One Dozen

One Dozen
Norman soldier returns from Iraq to robbed apartment
NORMAN — Spc. Daniel Nelson was greeted by an unwelcome surprise when he arrived at his apartment Sunday after returning from a yearlong deployment with the Oklahoma Army National Guard . Nelson was one of more than a dozen members of the 145th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment that returned home Saturday after serving in Iraq . Nelson spent Saturday night in Midwest City with loved ones before ...
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Most people tend to think of a barbecue smoker as being exclusively for meats, fish and poultry. Actually, there is hardly any limit to the types of things that can be prepared in a smoker. Fruits, vegetables, cheeses and desserts can take on incredible flavors when cooked properly in a smoker.

This article focuses on one of my favorites; the smoked and stuffed jalapeno pepper. There are many ways you can do this, but I'll give you a few of my favorites which are guaranteed to please any crowd. The smoked jalapeno works best when your smoker temperature is around 225-250 degrees. You will need the following for a dozen peppers:

• One dozen large jalapenos. They kind of vary in size where I shop so I always try to get large ones that are all about the same size. The bigger ones are easier to stuff and by going with a uniform size, you'll assure yourself that they'll all finish at the same time.

• Four strips of thick sliced bacon

• A tub of softened cream cheese brought to room temperature

• A package of Little Smokies beef or pork sausages. Any brand will work, but make sure they are the little cocktail weenies

• Toothpicks

Start by washing the peppers in cold water. Cut the tops off completely. Using a potato peeler or small paring knife, remove the membranes and seeds from inside of the pepper. This does two things; One, it creates room inside the pepper for your stuffing, and two, it removes the majority of the heat source from the pepper. Trust me, these will be plenty spicy enough for the average person, but if you really like it hot, you could leave the membranes intact. Just keep in mind that the peppers will not hold as much of the good stuff you are about to put inside!

Next, drop a cocktail weenie inside each pepper. I have found that depending on the size of the pepper, you may not have room for a whole sausage. You may have to split one down the center and go with half. Next, pack them with cream cheese all the way to the top. Cut your strips of bacon into thirds and drape a slice of bacon over the top of each pepper, kind of forming a lid. Push a toothpick all the way through the bacon and pepper to secure the bacon and hold it in place.

Now it's time to smoke these little treats. I use a handy device that I purchased that is specifically for smoking jalapenos and it holds 24 of them so they are standing straight up. You can also lay them down on the grill but sometimes this can get kind of messy because the cream cheese can melt a bit and run out. If you don't have the pepper holder you can easily make one. Just take an aluminum foil pan, place it upside down and punch 12 holes in it, each about the size of a quarter. Your peppers should stand up neatly in this. Cook the peppers for about an hour and a half or until they are nice and smoky and soft. The bacon should be cooked and somewhat crispy. Let them cool for about 15 minutes before you dig in. You might want to have a cold drink with you!

Like anything else I do in a smoker, there are variations on this recipe. Chopped shrimp or crabmeat work well instead of sausages. I've also mixed cooked ground beef or sausage with Rotel tomatoes and Velveeta to use as a stuffing. The only part I never deviate from is the bacon wrap. After all, doesn't everything go better with bacon?

Smoked jalapenos are just another of the many things you can prepare in your barbecue smoker. For more of my barbecue secrets, tips and tricks as well as product information, visit me at http://www.secretsofbbq.blogspot.com

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