Smoked Armadillo Eggs Wrapped in Bacon

Armadillo Eggs are a Texas BBQ specialty that, despite the name, contain no eggs (or armadillos).

Spicy jalapeos are loaded with cheese, surrounded with flavorful sausage, wrapped in bacon, and glazed with barbecue sauce. Everything in Texas is larger, and this delectable appetizer is no exception.

Deep in the heart of Texas

It’s tough to pinpoint the origins of Armadillo Eggs, although most people think they’re a Texas phenomenon.

The term is probably derived from its resemblance to English Scotch Eggs, which are hard-boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and deep-fried.

Armadillo Eggs begin with a cheese-stuffed jalapeo at the core, rather than an egg in the middle. These Armadillo Eggs are reminiscent of a typical jalapeo popper, but with a layer of spicy breakfast sausage added, and are a powerhouse of flavor that will leave your visitors wanting more.

How to make smoked Armadillo Eggs

1. Hollow out the jalapeños

The first step in making Armadillo Eggs is to take several giant jalapeos and hollow them out by cutting off the tops and removing the seeds and stems. There are many tools for hollowing out a jalapeo, but I’ve found that a good old-fashioned butter knife works well.

Simply insert the knife into the middle of the jalapeo to separate the core from the pepper’s surface. The core should explode right now if you move the butter knife around in a circular motion. Then you’ll have a hollow pepper waiting to be filled with cheese.

2. Make the cheese filling

Thats too much cheese said no one ever.

The cheesy core is what makes Armadillo Eggs so delectable. To make the filling, combine 1 block of cream cheese, 1 cup of shredded cheddar, and a large amount of your preferred BBQ seasoning.

Grab a small bowl and combine the cream cheese, shredded cheese, and BBQ rub. You can attempt to combine it with a spoon, but honestly, it’s much simpler to put on a glove and give it a good stir with your hand.

As you combine it, the cream cheese should soften, making it simpler to go into the hollowed-out jalapeo.

There are two methods for getting the cheese mixture into your jalapeo. You may pipe the mixture into the jalapeo using a piping bag (or a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off).

Another alternative is to take a few teaspoons of the cheese mixture and roll it into a snake form on your cutting board (similar to how youngsters play with Play-Doh), then put the cheese into the jalapeo.

Whichever manner you like is great, as long as your jalapeo is loaded to the brim with cheese delight.

3. Time to add the meat

The cheese-stuffed jalapeo is then wrapped in a layer of spicy breakfast sausage. Simply take a handful of sausage and smooth it out before wrapping it around the jalapeo. When finished, the jalapeo should be entirely coated with sausage, and you should have an egg-shaped ball of sausage.

The next step is to wrap the whole thing with bacon (since bacon makes everything better, right?). You’ll need 2 to 3 slices of bacon each Armadillo egg, depending on the size of your jalapeos.

Begin from the top and work your way down. Try not to overlap the bacon since this will result in undercooked bacon in the middle, and don’t stress about coating every single inch of the sausage with bacon.

It’s completely acceptable if there are still visible sausage parts.

You can use a toothpick to attach the bacon, but as long as you place the Armadillo eggs seam-side down, you shouldn’t need to.

If you want to use a toothpick, remember how many you placed in there so you don’t bite into a toothpick when you’re ready to dive in!

Funny story: My husband and I were preparing Smoked Pig Shots, and we usually use a toothpick to adhere the bacon to the smoked sausage when we make them. According to my spouse, it was my responsibility to remove the toothpicks. I must have overlooked one, and it just so happened to be the one that my husband selected to eat. Needless to say, he was irritated that a little piece of pointed wood had stabbed the roof of his mouth.

Moral of the story: always count your toothpicks.

The next step is to season each Armadillo egg with your preferred BBQ rub. A basic seasoning of coarse ground pepper, kosher salt, and chopped garlic will enough!

4. Fire up the smoker

These Armadillo Eggs may be cooked on the grill, in the smoker, or even in the oven. They are incredibly excellent regardless of the cooking technique used. I chose to cook them on Acacia wood lump charcoal on my Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050.

Preheat your grill or smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and set the Armadillo eggs straight on the grates. Then, turn off the grill and let them to cook for around 2 hours. The bacon should have just begun to crisp up at that point.

A BBQ sauce glaze adds the final touch. You may use your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce or make our Homemade BBQ sauce instead. Using a basting brush, lightly coat each Armadillo egg with the sauce, then cook for another 20-30 minutes to solidify the glaze.

Allow the Armadillo Eggs to cool for approximately 15 minutes before slicing them into medallions to serve as a bite-sized appetizer or whole as an entree with your favorite BBQ side dishes.

Try these spicy jalapeño BBQ recipes next

• Bacon Wrapped Jalapeo Poppers
• Texas Twinkies: Stuffed Jalapeos with Leftover Brisket
• Smoked Jalapeo Popper Dip Recipe
• Breakfast Burrito with Grilled Brisket and Jalapeo Cheese Blanket
• Smoked Stuffed Pepper Poppers (for a less spicy option)

Smoked Armadillo Eggs recipe