Smoked Armadillo Eggs

This BBQ inspired take on jalapeño poppers is an absolute crowd pleaser. The melted cheese with the freshness of the jalapeño goes perfectly with the sausage and bacon that these poppers are encased in. Named after their armadillo shell appearance, they are great for an appetizer or main course, and a must-have skill for any backyard barbecuer. After all... anyone can put the heat to the meat, but only a few can barbecue. With these bad boys there's no doubt you'll have the best meat on the street.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb thick cut bacon
• 1 pack country pork sausage
• 1 pack regular pork sausage
• 1 pack shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 oz cream cheese
• Jalapeño peppers (1 for as many eggs as you want to make)
• Sweet BBQ rub (optional)
• BBQ Sauce (optional)

These ingredients will make plenty for around 6 eggs but if you plan to make more here is the rough breakdown per egg:

• 3 strips of bacon
• 1 jalapeño
• 1.5 oz cheese mixture (half cream cheese half cheddar cheese)
• quarter lb sausage mixture (half country pork sausage half regular pork sausage)

Supplies:

• Knife
• Smoker
• Toothpicks (optional)

Using your knife (easiest if it is a thin one), core the jalapeños by cutting around the pepper's core as shown. Refer to the images above for representation of the process and what the final cored jalapeño should look like. 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.

To make the cheese filling combine one part cream cheese to one part shredded cheddar cheese and fully combine until it is well mixed as shown. At this step I like to add some sweet BBQ rub to taste, to make the filling a little more flavorful. I used Meat Church's Honey Hog rub and it was great.

After mixing together the cheese, now it is time to fill the jalapeños. Using your knife or small spoon fill the peppers to the top with the cheese mixture as shown. Try not to let any air pockets get trapped inside.

At this step I like to mix half country sausage with have regular pork sausage. It makes the sausage less salty and lets the other flavors from the jalapeño, cheese, and rub shine through more. By all means 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 quarter inch as shown in the picture. Make sure the entire pepper is encased to avoid cheese melting out of the egg during the cooking process.

Now 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 throw it on the smoker at 250 degrees. I use a smoke tube to add more smoke flavor but that is optional. After all, it ain't barbecue if there ain't smoke!

After 1 hour and 45 minutes you can glaze them 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 250 degrees. At this point they should be fully cooked through (165 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 into those bad boys and look at those beautiful layers you've created with the cheese oozing out. Now all that's left to do is enjoy. May you always be surrounded by good friends and great barbecue.