Description
Texas Twinkies are a delicious appetizer featuring large jalapeños stuffed with a creamy blend of cream cheese, cheddar, and chopped beef brisket, wrapped in crispy bacon and finished with a smoky BBQ glaze. Perfect for game days or spicy snack cravings.
Ingredients
Scale
Jalapeños
- 12 large jalapeños
Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese block, shredded
- 2 cups finely chopped leftover beef brisket
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
Wrap and Finish
- 12 slices bacon
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare a rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack sprayed with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Prepare Jalapeños: Slice the tops off the jalapeños carefully and remove all seeds using gloves to avoid irritation.
- Make Filling: In a bowl, thoroughly mix the softened cream cheese, shredded cheddar, chopped beef brisket, and chili powder until well combined.
- Fill Jalapeños: Transfer the mixture into a gallon-sized ziplock bag, cut off a corner to make a piping bag, and fill each jalapeño with the cheese and brisket mixture.
- Wrap with Bacon: Wrap each stuffed jalapeño with one slice of bacon, ensuring it is securely covered.
- Bake: Place the wrapped jalapeños on the prepared wire rack and bake on the center rack for 10 minutes.
- Flip and Continue Baking: Turn the jalapeños over and bake for another 10 minutes to crisp the bacon evenly.
- Glaze and Broil: Remove the jalapeños from the oven, brush them generously with BBQ sauce, then set the broiler to low. Place the jalapeños about 6 inches under the broiler for 2 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.
- Cool and Serve: Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving to enjoy the flavors safely.
Notes
- Use gloves when handling jalapeños to avoid skin irritation from the seeds and oils.
- Choose larger jalapeños to hold more filling and achieve the perfect bite.
- This recipe works best with leftover smoked beef brisket; alternatively, ground chorizo or pork butt can be used.
- If you don’t have a wire rack, place jalapeños directly on the baking sheet but flip carefully to avoid breaking.
- Watch the jalapeños closely during broiling as sugars in the BBQ sauce can burn quickly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 twinkie
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 420 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
