Smoked Jalapeño Poppers on the Traeger

These Smoked Jalapeño Poppers are a delicious twist on a classic popper recipe. First twist: wrapping the poppers in bacon – this adds meatiness which absorbs that smoke even more! You won’t be able to get enough of this savory and spicy combo!

Why You Will ❤️ This Smoked Jalapeno Poppers Recipe

• Delicious Smoky Flavor – A few hours on the Traeger leaves a smoky flavor that a regular popper just can’t even compare to!
• Simple Ingredients – The ingredients are so simple but that doesn’t make them any less delicious! It only makes you want them more!
• Crowd-pleasing! – These are perfect if you’re hosting a birthday party or game day. I guarantee that they’ll get snatched up! This is a favorite appetizer for all!

Jalapeno Popper Ingredients

This Jalapeno Popper recipe is pretty simple to make and only has 5 ingredients:

• Jalapeño Peppers – be sure to get good sized jalapeños that are at least 3-4 inches long
• Cream Cheese – 1 block is enough for 10-12 jalapeños
• Cheese – I used colby jack because it’s what I had – but you can use cheddar, pepper jack, or whatever you love
• Bacon – it takes about 1/2 slice for 1/2 pepper – so 10 peppers = 10 slices bacon
• BBQ Seasoning – use your favorite BBQ rub for a sprinkle on top – it adds a lot to the flavor

Supplies Used

• Chef’s Knife – this recipe has a lot of things that we need to cut up into small pieces and this knife is perfect. It’s my favorite in the kitchen!
• Cutting Boards – these cutting boards are also a necessity for this recipe since we want to make sure that all of our surfaces stay safe!

How to Make Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers on the Traeger

These are easy to make – they take about 15 minutes of prep time and cook in a couple of hours. But with the Traeger, you set it and forget it! Well – don’t forget it – but you can go take a nap!

• PREPARE Traeger and set temp to 225ºF to preheat
• USING a paring knife, slice jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise – keeping the stem on the end
  • If you’re sensitive to pepper juice and seeds, you can wear gloves to protect your hands.
• USING a small spoon, scrape out ribs and seeds from jalapenos and discard. That’s where the heat is – so keep some in if you want more spice
• IN A MEDIUM BOWL, mix together softened cream cheese and cojack cheese.
• USING the spoon, fill the jalapeno halves with the cream cheese mixture. Feel free to mound it up a little.
• TAKE a half slice of bacon and wrap around the stuffed jalapeno – pull tightly as you wrap. No need for a toothpick – if you wrap the bacon tight – it will hold.
• PLACE the jalapenos on a baking sheet.
• SPRINKLE with bbq seasoning 
• PLACE on Traeger and smoke at 225ºF for 90-120 minutes

Tips, Tricks & FAQs

• What are the best pellets to use for Jalapeno Poppers? There are many flavors of pellets that work in your Traeger pellet grill. I keep it simple and always use the Traeger Signature Blend which is a blend of Maple and Cherry. That said if you’re looking for something specific for bacon – the best are Apple, Maple and Hickory.
• Can you use prosciutto instead of bacon? You could but you would smoke for less time – maybe just 30 minutes. Prosciutto is a much thinner and more delicate cut of pork. Frankly – I think it would get overwhelmed by the cream cheese and wouldn’t recommend it. Plus, there’s so many kinds of bacon – you can get different flavors that way!
• Should I use thick or thin-cut bacon? I would recommend thin or regular bacon and not thick cut bacon. Thick takes longer to cook and these peppers don’t need much time.
• How long do you smoke jalapeno poppers? They take about 90-120 minutes at 225ºF.
• What if I don’t have a smoker? You can definitely make these on a regular grill – if you keep them on low indirect heat – they’ll probably be done in about 35-45 minutes. If you want to add that smoky flavor, you can use wood chips or a smoke tube filled with wood pellets inside a closed grill.
• Can you make jalapeno poppers in the air fryer? Yes – definitely! Here’s my recipe – they’re so yummy! If using the air fryer, you might have to cook one batch at a time. They take about 15 minutes in the air fryer and about 30-45 minutes in the oven.

Variations

Jalapeno Poppers are definitely customizeable! Here are a few options:

• Peppers – go more mild with poblano peppers or spicier with serrano peppers
• Cheese – swap out with cheddar cheese, colby or pepper jack
• Mix-ins – add in taco seasoning or ranch seasoning to your cream cheese
• Wrap – mix up your bacon by using thick or thin, maple or regular or even the new sausage strips

What to serve with Jalapeno Poppers

These are other dishes that would be great with the poppers and take 90-120 minutes:

• Traeger Baked Potatoes
• Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
• Smoked Cream Cheese

More Traeger appetizer recipes

• Smoked Chicken Wings
• Traeger Pig Shots
• Smoked Queso

More Bacon-Wrapped Traeger recipes

• Bacon Wrapped Oreos
• Smoked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
• Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf