barBITES

from Nashville Bar Journal | August/September 2022

From the President

TEXAS TWINKIES

We discovered Texas Twinkies in the summer of 2019. My fiancé and I took our annual trip to the Cincinnati Zoo to visit Fiona the hippo. Before heading home the next day, we stopped at Findlay Market, a huge indoor/outdoor farmer’s market with the most delicious treats. As we gazed upon the apple cinnamon flavored bacon and ghost pepper jack cheese, our eyes were drawn to these huge jalapeños, stuffed with goodness and covered in bacon; we bought three packs. After trying these pre-made “Twinkies,” we knew we had to learn to make more. Now, we make them every year for the Superbowl and family BBQs. They are always a hit!

6 large jalapeños 6oz cream cheese 4oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1/2lb chopped, pre-cooked brisket ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper ½ tsp cumin 6 slices raw thick-cut bacon ¼ cup BBQ sauce

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat your over to 400 ˚F. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, shredded cheese, brisket and spices and mix well. For easy mixing, use a food processor and pulse 3-4 times. Chill the mixture while you prepare the jalapeños.

Make one cut from the stem of the jalapeño all the way to the tip. Scrape out the seeds.* Then, fill each jalapeño with a hardy scoop of the chilled mixture. They should be overflowing.

Wrap the bacon around the jalapeño until covered, and use toothpicks to hold the bacon on. Place the bacon wrapped jalapeños on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the bacon is crispy.

Take the Twinkies out and use a kitchen brush to lather the Twinkies with BBQ sauce. Bake for five more minutes. Remove from the oven and enjoy! The Twinkies will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and can be reheated in the microwave, oven, or air fryer. Instead of baking the Twinkies, you can also cook them on the grill or in a smoker.

*If you are not a fan of spicy foods, soak the jalapeños in ice water for 10 minutes before stuffing and after you’ve removed the seeds.