Bacon Wrapped Armadillo Eggs

These Smoked Armadillo Eggs with habanero jack cheese are a unique and flavorful appetizer. Spicy jalapeños stuffed with a cream cheese filling, covered with sausage, and wrapped with crispy bacon. This armadillo eggs recipe will make a great party snack or are meaty enough to serve as the main dish. 

Smoked Armadillo Eggs

If you have never heard of an armadillo egg, don't feel bad. They have been around on the internet for a few years and once I had them over at a friend's house, I knew I had to give them a try on the pellet grill. Yes the name is a little funny, but they kind of resemble an armadillo's exterior shell and kinda have the shape of a Scotch egg. They really take your jalapeno popper game up to a whole new level.

They had me at breakfast sausage, jalapenos, and bacon. Of course I like my food a little more spicy so I added in some habanero jack cheese to the cream cheese mixture, and let me tell you.... flavor explosion. 

Recipe Rundown 

Prep Time:	25 minutes
Smoke Time:	2 hours 40 minutes (give or take)
Smoker Temperature:	225° F & 275 ° F
Internal Temp:	Sausage (160°F )
Wood Pellets:	Blend, Hickory, Other
Servings:	6 servings

Ingredients Needed for these Bacon Wrapped Armadillo Eggs 

• Jalapeños: Since you have to stuff these, make sure to try to buy large jalapenos if available. 
• Cream Cheese: This helps make the base of the creamy filling. Let it sit out at room temperature or soften a bit in the microwave. 
• Habanero Jack Cheese: I found this spicy cheese at my local grocery store that has a nice variety of cheeses. If you can't find something similar, you can use pepper jack as well. 
• Cheddar Cheese: I thought the cheddar would add some more flavor without extra heat for the cheese mixture. 
• Garlic: Just a clove a fresh garlic diced up works to add some flavor to the filling, but garlic powder will do just fine as well. 
• BBQ Rub: For the seasoning, I opted for an all purpose BBQ rub, but use your favorite, a spicy one, or a homemade blend. (Check out some of my homemade rubs by signing up for my newsletter). 
• Pork Sausage: Grab some of your favorite flavored breakfast sausage (hot or regular). Or if you make your own ground sausage- even better! 
• Bacon: You can grab whatever bacon you like, since we have to wrap these armadillo eggs, a thinner cut may work a little better. 

How to Make these Habanero Jack Smoked Armadillo Eggs

Step 1. Prepare jalapenos: Prep the jalapenos by washing them, cutting the stems off, and removing the seeds.

Step 2. Make Cream Cheese Filling: In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, Habanero Jack cheese, Cheddar cheese, garlic, and BBQ rub. 

Step 3. Mix Well: Mix with a spoon until all ingredients are combined. 

Step 4. Fill the jalapenos: Spoon the mixture into each jalapeno and press down as far as you can (you may need to use a butter knife).  

Step 5. Add the sausage: Split the pork sausage into 6 sections. Then flatten the pork sausage out a bit and lay the stuffed jalapeño on top. Use your hands to form the meat around the jalapenos covering the entire jalapeno. 

Step 6. Wrap them up: Then wrap the pork sausage with the bacon using 2 slices (1 if smaller jalapeño) It is okay if the pork is showing a little. Then sprinkle with a little more BBQ rub on top. 

Step 7. Smoke them: Transfer to the smoker and place the armadillo eggs directly on the smoker rack. Smoke for about 2 hours and 10 minutes. Then raise the temperature of the smoker to 275 degrees and let smoke another 20-30 minutes until desired crispiness of bacon is reached.  

When finished, pull them off and enjoy as is, with ranch, or even with some bbq sauce.

Pro Tips:

1. Use gloves when handling the jalapeños
2. You can use a Jalapeno Corer for easy prep 
3. If you want, you can use toothpicks to secure the bacon around the armadillo eggs.