and seeds.Stuff the jalapeños with the cream cheese mixture. If you sliced them in half in the previous step, just put two of the halves together.Cut your sausage into 6 even pieces and roll out. Put the jalapèno popper on top and then form the sausage around it. You want to make sure the sausage is completely covering the jalapeno.(Optional) Season with more of the bbq rub.(Optional) Wrap the sausage/jalapeno in a bacon weave. (I didn’t do this, as you can see in my photos).Heat Smoker to 250 degrees for oven to 350 degrees. I used apple wood for this but you could use whatever you prefer (oak, cherry, hickory, etc.). Place the armadillo eggs over indirect heat and cook at 250 degrees for about 2 hours (or 30 minutes in oven) until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.Brush BBQ sauce on bacon and cook for another 5-10 minutes at 250 until the sauce thickens some (it should almost look like it’s glistening). If you want the bacon to be crispier, crank up the temp to 400 degrees (or broil in oven) instead of 250. You can also put these under the broiler, if you want to get the bacon even crispier.Serve warm with extra BBQ sauce.
I think it’s easiest to roll out the sausage on plastic wrap and use the edges of the plastic wrap to form the sausage around the stuffed jalapeno. This also makes it less messy.
