Texas Twinkies are a crowd pleaser, what’s your go to appetizer for the BBQ?

Uncle Hemmy’s Texas Twinkies

Approximately 20 Twinkies

Ingredients

• 2 lbs jalapeños (about 20 peppers, T-sliced and hollowed. T slice is cutting below the stem across the pepper carefully half way down, then down the length of it. This allows you to open it up and help keep the cheese in. )

• 2 lbs smoked meat of choice (brisket, pulled pork, sausage, etc.), chopped

• 1 lb cream cheese, softened

• 1 ¼ cups shredded cheddar & Monterey Jack cheese

• 2 tbsp BBQ seasoning (your favourite)

• 2 lbs bacon (long strips, preferably thick-cut)

• BBQ sauce of your choice

Method

1. Prep the Pepper

• Wearing gloves, T-slice the jalapeños and scoop out seeds/ribs.

1. Make the Filling

• Mix chopped meat, softened cream cheese, shredded cheese, and rub until smooth and well combined.

1. Fill the Peppers

• Stuff each jalapeño generously with the cheesy meat mix, pressing it down firmly.

1. Wrap in Bacon

• Wrap each pepper tightly with bacon, covering as much filling as possible. Hook one end of the bacon on the jalapeño stem and make sure you tuck the loose end under it.

1. Smoke

• Place on a wire rack over a baking sheet.

• Smoke at 225°F for 1 ½ hours, flip once

• Brush with BBQ sauce, close the lid, and continue:

• Thick bacon: add 30 minutes until rendered.

1. Broil to Finish or Crank Your Grill

• Move peppers to the oven on the lowest rack, or crank your grill up to 400

• Broil ~5 minutes until the bacon is popping and sauce is bubbling. Rotate peppers if needed.

1. Rest & Serve

• Let cool 5 – 10 minutes before digging in, the filling will be molten.