The main difference between smoking meats and smoked peppers is peppers can be stuffed and consumed as a meal, ground into a fine powder to add an extra burst of spice to barbeque sauces or marinades or chopped as ingredients for everything from sauce to soup. You do not need to purchase an expensive grill for smoked peppers. You can line your grill grate with aluminum foil prior to placing your peppers. This will prevent your peppers from falling through your grate.
To begin, you will need your choice of peppers, a gas or electric grill, knife, tray, cutting board and aluminum foil. Clean your peppers under running water. Make certain you have removed all of the dirt. The veins and seeds inside of your peppers will add to the heat. You can leave them alone or remove them depending on your preferences. To make the cleaning process easier, you can use a pepper corer. For easier cooking of stuffed peppers, you can also use a pepper rack. Once your smoker box has been filled with a handful of soaked wood chips and hot coals, you are ready to begin.
Pro Tip: For a delightful variety of smoky flavors, you can use different types of wood chips. Our favorites include hickory, pecan, mesquite, cherry, apple and alder wood chips.
Bacon Filled Smoked Stuffed Peppers
You will need:
- 15 sweet peppers or jalapenos (split down the center with the seeds removed)
- One-half pound bacon (cooked and chopped)
- One eight-ounce package of cream cheese (softened)
- Six green onions (minced)
- Two teaspoons garlic powder
Mix your bacon, cream cheese, garlic powder and green onions in a bowl. Use the mixture for stuffing your smoked peppers. Fill your smoker box with hot coals and your choice of wood chips. When your grill reaches 275 degrees Fahrenheit, place your peppers on your grill grate. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until your peppers are soft with some grill marks. Serve and enjoy.
Download Your FREE BBQ Journal & Recipes Exchange App
Bacon Filled Smoked Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition
Smoked Stuffed Peppers with Rice
You will need:
- Three or four sweet bell peppers
- One spicy sausage link (cut into little pieces)
- Two cloves garlic (crushed)
- Three mushrooms (diced)
- One-half cup onions (diced)
- One tablespoon fresh basil (tear into small pieces)
- One-quarter cup parmesan cheese
- One-half cup breadcrumbs
- One cup cooked rice
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Pro Tip: To save time, use leftover sausage from your refrigerator.
Slice off the tops of your bell peppers. If you prefer, you can remove the seeds. Mix your remaining ingredients well. Use a tablespoon to fill your peppers with the mixture until you reach the top. Fill your smoker box with hot coals and your choice of wood chips. Place the peppers on your grill when the temperature reaches 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook your smoked peppers for 30 minutes or until they become soft. Serve and enjoy.
Smoked Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Smoked poblano peppers are cheesy, smoky and wrapped in delicious crisp bacon. You will find this type of pepper both big and meaty. Unlike jalapeno peppers, you will not need to wear gloves or have ideal ventilation while preparing your smoked poblano peppers. You will also discover this kind of pepper is a lot easier to work with. A poblano pepper is roughly four times larger than a jalapeno pepper with a much milder spice.
Pro Tip: If you want to add some extra spice to the recipe, add some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to your sausage stuffing mixture.
The preparation is fast and easy. Start by cutting your peppers in half, then take out the seeds and membrane. Stuff your peppers with your favorite sausage stuffing mix and wrap them in bacon. When your grill reaches a temperature of 225 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, place your stuffed peppers on your grill. Your peppers will require between one and one-half and two hours to cook.
Pro Tip: Check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. When the temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, your peppers will be cooked perfectly. You can use your favorite wood for smoking your peppers. For this recipe, we recommend using cherry wood. This will provide your smoked peppers with a gorgeous burgundy color and a slightly sweet, moderately smoky flavor.
Sausage and Cheese Smoked Stuffed Peppers
You will need:
- Four poblano peppers (cut in half with the seeds and membrane removed)
- Two pounds fresh sausage (remove from the casings)
- Eight strips bacon
- Two cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
Preheat your grill to between 225 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Separate your sausage into eight fairly equal parts. Press one part into each of your poblano pepper halves. Make certain your layer of sausage is even. Sprinkle each pepper half with your cheddar cheese directly on top of your layer of sausage. Use a bacon strip to securely wrap all eight pepper halves. When your grill reaches the desired temperature, place your smoked peppers on the grill grate for approximately one and one-half hours. Serve your smoked peppers immediately and enjoy.
Pro Tip: You can use your favorite sausage for this recipe. This includes sweet, mild and hot Italian sausage. You can purchase Italian sausage at either your butcher or local grocery store. If you prefer, you can prepare your own sausage. Your best option is either a combination of beef and pork or just pork. You do not want your fat content to exceed 25 percent.
If your sausage is too lean, you can increase the fat content by adding fat trimmings. We find pork butt with a fat content between 25 and 30 percent works extremely well. Pork butt offers the ideal taste for making smoked sausage. Our favorite fresh sausage recipe is below.
You will need:
- Two pounds pork butt (ground)
- One-half cup ice water
- One heaping teaspoon marjoram
- One-half teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Two teaspoons kosher salt
- One-half teaspoon black pepper (ground)
- Three garlic cloves (pressed)
Mix all of your ingredients together in a bowl. Stuff your mixture into sausage casings. Tie off the ends.
Vegan Recipe for Smoked Chili Flakes
If you are vegan, you already know how many products sold at your local grocery store contain chicken broth. Unfortunately, the same is true of numerous different seasonings. One of the best ways to add some extra heat to your favorite vegetables, pasta and rice is by making your own vegan recipe for smoked chili flakes. We usually use jalapenos, but if you prefer a different pepper, the recipe will be just as delicious.
You will need:
- Jalapeno peppers (or your favorite peppers)
- One liter water
- Bicarbonate of soda (20ml)
Step One: Dissolve your bicarbonate of soda into your cold water. Soaking your peppers in this solution will preserve their beautiful colors. As they smoke and dry, both red and green peppers will become darker, but the difference is they will not turn black.
Step Two: To prepare your peppers, cut off the stems. Now quarter your peppers going length-ways. Place the peppers into your solution to soak for approximately five minutes.
Step Three: Drain your peppers prior to transferring them to either splatter screens or stainless steel mesh sleeves.
Step Four: Line your grill grate using heavy-duty aluminum foil. Fill your smoker box with hot coals and your choice of wood chips. Place your peppers near the right side of your grate.
Pro Tip: Insert a probe thermometer just to the right of your peppers. We have found this is the best way to monitor your temperature of approximately 153 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step Five: Allow your peppers to smoke for four full hours.
Step Six: Remove your peppers from your grill. They should have significantly shriveled, but they should not be completely dried.
At this point, you have a choice. You can continue drying your peppers by placing them in your oven at about 159 degrees Fahrenheit or until completely dried. This will require between four and 10 hours depending on the peppers you are using. You can also store your peppers in oil. Once your peppers are completely desiccated, chop up your peppers into flakes. You can store them for an indefinite period of time by placing them in an airtight container.
The Most Amazing Sides for Smoked Peppers
Depending on your individual preferences, there are many different foods you can serve as the perfect side dishes for your smoked peppers. Our favorites include:
- Sautéed zucchini and yellow squash
- Red potatoes wedges roasted in garlic
- Arugula salad with feta cheese and lemon
- Roasted eggplant
- Avocado and cucumber salad
- Baked zucchini fries
- Cheesy corn fritters
- Mashed potatoes
- Roasted artichokes with fresh lemon
- Assorted fruit plate
- Garlic roasted mushrooms
- Quinoa salad
- Puffed pita bread
- Oven-browned potato wedges with rosemary and garlic and drizzled with olive oil
- Mixed green salad with almonds, golden raisins and feta cheese
- Cheese plate with natural cheeses such as fontina, parmesan, feta and goat
For a cooling and refreshing dessert, serve ice cream, pudding or jello in your favorite flavors.
Your Amazing Smoked Peppers
We hope your smoked peppers were amazing. The beauty of the above recipes is they are all simple to prepare and offer a nice variety of different options. Try all of our recipes to see which one you like the most.
