Deliciously Authentic Texas Twinkies
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Ingredients
- 12 fresh jalapeño peppers
- 2 cups shredded smoked brisket point
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 12 bacon slices
- ½ cup sweet BBQ sauce
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 teaspoon onion powder optional
Instructions
- Preheat a pellet grill or smoker to 225 degrees F.
- Mix the cream cheese and shredded cheese with the meat, onion powder if using, and 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce using a food processor or electric mixer until just combined.
- Cut a triangle shape out of the side of each jalapeño, leaving the base and stem whole.
- Scrape out and discard membranes and seeds.
- Divide the prepared filling between the jalapeños and replace the cutout part.
- Wrap each one with a bacon strip and use toothpicks to secure them.
- Smoke them for 1½ hours on the grill grate.
- Brush the rest of the BBQ sauce over the Texas twinkies.
- Turn the temperature up to 350 degrees F.
- Cook for a further 15 minutes or until the sauce has started to caramelize.
- Let the Texas twinkies cool for 15 minutes then serve.
Nutrition
We all know and love Twinkies, that cream-filled sweet and spongy treat, but what are Texas twinkies? Actually they couldn’t be more different! A Texas twinkie, also known as a Texas torpedo, is a savory dish made by stuffing jalapeños with beef and cheese before wrapping the whole thing in bacon and brushing over BBQ sauce. Is your mouth watering yet?
Texas loves to give unusual names to unusual recipes. Take Texas caviar, for instance. This has nothing to do with fish roe and is instead a corn and bean salad! Texas twinkies are another example, so let’s find out how to make these extra-special poppers.
Some Ingredient Variations
You can tweak the ingredients if you like, subbing sweet peppers for the jalapeños, another type of shredded (or ground) beef or pork for the brisket, or smoked cheese or cheddar for the Monterey Jack. You could also add a pinch of garlic powder.
Notes
- The exact amount of jalapeños you can fill depends on their size.
- You can cut the jalapeños in half if cutting out a small piece is too fiddly and then either sandwich them back together once filled or else wrap each half in half a strip of bacon (this means you will end up with 24 halves instead of 12 whole ones).
- Store these in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days or in the freezer for 2 or 3 months, then thaw and reheat in the smoker, air fryer or microwave.
Texas twinkies make a delicious snack or appetizer. These juicy jalapeños are stuffed with beef and cheese, wrapped in bacon and doused in BBQ sauce to ensure plenty of incredible flavors in every bite. If you aren’t a fan of spicy foods, you can always sub mini sweet peppers for the jalapeños.
