Texas Twinkies Recipe 

When people think of Texas food culture, barbecue automatically springs to mind and one of the most sought-after barbecue joints in the state is Hutchins BBQ.

Aside from their broad selection of masterfully smoked meats and mouth-watering side dishes, Hutchins has perfected the “Texas Twinkie.”

A quintessentially Texan appetizer, Texas twinkies are large jalapeños stuffed with cheese and brisket then wrapped in thick-cut bacon and coated in a BBQ.

Spicy, smokey, cheesy, and ridiculously delicious, Texas twinkies are a staple at Texas barbecues and they only require a handful of ingredients, plus they’re super easy to make!

How to make Texas Twinkies

Texas twinkies are essentially an elevated jalapeño popper without the hassle of deep-frying, though they do require some pre-planning with the ingredients.

To make a Texas twinkie, you’ll need to have leftover brisket for the stuffing mix.

Depending on where you live this could be acquired at your local grocer.

If it’s not available at your preferred grocer, order brisket from a local barbecue joint one to two days in advance, or follow your favorite brisket recipe and let it rest for one to two days in the fridge before making the twinkies.

To make them, you’ll hull and par-bake the jalapeños to make them pliable and curtail the spice, then stuff them with a mixture of chopped brisket, cream cheese, and Monterey jack cheese, and spices.

After they’re stuffed, you’ll tightly wrap the peppers in thick-cut bacon before roasting them in the oven (if you have a smoker that’s even better!), then finish them off with glazing of your favorite barbeque sauce.

It’s very important not to skimp on the thickness of the bacon, as it is crucial for holding in the stuffing and strong enough to stand up the BBQ sauce.

It is also highly recommended that you wear cooking gloves while handling the jalapeños.

With a little bit of patience, these bacon-wrapped jalapeños will be the hit of any cookout and will undoubtedly become a mainstay recipe in your kitchen.

Here’s how you do it.

Ingredients:

(12 servings)

• 12 large jalapeños
• 12 oz full-fat plain cream cheese
• 8 oz Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1.5 lbs pre-cooked brisket, chopped (well-marbled brisket is best)
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 12 pieces of thick-cut bacon
• ½ cup BBQ sauce

Instructions:

Before you get started, make sure to have a set of toothpicks on hand to fasten the bacon to the pepper.

They may not be necessary, but if the bacon doesn’t adhere to the jalapeño the toothpicks will hold it together.

To keep things simple, we are using a standard oven, but if you prefer to use a smoker or grill that’s great! Set the temperature to 375°F and follow the same parameters for doneness.

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Step 2:

Using a very sharp paring knife, cut a “T” shape into each jalapeno.

Cut a vertical line from the bottom of the jalapeno to the stem base, then cut a horizontal line at the stem end, making sure to only cut halfway through the jalapeno.

Repeat with every pepper.

Using a small spoon, gently remove the membrane and as many seeds as possible from each jalapeno and discard.

Step 3:

Place the jalapenos on a parchment-lined baking tray, and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Remove the jalapenos from the oven and immediately increase the heat to 375°F.

Transfer the jalapenos to a large bowl of ice water.

*If you prefer spicy stuffed peppers, feel free to skip the ice bath and remove fewer seeds.

Step 4:

Add the brisket, cream cheese, shredded cheese, salt, ground pepper, and cumin to the bowl of a food processor.

Blitz at high speed for 1 minute until everything is well mixed.

Step 5:

Remove the jalapenos from the ice bath and blot dry with a paper towel, making sure to remove as much water from the inside of the jalapeno as possible.

Fill each jalapeno with roughly 1.5 tablespoons of the brisket and cream cheese mixture.

Fill them as full as you can without the cheese mixture spilling over the edges.

Step 6:

Wrap the jalapeños with bacon.

Place the bacon strips onto a flat work surface and gently pull at each end to elongate.

Take care not to pull too hard so as to prevent ripping.

Position the jalapenos on one end of the bacon strip and roll up until the bacon ends overlap and the entire jalapeno is encased in bacon.

If necessary, fasten them together with a toothpick.

Repeat with each pepper.

Step 7:

Place the wrapped peppers onto a foil-lined baking sheet and position the tray on the middle rack of the oven.

Roast for 30 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked through, golden brown, and crispy.

Step 8:

Remove the tray from the oven, and adjust the settings to broil.

Using a pastry brush, coat the wrapped jalapeño poppers with barbecue sauce then transfer them back to the oven.

Broil for 5 minutes or until the barbecue sauce has settled into the bacon.

Step 9:

Remove from the oven and let cool on the tray for 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients substitutions

Aside from being fairly easy to make, these stuffed jalapeños are great for a myriad of different fillings, so if you don’t have all of the ingredients on hand, don’t worry!

There are plenty of workable substitutions.

When working out ingredient substitutions, we recommend a more-is-less approach for this recipe.

If you fill the jalapenos with too many things all the flavors will compete, so have fun but keep it simple!

Here are some of our favorite swaps.

1. Smoked Sausage

While we love a delicious smoked brisket, it may not be the easiest option if you don’t have time to prepare or track one down.

Luckily, smoked sausage is a great substitute!

Smoked sausage has a similar flavor profile as brisket and is much easier to source.

Just cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, brown in a frying pan, and drain off any excess fat before mixing it with the cheese.

2. Pepper Jack Cheese

Monterey jack cheese and pepper jack cheese are two sides of the same coin and they are excellent swaps for each other!

Pepper Jack is the spicier of the two and is a great substitute if you’re looking for a way to make a spicier jalapeño popper without going overboard with the heat.

3. Poblano Peppers

If you want to make these stuffed peppers, but aren’t crazy about spicy food, poblano peppers are an excellent substitute.

Poblanos can be significantly larger than jalapeños, so use the smallest poblano peppers you can find and increase the amount of stuffing to account for their larger size.

4. Barbecued Chicken

If you aren’t thrilled about the idea of using two heavy types of meat in one dish, don’t worry, barbecued chicken is a great replacement for brisket.

Make sure the chicken is free of bones and chopped into small pieces before blending.

Ideally use dark chicken meat, as it will work best with the rich and smoky flavors of the dish, but white meat works as well!

Now that we’ve gone through how to make Texas Twinkies, let’s talk about the best things to eat with them!

What to serve with Texas Twinkies

Texas Twinkies were developed with BBQ in mind, and as such, the best thing to eat with them are other barbecue classics, but don’t stop there!

They can be served in so many creative ways and we can’t get enough of them.

Here are some of our favorite things to eat with Texas Twinkies.

Dirty Rice

Dirty rice is one of the most flavorful rice dishes around and is an excellent pairing for bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers.

Not only is there enough rich and delicious flavor in dirty rice to stand up to the bold flavors of this stuffed pepper, but the firm texture of the rice is a great foil to the crunchy bacon and soft filling.

Coleslaw

The spicy, smoky flavors of this recipe are a match made in heaven for a light and crunchy salad, and coleslaw ticks all the boxes.

Not only is coleslaw super simple to make, but the dressing will also cut some of the spiciness from the jalapeños and bring balance and freshness to the meal.

Steak

The great thing about steak is that it pairs well with almost everything, and these jalapeño peppers are no exception!

Many steakhouses serve their steaks “surf and turf” style, and while we love seafood and steak together, bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers and perfectly cooked steak is a gustatory masterpiece.

Next time you’re craving steak with an add-on, reach for this instead of the shrimp or lobster; you won’t be disappointed.

How to reheat Texas Twinkies

It’s hard to imagine you’d have any leftover Texas Twinkies considering how delicious they are, but if you do, they’re incredibly easy to reheat.

As with most meat, you’ll want to avoid the microwave as a reheating method to avoid altering the texture of the bacon.

Instead, use the oven or the air fryer to revive them.

How to reheat Texas Twinkies in the oven

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with foil.

Place the leftover jalapeños on the tray making sure there is space between them, and cover with another sheet of foil.

Place in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes, or until the bacon starts to sizzle and the poppers are warmed through.

How to reheat Texas Twinkies in the air fryer

Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.

Place the leftover poppers in the basket of the air fryer, making sure they don’t overlap.

Set the timer for 6 minutes and shake halfway through.

If the bacon hasn’t crisped back up in 6 minutes, reheat in 2-minute intervals until the bacon is crispy and the poppers are heated through.

How to store Texas Twinkies

If you find yourself with leftover Texas twinkies, but need to store them for a few days that is perfectly fine.

Just make sure they’re stored properly and you’ll be good to go.

While we definitely recommend eating Texas Twinkies as soon as possible, they’ll keep for a few days in the fridge and even longer in the freezer.

Store in the fridge

Make sure the jalapeño poppers have cooled down completely, and transfer them to an airtight container.

Cover tightly, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Don’t be alarmed if the bacon develops a greasy white film, as the fat will solidify in the fridge.

And as usual, trust your nose, if it smells off, don’t eat it.

Store in the freezer

Place completely cooled jalapeño poppers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the freezer, uncovered until frozen through.

Transfer to a large freezer-safe plastic bag and eliminate as much air as possible.

Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Do not thaw before reheating, but rather increase the cooking time by 10 minutes.

Do not refreeze.