My Surf and Turf Jalapeno Poppers are a twist on the vast culinary applications for jalapeno peppers. When you cut them in half, they look like little cups - perfect vessels for stuffing. The Spanish dubbed the pepper “jalapeno,” which means from Xalapa, Veracruz’s capital.

Poppers resemble chilies rellenos. This dish has peppers stuffed with cheese and fried. Chilies Rellenos may well be the inspiration for poppers as we know them today.

There are various stories as to when jalapeno poppers were first served. The general consensus is that it began in (or around) 1972 in Texas. Jalapeno poppers were, at that time,  called armadillo eggs. Fast forward to 1992, when Anchor Food Products trademarked the phrase “jalapeno poppers.”

Once poppers entered the public eye, it wasn’t long before Chefs everywhere were putting their own spin on this delicious, spicy finger food.

Surf and Turf Jalapeno Poppers Ingredients

• 10 jalapeno peppers
• 2 cups raw shrimp
• 2 tbsp Cuso’s Coconut Rum BBQ Rub
• 1 cup goat cheese
• 1 lb bacon
• Hot honey
• Cuso’s Hot Honey BBQ Rub
• Fig jam (optional)
• 1 cup chives (garnish)

Surf and Turf Jalapeno Poppers Instructions

1. Set your smoker to 300 F
2. Put on gloves while you slice the jalapenos with a good Chef’s Knife and clean out all the seeds. 
3. Mince the shrimp.
4. Add Cuso’s Coconut Rum BBQ Rub and crumbled goat cheese.
5. Stir. 
6. Stuff into the pepper halves
7. Wrap each with bacon (use a toothpick to secure if you wish)
8. Drizzle them with hot honey, followed by Custo’s Hot Honey BBQ Rub liberally over the bacon.
9. Cook with the smoker lid shut until the bacon is crisped. 
10. Top with a little fig jam (or put it directly in your shrimp mix)
11. Finish with copious amounts of chive. 

PitMaster’s Memo

In my travels, I have encountered some popper blends that many guests will enjoy like

• Buffalo chicken poppers
• Breaded, fried poppers
• Smoky mushroom poppers
• Pepper jack and chives
• Pizza poppers
• Salsa Verde poppers

Then too, you might want to play a little

Other Potential fillings

Cheese: Cheddars, Feta, Gruyere, Gouda, cream cheese

Meats: Sausage, Chicken, Bacon, 

Misc: Olive, Tomato, onion, garlic bits, sweet pepper

Wraps: Pastry dough, biscuit dough, crescent roll dough