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Smoked Armadillo Eggs – basically a jalapeno popper wrapped in sausage and bacon! The perfect appetizer you can make on your smoker or even in the oven.
These are one of our all time favorite summer appetizers when we are making dinner on the smoker! We found a recipe of this years ago, and have adapted it a little over time. But it is cheesy, smoky, spicy, and just delicious!
Don’t worry, if you don’t have a smoker, you can still make these! I will include instructions for how to make them in the oven in the recipe card. They won’t have quite the same smoke flavor, but they are still darn good.
These are basically a jalapeno popper that are wrapped in sausage and then wrapped in bacon. You put them on the smoker to fully cook the meat, and they are gooey and delicious. They are sprinkled with a little bit of my all time favorite Best Dry Rub, so you get even more flavor.
Armadillo eggs are great to make as an appetizer if you are hosting a get together or to bring to a party. Trust me, they disappear quickly every single time.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Cream Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese
- Garlic
- Jalapenos
- Italian Sausage – you really can use any sausage, I like the spices of Italian sausage and think it works well.
- Bacon – you want a thinner slice of bacon, the thicker cut pieces will not cook as well and will not get quite as crispy.
- Dry Rub
How To Make Smoked Armadillo Eggs
You will notice that I only have half of a jalapeno in each egg. I prefer this so it is more of an appetizer, than a main. I have found when you stuff the whole jalapeno and wrap it up, they are much larger and not quite what I like for a pop-able appetizer. But if you want the full jalapeno, just skip cutting them in pieces, nothing else changes.
- Make Filling. In a small bowl mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and garlic until it is well combined.
- Prep Jalapenos. Prep your jalapenos by cutting off the stem, and cut them in half length wise. Remove the seeds, and then cut each half in half the short direction. So you end up with 4 pieces that are about the same size.
- Stuff Peppers. Stuff each piece of jalapeno with about 2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture, then using about 1/4 cup of sausage wrap it around the jalapeno. I like to make a ball, and then flatten the piece of sausage. Place the jalapeno in the center and then gently press the sausage up and around, and then roll into an egg shape.
- Wrap Meat. Wrap each piece of sausage with bacon. Depending on how large your eggs are, you may not need a whole strip.
- Smoke. Sprinkle the dry rub evenly over the eggs. And then smoke at 250º for about 75-90 minutes. You want the internal temperature of the eggs to be 165º F.
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- Make Ahead. You can prep them and have them in the fridge for a day before you want to cook them. Just store them covered in the fridge.
- Freeze Them. You can also freeze them when they are uncooked. So if you want to make a large batch and freeze some for later, you definitely can. Just store them in an airtight container for about 1-2 months. Let them thaw in the fridge before you put them on the smoker or cook them.
- No Smoker? No problem! You will want to use a higher heat in the oven to brown the bacon. Cook at 400º F for about 30 minutes, until the bacon and crisp and they have an internal temperature of 165º F.
- When are they done? It will take about 75-90 minutes at 250º F in the smoker. It is best to test the internal temperature to know when the armadillo eggs are done. I realize this seems a little strange because the center is cheese. But if the cheese is 165º F. then you know the sausage around the outside is fully cooked and safe to eat.
I use the Thermapen Mk4 to check the temperature of the meat throughout the cooking process. It is the most accurate thermometer I have found and have been using it for years!
More Tasty Summer Grilling Recipes
- Smoked Pork Belly
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich
- Smoked Baby Back Ribs
- Grilled Potato Packs
- Grilled Chicken Legs
- Smoked Queso
Smoked Armadillo Eggs
Ingredients
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 large jalapenos
- 1 1/2 pound Italian sausage
- 12 slices bacon
- Dry Rub
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 250º F.
- In a small bowl mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and garlic until it is well combined.4 oz cream cheese, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 2 cloves garlic
- Prep your jalapenos by cutting off the stem, and cut them in half length wise. Remove the seeds, and then cut each half in half the short direction. So you end up with 4 pieces that are about the same size.5 large jalapenos
- Stuff each piece of jalapeno with about 2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture, then using about 1/4 cup of sausage wrap it around the jalapeno. I like to make a ball, and then flatten the piece of sausage. Place the jalapeno in the center and then gently press the sausage up and around, and then roll into an egg shape.1 1/2 pound Italian sausage
- Wrap each piece of sausage with bacon. Depending on how large your eggs are, you may not need a whole strip. Sprinkle a little bit of dry rub over the top of each egg.12 slices bacon, Dry Rub
- Smoke for about 75-90 minutes. You want the internal temperature of the eggs to be 165º F.
- Serve with ranch or barbecue sauce if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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These look really good. They’re a bit similar to scotch eggs, and I love those. I’ll be making this for sure.
The appetizer is the best part of a dinner! I will make these for my family!
Never heard of these before, how exciting!
Nice and tasty!