These smoked bacon wrapped armadillo eggs are a spicy, meaty, cheesy appetizer everyone is going to love. Jalapenos stuffed with a zesty blend of chopped brisket, cream cheese, seasonings, and cheddar cheese are wrapped in hot Italian sausage and bacon, brushed with BBQ sauce, and smoked to perfection.
Appetizers are the backbone of any great party. I love making dishes like roast beef sliders or jalapeno popper pastry bites for any gathering year-round, but when summer hits, that’s when flavor opportunities really open up.
I’m so excited when warm weather finally arrives because I break out the smoker for my parties. I love making smoked shotgun shells or pig shots when I host backyard parties. They’re the hallmark of summer, if you ask me.
Now, I’ve added another delicious smoked dish to my summertime rotation. These smoked bacon wrapped armadillo eggs are the perfect backyard BBQ or potluck dish for the summer months. They’re meaty, cheesy, spicy, and most importantly, easy!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Limited Ingredients: It only takes a handful of basic ingredients found in your kitchen or local grocery store to make this recipe.
- Easy: All it takes is a little mixing and filling. After that, the smoker does the rest.
- Classic Summer Flavor: The combination of bacon, sausage, brisket, cheese, and the heat from the jalapenos creates a flavor profile that screams summer.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: These make the perfect party appetizer for your backyard bashes or for any summer potluck.
- Great for Meal Prep: These last for up to a month in the freezer, so you can make extra for future parties or just because you have a craving.
Ingredients
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Variations
- Protein: Mild Italian sausage, ground beef, and chorizo all work well in this recipe. Chopped pork roast would also be a great substitute for the brisket.
- BBQ Sauce: Use your favorite brand and variety of BBQ sauce. They all work well.
- Bacon: Any variety of bacon will work nicely for this recipe.
- Cheese: Any bold cheese like cheddar, cheddar Jack, Colby Jack, and the like will work.
Instructions
Step 1: Cut the tops and bottoms off of the jalapenos and remove the seeds. Mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, brisket, and seasonings together.
Step 2: Spoon the brisket mixture into the prepared jalapenos.
Step 3: Wrap the sausage around the jalapenos, ensuring they are fully encased.
Step 4: Wrap each one in bacon and secure with toothpicks, if necessary.
Step 5: Brush the armadillo eggs with BBQ sauce and place them directly onto the rack and smoke at 250 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Step 6: Turn the heat to 400 degrees, brush the armadillo eggs with more BBQ sauce, and continue smoking until crispy.
Tips
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling hot peppers and never touch your face.
- Be sure your mixture reaches all the way to the bottom of the peppers when you fill them.
- Secure your bacon with toothpicks to ensure it stays in place while you smoke the armadillo eggs.
- Fully soften your cream cheese for even mixing and easy stuffing.
Frequently Asked Questions
This smoked appetizer gets its name from its appearance. These stuffed peppers wrapped in sausage and bacon are egg-shaped, and the wrapped bacon exterior gives them the appearance of an armadillo shell.
A smoked armadillo egg is a jalapeno stuffed with a cream cheese mixture, then wrapped in sausage and bacon and smoked.
Hot or mild Italian sausage is the most commonly used sausage variation for armadillo eggs. They have plenty of flavor, and they won’t dry out while they smoke.
More Bacon Wrapped Recipes
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Smoked Bacon Wrapped Armadillo Eggs
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground hot Italian sausage
- 1 cup leftover chopped brisket
- 8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama seasoning
- 12-15 jalapenos, stem and seeds removed
- (3) 12 ounce bacon
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees.
- Spray the rack with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cut the stems/top off the jalapenos and cut the bottom off the peppers. Hollow out, and remove the seeds and ribs.
- In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, shredded cheese, chopped brisket, and seasoning together.
- Spoon cheese mixture into each jalapeno making sure they are filled all the way to the bottom of the pepper.
- Take some sausage and wrap it around the jalapenos encasing each one securing in the cheese mixture.
- Next, wrap bacon around each encased jalapeno. Use two, or three, pieces if necessary. Secure the bacon with toothpicks.
- Place armadillo eggs directly on the smoker grill, brush with barbecue sauce, and smoke for 2 ½ hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Once the temperature is reached, turn up the smoker to 400 degrees and brush the armadillo eggs with additional BBQ sauce.
- Smoke for a few more minutes or you can place them on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the bacon, if needed.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- Wrap individual armadillo eggs in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
- Defrost overnight if frozen, then microwave individual portions at 1-minute intervals until heated through.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling hot peppers and never touch your face.
- Be sure your mixture reaches all the way to the bottom of the peppers when you fill them.
- Secure your bacon with toothpicks to ensure it stays in place while you smoke the armadillo eggs.
- Fully soften your cream cheese for even mixing and easy stuffing.
Nutrition
