These Texas Twinkies are loaded with flavor! Cheese, brisket, and seasoning stuffed jalapenos, wrapped in bacon…what’s not to love?!?
You’re probably reading “Texas Twinkies” and wondering, what’s with the name, right?! Well, Texas Twinkies are actually the invention of a BBQ restaurant in McKinney, Texas called Hutchins BBQ. My hubby and I fell in love with their famous best seller item when we lived there years ago!
Now that we live in Houston, we couldn’t justify the four hour drive just to grab an order of them, so decided to make our own at home!
Texas Twinkies are bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers with a barbeque twist! These easy-to-make smoked appetizers are bound to be a new favorite!
The first time my hubby made these, we all went crazy over them! However, we continued to change and tweak things each time we made them and now…they are pure perfection!
Our go to method includes using goat cheese AND cream cheese. If you’re not a fan of one of those cheeses, feel free to use all of whichever type you do enjoy!
As far as seasonings go, we love to add a spicy kick and use Slap Ya Mama on these! However, you can use your favorite seasoning OR omit the seasoning altogether! So many ways to truly make these your own! You can even change up the type of bacon you use to play around with flavors, heat levels, and more!
After my hubby smokes a brisket, we like to take the extra meat and freeze it for later. We use the leftovers in quesadillas, tacos, on nachos, and now…we thaw it out and use it to stuff into these tasty “twinkies”.
What are Texas Twinkies?
Texas Twinkies start as a hollowed-out jumbo jalapeño. The cook then stuffs them with chopped brisket and cream cheese, wraps the pepper in bacon, and glazes it in barbecue sauce. Since my hubby and I wanted to change it up a bit, we choose to use Slap Ya Mama seasoning or Chupacabra seasoning on the bacon rather than the barbeque sauce.
What bacon is best for these poppers?
You may think that you only need half a slice of bacon since these are halved jalapenos, but don’t be fooled! Bacon is KEY to success with these because, well, its bacon and bacon is life, am I right?! Use one full piece for each half. You can thank me later!
After testing out thin cut bacon versus thick cut bacon, we honestly didn’t notice a huge difference, so feel free to use whatever you prefer. We tend to always have thick cut bacon on hand, so that is our go to!
As for flavor type, you can use any favorite desired. My family loves spicy, so we use jalapeno bacon. It adds quite a kick though, so if you prefer a milder taste, don’t go that route!
Ingredients Needed for these easy Texas Twinkies
Jalapenos
Cream Cheese
Goat Cheese- if you don’t like goat cheese, increase cream cheese
Bacon- any type desired
Brisket- chopped
Seasoning of choice- Cajun, Chupacabra, any favorite you desire
How to prepare:
Can I cook these in the oven?
Absolutely! If you don’t have a smoker, and don’t want to use the grill, the oven works great too!
If you’ve never heard of Texas Twinkies – well, you’re in for an eye-opening experience!
Whether you serve these as an appetizer, side dish, or snack…everyone will go crazy over them!
Cook them on your smoker, grill, or even in your oven! So many ways to make these your own and all will turn out incredible!
Enjoy and be sure to let me know in the comment section below!
Check out these other great jalapeno recipes
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
Texas Twinkies
Ingredients
- 12 jalapenos
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 2 lbs bacon
- 1 cup brisket *cooked/chopped or shredded
- 1 tablespoon seasoning of choice *Slap Ya Mama is what we used
Instructions
- Preheat smoker / grill to 350 degrees F
- Pre-cook bacon for 5-7 minutes
- Mix cheeses and seasoning in a medium bowl
- Fold in cooked brisket
- Cut jalapenos in half along their length, de-seed and remove pith
- Fill each jalapeno half with cheese / brisket mixture
- Wrap each half with partially cooked bacon, 1 slice per half. Sprinkle additional seasoning on top if desired.
- Add bacon wrapped poppers to grill/smoker, cook until bacon is crispy, about 40-45 minutes.
- Remove from grill/smoker and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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