Texas Twinkies | Bacon Brisket Jalapeno Poppers
The first time I had a Texas twinkie, my mind was blown! Naturally I came up with a homemade Texas twinkies recipe of my own so I don’t have to travel 850 miles to get my fix. The simple combination of creamy cheese, jalapeno peppers, chopped brisket, salty bacon and the holy gospel of BBQ seasoning, these delicious snacks make the perfect appetizer for tailgate parties, Super Bowl Sunday, summer BBQs and even holiday parties! This simple spicy popper only requires five ingredients, and will be a huge hit at your next party! Full printable recipe card below.
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What are Texas Twinkies?
Despite the reference to the American cream filled sweet pastry, Texas twinkies are not a dessert nor are they a deep fried version of the treats as you might suspect. Rather a Texas twinkie is a jalapeño stuffed with smoked brisket and cream cheese, wrapped in a slice of bacon and then smoked again. AKA, smoked brisket jalapeño poppers. And while some people confuse these with Texas torpedos, those are wrapped in pork sausage not bacon.
Unless you live in the DFW area or are a frequent visitor, you may not be familiar with this lone star state favorite. The Texas twinkie was invented by my absolute favorite BBQ joint, Hutchins BBQ located in Frisco and McKinney Texas. This place is always packed with a line out the door. But definitely well worth the wait!
Ingredients
These easy bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos are the perfect addition to your party menu. Here are my notes on ingredients for the best results and how to control heat levels according to your taste buds.
Jalapeño Peppers – The main ingredient in this appetizer is whole jalapenos. These are the vessel for the cream cheese mixture. Technically you can use baby bell peppers here if you are not a fan of spicy peppers, however, the seeds are removed for a little less heat. And I’m not sure you can call them Texas twinkies if they don’t have a least a little bit of heat.
Smoked Brisket – I usually make my Texas twinkie recipe with leftover brisket. When we smoke a whole brisket there is usually more meat than we can reasonably eat in a few days. I reserve some for Texas twinkies or I vacuum seal a few small portions to use at a later date. If you do not smoke your own brisket you can also use pre-cooked brisket from the grocery store. I have seen pre-packaged options at Costco or you can pick up a small amount from your local BBQ joint.
Cream Cheese – The inside of this stuffed pepper is a cream cheese filling combined with beef brisket. You will need a whole block of cream cheese here but any brand will do. You can mix in a bit of pepper jack cheese or sharp cheddar cheese as well but they are definitely not necessary.
Bacon – Everything is better with bacon! Especially when you smoke it. While you can use any type of bacon you would like, but thick cut bacon will take longer to cook. For this recipe I use regular bacon from Costco.
Meat Church Holy Gospel Seasoning – This is an optional ingredient, but 100% worth it IMO. If you are new to smoking meat I highly recommend the Meat Church seasonings. Our favorite is the Holy Gospel. It’s an all purpose BBQ smoked meat seasoning rub that is great on ribs, brisket, and of course bacon.
Dippers – I personally don’t think these tasty appetizers need a dipping sauce but if I had to choose one I would go with a sweet BBQ sauce. But I will let you be the judge here 😉
Assembling the Twinkies
In my opinion there are two ways to do this. You can either cut the jalapenos in half and wrap each half in bacon or you can cut from the stem end and make a T cut and stuff the whole jalapeno. The Hutchin’s method is to stuff the whole jalapeno but if you cut them in half they are easier to fill and yield more. The choice is yours. I usually do a mix of both depending on how big the jalapenos are.
Pro Tip – While a sharp paring knife will work here, this jalapeno pepper knife works really well to core out the seeds.
Cooking Texas Twinkies
To be a real Texas twinkie these should be smoked in a smoker. I smoke mine in our Traeger pellet grill. However, if you do not have a smoker, you can also bake them in the oven at 400 degrees until the bacon is cooked all the way through.
Pro Tip – To save your grill grates from messy cleanup, I recommend lining a baking sheet with aluminum foil and adding a wire rack to the top. Place the prepared jalapenos on top of the wire rack and place the entire tray in the smoker.
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Texas Twinkies | Bacon Brisket Jalapeno Poppers
- Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 16 pieces 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Warning! These bacon wrapped smoky brisket jalapeno poppers are highly addicting! Take your game day appetizers to the next level with these creamy and spicy Texas twinkies. The saltiness of the bacon paired with the creamy cheese, chopped brisket, and spicy jalapeno create the perfect combination for a party appetizer with only five ingredients! I dare you to eat just one 😉
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Leftover Smoked Brisket chopped
- 8-16 Whole Jalapenos
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 lb of Bacon
- 2 tbsp Meat Church Holy Gospel Seasoning or other BBQ seasoning
Instructions
- Pre-heat smoker to 250 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Add one block of cream cheese and smoked brisket to a medium sized bowl and mix with a hand or stand mixer until combined.
- Wash and cut whole jalapenos length wise in a straight line from the base of the stem. You can cut from the stem end and make a T cut and stuff the whole jalapeno or you can simply cut them in half. Either way you also need to remove the seeds otherwise they will be VERY spicy.
- Using a small spoon or a piping bag, add the cream cheese brisket mixture to the inside of the jalapenos.
- Wrap each stuffed jalapeño in a piece of bacon starting at one end trying to keep the bacon as tight as possible. The size of the slices of bacon and peppers will determine how much of the popper is covered with bacon.
- Place jalapeños on the prepared baking sheet with the wire rack. Sprinkle with Meat Church Holy Gospel seasoning.
- Cook the Texas Twinkies in the smoker for 2 1/2-3 hours until the bacon is cooked all the way through.
- Serve Texas twinkies on a Texas shaped cutting board you bought at Buc-ees, yes, I did that 😉
Notes
Smoke time will vary depending how crispy you prefer your bacon. You can also pop them in the oven at 400 degrees for five minutes at the end to get them crispier.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Smoker
- Cuisine: American
Looking for more great bacon recipes? Try my sweet and smoky bacon BBQ deviled eggs, bacon wrapped pineapple bites, bacon apple blue cheese homemade pizza, bacon egg and cheese breakfast bagel sandwich, bacon cheddar angel eggs, or my southern loaded bacon BBQ baked beans.
Looking for more spicy jalapeno recipes? Try my spicy homemade jalapeno guacamole, spicy jalapeno infused vodka, copycat Chuy’s jalapeno ranch dip, slow cooker white chicken chili with salsa verde, or the best jalapeno cream cheese smash burgers!
Looking for more cream cheese appetizers, try my sausage cream cheese stuffed mushrooms, crab cream cheese wonton cups, smoked salmon cream cheese spread, cream cheese cranberry jalapeno dip, or my cream cheese buffalo chicken wonton cups.
Storage and Reheating
In the event you have leftover Texas twinkies, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days keeping in mind when the brisket itself was actually smoked.
While you can microwave these leftovers, I recommend reheating them in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes to keep them crispy.
When to Make Texas Twinkies
These handheld appetizers are perfect for game days and holiday parties, as a side dish at your backyard summer BBQs, or anytime you are looking for a crowd pleasing appetizer. They are also gluten free! So next time you need a tasty appetizer remember the Texas twinkie!
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