JALAPENO CHEESE POPPERS WITH PORK

These ingredients will make plenty for around 6 eggs:
450 g thick cut bacon
1 pack country pork sausage (280 – 300 g)
1 pack regular pork sausage (280 – 300 g)
225 g shredded Cheddar cheese or cheese of choice
225 g cream cheese
Jalapeno peppers, 1 for every popper
Sweet BBQ rub, optional
BBQ Sauce, optional
Here is the rough breakdown per egg:
3 strips of bacon
1 jalapeno
40 g cheese mixture (half cream cheese half cheddar cheese)
113 g sausage mixture (half country pork sausage half regular pork sausage)

Core the Jalapenos:
Using a knife (easiest if it is a thin one), core the jalapenos by cutting around the pepper’s core. Make sure to get all of the seeds and ribs out because that is where all the heat is and these are not supposed to be spicy.

Cheese mixture:
To make the cheese filling combine one part cream cheese to one part shredded cheddar cheese and fully combine until it is well mixed. At this step you can add some sweet BBQ rub to taste, to make the filling a little more flavorful, but it is optional.

Fill the Jalapenos:
After mixing together the cheese, fill the jalapenos. Using a knife or small spoon, fill the peppers to the top with the cheese mixture. Try not to let any air pockets get trapped inside.

Wrap it up:
At this step mix half country sausage with half regular pork sausage. It makes the sausage less salty and lets the other flavors from the jalapeno, cheese, and rub shine through more.

Option:
You could only use regular pork sausage and mix in your own spices. Just make sure you are using pork sausage.
The layer of sausage should be around a 6 mm. Make sure the entire pepper is encased to avoid cheese melting out of the “egg” during the cooking process.

Wrap in bacon:
Wrap the sausage covered poppers in bacon to form the last layer.
Normally it takes between 2.5 and 3 strips of bacon per “egg”, and you can use toothpicks to secure it if needed. Add some rub and put it on the smoker at 130ºC.
I use a smoke tube to add more smoke flavor but that is optional.

Glaze or Broil:
After 1 hour and 45 minutes you can glaze it with your favorite BBQ sauce for the last 15 minutes of the cook. I do not do this, and instead opt to broil them after 2 hours of smoking at 130ºC. At this point they should be fully cooked through (90ºC internal temp) and broiling them will further crisp up the bacon.
We’ve got nothing to hide, so the sauce is on the side!
After letting them cool for around 10 minutes slice and enjoy.

Recipe tested and photo: Jan Salti Viljoen