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.
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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:
- Use gloves when handling the jalapeños
- You can use a Jalapeno Corer for easy prep
- If you want, you can use toothpicks to secure the bacon around the armadillo eggs.
Habanero Jack Smoked Armadillo Eggs
Ingredients
- 5-6 large jalapenos
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup shredded Habanero Jack cheese or similar
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 clove of garlic diced
- ½ tbsp All Purpose BBQ rub Holy Gospel used here
- 1 lb breakfast pork sausage
- 1 lb platter bacon
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 225 Degrees F.
- Prep the jalapenos by cutting the stems off and removing the seeds.
- In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, Habanero Jack & Cheddar cheeses, garlic, and BBQ rub.
- Mix with a spoon until all ingredients are combined.
- Spoon the mixture into each jalapeno and press down as far as you can (you may need to use a butter knife).
- Split the pork sausage into 6 sections.
- Then flatten the pork sausage out a bit and lay the stuffed jalapeno on top.
- Use your hands to form the meat around the jalapenos covering the entire jalapeno.
- Then wrap the pork sausage with the bacon using 2 slices (1 if smaller jalapeno) It is okay if the pork is showing a little.
- Repeat with all jalapenos.
- Then sprinkle with a little more BBQ rub on top.
- Transfer to the smoker and place the “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.
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