Creamy on the inside, bubbly brown on top – these pimento cheese stuffed grilled jalapeno peppers (poppers!?) come together with only FOUR ingredients!
Oh lord, there are TOO many reasons why I love this recipe. Well, actually its two main reasons. One – it’s SO RIDICULOUSLY EASY. And two – they are a colossal hit every time I make them.
I wanted to do a riff on the classic jalapeno popper – a rather basic cream cheese stuffed pepper wrapped in bacon. I find in many cases, people cook their bacon incorrectly when making this traditional style. Either they burn it, or have too many layers and the bacon ends up being floppy and rubbery instead of crispy.
So, I present to you this phenomenal alternative that needs only four simple but mega-flavored ingredients. Literally, this is just pimento cheese shoved into a halved jalapeno. So what makes it SO good? Well, you let the cheese get gooey in the middle, while leaving them on the grill long enough to also get brown and bubbly on top. And once they are finished, you shower them in a dusting of crushed Chicharrones (pork rinds) mixed with Hardcore Carnivore Amplify.
Hardcore Carnivore Amplify turns up the savory volume and intensifies the flavor of your food. This MSG-free seasoning is made with chicken fat powder, yeast extracts and other mega savory flavors. It’s designed to provide an extra boost of umami to anything you sprinkle it on. The super combo of the crunch of the chicharrones with the extreme flavor punch of the Amplify makes these jalapeños irresistible.
For this recipe, you will need to set your grill up for two zone cooking. If you don’t know how to do that, here’s a simple guide. It’s also recommended you wear gloves while handling the peppers to avoid any burning skin, eyes or other delicate parts!
Print
Pimento cheese stuffed grilled jalapeños
Ingredients
6 large jalapeno peppers
1/2 lb pimento cheese
1 cup chicharrones or pork rinds
1 tablespoon Hardcore Carnivore Amplify rub
Instructions
- Prepare a grill for two-zone cooking.
- Cut the jalapeno peppers lengthwise, and use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds. Discard the seeds.
- Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the pimento cheese into the open half of the pepper, and seal it down against the sides. Repeat until you’ve used all the cheese and all the halves are filled.
- On the cool side of the grill, place the peppers cheese side up. Close the lid, and allow to cook until the peppers have softened, and the cheese is bubbly and brown on top, about 10-15 minutes.
- While the peppers are cooking, place the chicharrones in a zip top bag and use a mallet or rolling pin to crush them to a powder with some smaller crumbs still intact. Add the Amplify to the bag and shake well to mix everything up.
- Using tongs, carefully remove the cooked peppers from the grill, then quickly sprinkle with the chicharron mixture. Serve immediately.
