Fried Jalapeno Poppers

1 pound of fresh jalapeno peppers
1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
5 slices of bacon, fried crisp and chopped fine Buttermilk, enough to fully dredge a pepper
1 cup of self-rising flour
2 cups of plain dry or panko bread crumbs Canola oil for deep frying Instructions

 

Line a large baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. Put on a medium sized pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, slice the jalapenos in half lengthwise, removing all of the seeds and cutting out the ribs. Rinse. When water begins to boil, add the jalapenos, return to a boil, stir and boil for just a minute or two. Drain, fill pot with fresh cold water and ice cubes and immediately plunge the peppers into the ice bath to cease the cooking process. Remove the peppers and place onto the prepared baking sheet to dry.

 

Using a fork, whip together the cream cheese, cheeses and cooked, chopped bacon until well blended. Using a small spoon, fill the large end of the pepper with a rounded spoonful of the cream cheese mixture, and spread out to the narrow end, pressing into the pepper. Set aside on the prepared pan and continue until all of the peppers have been stuffed.

 

Pour enough buttermilk into a small bowl to cover the pepper when you dip it in, and dump the flour into another bowl. Using one hand for the wet and one hand for the dry, dip the stuffed peppers into the buttermilk and then using the other hand, dredge the pepper in the flour mixture and roll so that the entire pepper is well coated. Set on the baking sheet until you have dredged all of the peppers.

 

Preheat the deep fryer to 375 degrees F. Place the plain bread crumbs into a small bowl and using the same wet hand, dry hand method, dip the floured peppers back into the buttermilk and then into the bread crumbs, rolling to coat well. Set on the baking sheet until you have dredged all of the peppers.

 

Place the peppers into the fry basket with the stuffed side up and fry for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

 

Cook's Notes: Jalapenos are pretty much mild in comparison to most peppers, but they can also have varying levels of heat - I've had batches where even completely cleaned, some burned my mouth, but others were very mild, so I always remove the seeds and ribs. You can make these poppers much hotter by leaving the ribs attached when you clean them since that is where much of the heat is, and also by mixing some of the seeds, red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper into the cream cheese mixture. Since jalapenos can be unpredictable in their heat levels, I prefer to add to the filling, rather than leave the ribs and seeds in. Poppers can also be baked. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, stuff and bake on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and nicely browned. Make these kid-friendly by using the mini sweet peppers instead of jalapeno peppers.

 

Tip:

 

Use kitchen gloves before you start to clean the peppers. You will not regret this decision, because no matter how much you scrub your hands afterward, I guarantee they will retain the sting from these peppers & I'm 99% sure you will touch your nose or rub your eye at some point.