Cheesy Smoked Jalapeno Popper Dip with Bacon
Jalapeno Popper flavors in dip form make this the ultimate appetizer for any holiday gathering or tailgate. This dip combines smoked jalapenos, bacon, cream cheese, cheddar and parmesan for cheesy melt in your mouth appetizer! Prepare to park yourself in front of this dip because it's quite addictive!
Servings: 8 -10 servings
Ingredients
Dip Ingredients
- 4-6 fresh jalapenos OR 4 oz well drained pickled jalapenos see note above- look for jalapenos without polysorbate 80
- 8 oz bacon cooked and finely chopped
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Crunchy Bread Crumb Topping (use Pork Panko to keep it Keto/grain free!)
- 1 cup organic bread crumbs OR, if keto or carnivore- use pork panko (bread crumbs from pork rinds)
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley optional but adds nice color
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 250 and add your favorite wood chunks. Smoke the peppers until they have become soft, about 30 minutes. (alternately, you can skip this step and use pickled jalapenos in a jar).
- Cook your bacon and then finely chop.
- After the jalapenos have cooled from the smoker, remove the seeds and finely chop them. (If you prefer your dip spicy, keep the seeds).
- Preheat your oven or grill (if you have a pellet smoker this is the perfect time to use it) to 375 degrees farenheit.
- Using a mixer set to medium, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder and smoked paprika until the mixture is fluffy.
- Next, add the bacon, cheddar cheese, ¾ cup parmesan cheese and the diced jalapeno and mix well (it will be very thick at this point).
- Coat a 20” cast iron skillet with butter (use cast iron if you want to bake this dip on your grill or smoker for additional smoke flavor). You can also use an 8X8” baking dish.
- Combine the bread crumbs, melted butter, ¼ cup shredded parmesan and chopped parsley.
- Sprinkle the bread crumb topping over the cream cheese mixture.
- Bake 22-25 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are have browned and the dip begins to bubble.
- Serve with your favorite crackers or toast points OR if you are low carb serve with pork rinds to keep it low carb. Happy Noshing on this addictive dip!!
Notes
This dip uses smoked jalapenos but can easily be made with canned pickled jalapenos.
If you don't have a smoker, you can char jalapenos with a pastry torch or over the flame of a gas stove.
You can bake this dip in your smoker for additional smoke flavor by using a cast iron pan that easily goes from smoker to your table when it's finished baking.
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