Smoked Texas Twinkies

These smoked Texas Twinkies are just the perfect balance of smoky and creamy goodness with a kick from the jalapeños. Make these for your next game day or BBQ party, and your guests will be raving about it all night!

Otherwise called Texas Torpedo, these bacon-wrapped brisket jalapeno poppers take you to flavor town.

Invented by Hutchins BBQ in McKinney, Texas, this smoked appetizer quickly became one of the best-selling items on the menu. We’re not surprised! You get a little bit of everything in one bite, so what’s not to love?

You get the spiciness from the jalapeños, the creaminess from the cream cheese, the smokiness from the brisket meat and bacon, and the sweetness from the BBQ sauce. This checks all the boxes for me!

Ingredients

Cream Cheese – I used the Kirkland brand cream cheese, which I find to be a great value. Make sure the cream cheese is close to room temperature so it’s easier to work with!

Hot Sauce – I have been getting into Branford’s Crazy Mango Hot Sauce, which is great on its own and also for recipes like this. It’s not overly spicy, which I like for this recipe since you’re already getting some heat from the jalapeños.

Brisket – I used the leftover brisket that I made the night before using my super easy smoked brisket recipe. Make sure that it is chilled and finely shredded before putting it in the filling mix.

Cheese – The cheese in this recipe is mainly to mend all the ingredients together and add flavor. Therefore, you are free to choose a block or shredded cheese of your choice. I used cheddar cheese because it is sharp and a great flavor enhancer.

Jalapeño – Pick a jalapeño that is anywhere between 3 to 5 inches long. Anything smaller than that, you won’t be able to fit the fillings in. Try to pick the biggest jalapeños in store, or look for jumbo jalapeños in your order. These are more abundant during the summer months.

Bacon – The thickness of the bacon doesn’t matter that much, as it will end up rendering anyway. I went for a thinner cut of bacon so that the jalapeños could be cooked through. You want to ensure you have two slices of bacon for every jalapeño you plan to use.

BBQ Sauce – I used Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce for the final glazing but you can use another one you love.

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

• BBQ Brush – I recommend this set of two BBQ brushes if you don’t have some good ones yet.
• Cutting Board
• Cheese Grater – This is optional, but if your cheese isn’t pre-shredded, you will need a cheese grater.
• Smoker
• Aluminum Pan – You don’t want to put the jalapeños straight on the grill grates, so invest in a flat aluminum pan. This way, you will get an even sear on all sides and cleanup is easy!
• Knife – Use a sharp and small knife as you will be cutting into jalapeños.
• Large Mixing Bowl – You can use any mixing bowl that’s big enough to hold the ingredients. I recommend this set of Pyrex bowls.

🔥 Instructions

Prepare the Jalapeños

Step One: Wash and dry the jalapeños, then place them on the cutting board. Using a sharp paring knife, slice a long vertical line through the middle and one horizontal line right below the stem, creating a T-shape.

Step Two: Open up the jalapeño using your finger and take out the seeds. Rinse the inside or place the jalapeños in an ice bowl to get rid of the spicy oil.

Important tip: Wear food prep gloves like this or wash your hands very well after handling these spicy peppers! You do not want to get these near your eyes or sensitive body parts.

♨️Prepare the Filling and Smoke

Step 1: Combine the ingredients (cream cheese, shredded or chopped brisket, and cheese) and the optional hot sauce in a large mixing bowl.

Step 2: Take a jalapeño and fill it to the brim with the cream cheese mixture. Take a slice of bacon and wrap it around the jalapeño tightly. I found that two slices work best for one jalapeño, but you are welcome to cut the bacon to your liking.

Step 3: Line the Twinkies on an aluminum pan with non-stick spray. Place the aluminum pan on the grill and smoke for about 90 minutes. Towards the end of the smoking period, brush BBQ sauce on top of the Twinkies.

⏲️Oven Instructions

You can also bake Texas Twinkies in the oven. They will still have some smoky flavor from the bacon and the smoked brisket.

The main difference is you’ll need a baking sheet with a wire rack instead of an aluminum pan.

This will allow the bacon to crisp up and the extra grease to drip off.

• Prepare the Twinkies just like for smoking. Place on a baking sheet with a wire rack.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the bacon is done to your liking.
• Brush BBQ sauce for the last minutes of baking. For this step, you can turn on the broiler which will help the sauce caramelize faster.

❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks

Adjust the Heat – The great thing about these jalapeño poppers is that you can make them as spicy as you want. I rinsed the leftover seeds and spicy oils with water, but you can skip this step if you want more heat. You can also control the heat with your choice of hot sauce.

Alternatively, you can take some extra steps to get rid of the spice. Soak the deseeded peppers in some vodka OR lemon-lime soda for a few hours. This will result in much milder peppers, which is great for spice-sensitive folks!

Toothpicks – I didn’t have any trouble wrapping the jalapeños with bacon. However, if the bacon doesn’t stay for some reason, feel free to use some toothpicks to secure them. You can take them out before serving.

Prep Ahead of Time – The great thing about these Texas Twinkies is that they can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days before it’s time to smoke them!

🧑‍🍳 Storage and Reheating

You can store the leftover Texas Twinkies in a food-safe container in the fridge for up to three days. I do not recommend storing these in the freezer as the texture won’t be the same.

When reheating, you can use the oven or air fryer to keep the bacon crispy. For both methods, heat for 10 minutes at 350°F or until the core is heated through.

🌶️Additions and Substitutions

Grilling Mat – If you don’t have an aluminum pan, you can also pop these on the grill using a grilling mat. I like these copper grilling mats because they are lightweight and versatile. The only thing is, you will need to place and take out the Twinkies directly on the grill using tongs.

Brisket – Beef brisket works best in my opinion, but depending on what you have at hand, you can substitute it with pork brisket, chorizo, or some extra yummy pulled smoked chicken.

Cheese – It’s always fun switching to a different type of cheese. Pepper jack cheese is a wonderful alternative many people love but you can definitely try other varieties.

Jalapeño peppers – The jalapeno peppers make this recipe, but if you can’t use them, serrano peppers are the next alternative. Keep in mind, that serrano peppers are a lot spicier. If you are looking for a not-so-spicy alternative, bell peppers might do the trick, especially the thin narrow Cubanelle or Ausilio kind. Most grocery store chains in the US carry Cubanelle peppers.

BBQ Sauce – Besides the impressive number of store-bought options, there’s always the homemade alternative! For this particular recipe, a sweet barbecue sauce works best. Try it with our Whiskey BBQ sauce, smoked pumpkin bourbon BBQ sauce, homemade cherry bourbon BBQ sauce, or this sweet and spicy BBQ sauce if you want to add a little more heat.

🍽️Serving Suggestions

Texas Twinkies are delicious on their own, and you can definitely devour some with a bowl of BBQ sauce or ranch dressing on the side.

These go perfectly with other game-day appetizers, such as brisket queso dip and smoked hotdogs.

If you want to get more use out of the briskets, you can also make brisket twice-baked potatoes, brisket grilled cheese, grilled brisket nachos, slow cooker Guinness brisket baked beans, or brisket chili in the slow cooker. For more inspiration, check out my 35+ game day recipes guide.

❓ Recipe FAQ

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