After a few test shots, I began to wonder if the serving size is actually accurate. Filled with the world’s finest ground pork, wrapped in the world’s tastiest smoked bacon, these little smoked creations will have a hard time staying in your smoker. Don’t forget to save place for the main course!
Serves 8-10 adults, as appetizers.
Preferred Smoking Fuel
- Pecan logs or chunks
- Hickory Pellets
Ingredients
- 1 lb. bag Mini Sweet Peppers (we prefer seedless)
- 1 lb. Stone Arch thick cut Bacon
- Meat Church Honey Bacon Rub
- Blues Hog Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
For the cream cheese filling
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese
- 1/4 lb. Stone Arch Ground Pork
- 2 oz. Smoked Cooper Cheese
- 2 oz. Smoked Yellow Cheddar Cheese
- 2 tbsp. Yellow Mustard
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp. Minced Onion
- 2 tbsp. Meadow Creek Barbecue Rub
- 1 tbsp. Meadow Creek TX Brisket Rub
The Preppin’
- Pre-heat your smoker to 350° F. If using a charcoal smoker, add several chunks of wood to the fire.
- Pick out a dozen of the biggest peppers and cut them in half, lengthwise. Cut out the stems and remove the seeds. Rinse the peppers to remove any stubborn bits.
- Combine the cream cheese, ground pork, cheese, and mustard in a mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the garlic powder, minced onion, Barbecue Rub, and TX Brisket Rub, then add it to the cream cheese mixture and mix very well.
- Using your hands, put a big glob of the cream cheese stuffing in each pepper.
- Wrap a 1/2 piece of raw Stone Arch thick cut bacon around each stuffed pepper, and secure it with a toothpick.
Smoke Show!
- Place the wrapped peppers on a wire rack in a 1/2-size pan and dust them with a light coat of Honey Bacon rub. Put the pan, uncovered, in the smoker.
- Smoke the bombs for about 60 minutes, until the peppers are soft and the bacon is crispy.
The Homestretch
- Remove the peppers from the smoker and add a generous drizzle of Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. Let them cool in the pan, uncovered, for 10 minutes before serving.
- Store any leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Pro Tips:
- Twelve hours before smoking, or on the morning of the cook, set the cream cheese out on the countertop to warm, this will make mixing easier.
