Ingredients
Scale
- 6 full-length sausages, with casing
- 1 ½ cups Jalapeno Pimento Cheese
- 3 tablespoons Signature Sweet & Smoky Rub
- 1 sliced jalapeno
- 12 strips of bacon
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, slice into the casing on one side of the sausage and open it up with your hands. Push the meat to the sides so it creates a little boat for the filling. Be careful not to push the meat out of the casing, you really just want to open it enough for the cheese.
- Fill each of the sausages with some pimento cheese, just enough to fill the void. Add slices of jalapenos. Carefully wrap 2 pieces of bacon over each sausage. Use toothpicks if you need to hold the bacon in place. Season all sides generously with the spice rub.
- Place the bacon-wrapped sausages in the fridge for at least an hour, uncovered. This helps the bacon set to its new shape, lowering the chance of it unwinding itself on the smoker.
- Preheat your grill or smoker for indirect cooking at 350°F.
- Place the bacon-wrapped poppers in the smoker. If using a charcoal grill, place the poppers away from the coals using a 2-zone method of cooking. Add wood chunks or chips as desired.
- Cook them for 45-60 minutes until the bacon is crispy. This timing can vary depending on the bacon and grill, so use your eyes.
- Remove them from the grill when they are ready to go. Make sure you claim yours before taking them inside to serve!
Notes
- Use regular bacon, not thick-cut. Regular bacon will stretch better around the sausages, and also crisp up more during the cooking phase.
- For the oven: To prepare these bacon-wrapped sausage popper boats in an oven it will be the same time & temperature, just make sure you monitor the bacon. I highly recommend using a wire rack on a baking sheet to elevate the sausages.
- For the air fryer: Cook the sausages at 350°F but monitor the timing – It should not take a full hour. Likely the bacon will be crispy much earlier, closer to the 30-minute mark. Air fryers do a great job of crisping up the bacon quickly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
- Category: Pork
- Method: Smoking
- Cuisine: Appetizer
