When it comes to après ski food, I'm all about straight up comfort. You know? The kind of food that is stick to your ribs good. After all, you'll need some serious sustenance to replace the energy stores you worked off while skiing and snowboarding all day.
Après Ski Food Should be Shareable and Have Layers of Flavor
Après ski food tends to lend itself towards shareable plates. I know that in the time of Covid this is a bit frowned upon. Fingers crossed we'll be out of this soon and we can all get back to sharing a big old plate of nachos. In the meantime, we can still make delicious individual small bites to share. Small bites that are filled with layers of flavor like your favorite stack of mountainous nachos.
Salty, sweet, spicey, ooey, gooey, crunchy are exactly the contrasts in texture and taste that makes a dish special. Imagine if you could get them all in one bite. Turns out you can with my newest creation Candied Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers.
This Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Recipe Is a Taste Explosion
Now bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers are not a new recipe. I get that. However, making the bacon on the exterior a candied version of its already glorious self is. At least I've never seen it done by anyone other than me. And, quite honestly, I am glad I did. The addition of candied bacon adds another element to an already spectacular après ski appetizer.
This jalapeno popper recipe is relatively easy to make. You can certainly whip up a batch to bring with you on your next ski trip. Just make this jalapeno popper recipe ahead of time and package them in a portable container. Then when it's time reheat them either at your après ski tailgate session or back at the house. Your friends' taste buds will thank you for your kindness!
Candied Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Recipe
Ingredients:
12 Jalapenos
12 strips of bacon
1 block of cream cheese
1 15 oz bag of shredded cheddar
1 package of chorizo sausage (5 links)
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
1/4 siracha
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Directions:
- In a bowl, combine the maple syrup, brown sugar and siracha until mixed together. Then add bacon, toss it through and let it sit.
- In a medium sized frying pan, heat the olive oil. Then add the chorizo. While browning, break into smaller pieces. Once cooked, pull of the heat and put into a bowl to cool.
- While the chorizo is cooling, deseed the jalapenos. Cut them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and veins from the inside in order to create a well.
- When the chorizo is cool, mix in a bowl with cream cheese and shredded cheddar until well blended.
- Stuff one half of each jalapeno with the cheese and chorizo mixture. The put the other half on top to recreate a whole jalapeno.
- Once each jalapeno has been stuffed and capped. Layout jalapenos on a large sheet pan and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the jalapenos from the freezer. They should be frozen solid at this point. Wrap each jalapeno using one strip of marinated bacon. Insert a toothpick through the jalapeno to hold the bacon in place.
- The jalapenos will have thawed a bit due to being outside the freezer. Place back in the freezer for about 15 minutes while the smoker (or oven) warms up.
- Preheat your Camp Chef Pellet Smoker on the high smoke setting. If you are using an oven, preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
- After 15 minutes, remove the jalapenos from the freezer and place each one on the grate of the grill. Let cook on high smoke for about 20 minutes. If you are using the oven, simply place the tray in the oven.
- After about 20 minutes adjust the dial on the smoker, setting it to 250 degrees. Let cook for another 2 hours or until the bacon on the exterior is crispy. If you see that the bacon is not getting crispy, increase the temp on the grill to 300 for the last 30 minutes.
If you are a foodie like me and always in the hunt for delicious ski food recipes be sure to check back to our apres ski food blog. We update it regularly and it's full of tasty treats that are perfect to bring along on your next ski vacation. And while you are cooking up a storm, a frosty beverage is always a necessity. Go ahead and crack one open and be sure to keep it cold with our Custom All About Apres Wooden Koozie.
