Shrimp & Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeños

Smoked jalapeño peppers stuffed with goodies are an amazing appetizer and this version stuffed with a jumbo shrimp and a cream cheese mixture take things to a whole new level.

Ingredients

Jalapeño peppers (Each pepper makes 2)

8 ounces cream cheese (makes enough mixture for about 20 stuffed peppers)

1 cup of shredded cheddar

Spice Rub

1 lb of thin or original sliced bacon (the kind I use has 13 slices and allows me to wrap 26 peppers)

Instructions

Prepare Shrimp

Remove shells from shrimp

Put the shrimp down into a ziptop bag with about ¼ cup of Jeff's rub and shake/roll to coat.

Place bag of shrimp in the fridge for 30-60 minutes to marinate

Prepare Jalapeño Peppers

Cut peppers in half lengthwise

Remove seeds and veins completely

Prepare Cream Cheese Mixture

Mix 8 ounces of cream cheese with 1 cup of shredded cheddar and 3 TBS of Jeff's rub

Mix well to combine ingredients

Stuffing the Peppers

Lay marinated shrimp into pepper half

Make partial cuts into the body of the shrimp to help it lay flat

Stuff cream cheese mixture over the top and sides of the shrimp to fill pepper half

Wrap half strips of bacon around stuffed pepper halves

Smoking the Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers

Set up smoker for cooking at about 225°F

Place stuffed peppers directly on smoker grate

Smoke with pecan wood (or other smoking wood) for about 3 hours or until peppers are soft

For crispy bacon, place peppers under oven broiler for a few minutes watching them closely

Serve immediately!

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