Sausage-Stuffed Jalapeños Wrapped in Opa's Peppered Bacon

Sausage-Stuffed Jalapeños Wrapped in Opa's Peppered Bacon

Two Opa's products doing the work in one appetizer. Jalapeño Cheddar sausage mixed with cream cheese, stuffed into halved jalapeños, wrapped in Opa's Peppered Bacon, baked until the bacon is crisp and the filling is hot and bubbling. The jalapeño from the sausage meets the jalapeño from the pepper. The peppered bacon adds crunch and salt. The cream cheese smooths everything out. No single element is complicated. Together, they're hard to stop eating.

Author

Opa's Smoked Meats

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

25 minutes

Servings

12

Category

Appetizer

Cuisine

American

Ingredients

• 12 fresh jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 2 links Opa's Jalapeño Cheddar Smoked Sausage, casings removed, meat crumbled
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 12 slices Opa's Peppered Bacon (raw — cooks in the oven)
• Toothpicks
• Ranch dressing or sour cream, for dipping (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven. 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set a wire rack on top. The rack is the move — it lets the bacon crisp on all sides instead of steaming in its own fat.
2. Prep the peppers. Halve the jalapeños lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and inner membranes. Most of the heat lives in those membranes, so remove as much or as little as you want based on how brave the crowd is. Wash your hands thoroughly after prep — jalapeño oils linger and nobody wants to rub their eyes in an hour.
3. Make the filling. In a medium bowl, mix the crumbled Opa's Jalapeño Cheddar Smoked Sausage, softened cream cheese, and shredded cheddar until evenly combined.
4. Stuff. Spoon the filling into each jalapeño half, mounding it slightly. Don't overfill — you need room for the bacon to wrap without tearing.
5. Wrap. Take one slice of Opa's Peppered Bacon and wrap it around each stuffed jalapeño, securing the ends with a toothpick. Make sure the bacon overlaps itself — it shrinks as it cooks and needs to hold together.
6. Bake. Place the wrapped jalapeños on the wire rack and bake 22-25 minutes, until the bacon is golden and crisp and the filling is bubbling. If you don't have a rack, flip the jalapeños halfway through so the bottom side doesn't stay pale.
7. Rest and serve. Let the poppers cool for 5 minutes — the filling is molten inside and will burn anyone who skips this step. Transfer to a platter with ranch or sour cream alongside for dipping.