Armadillo Eggs

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American, Tex/Mex

Keyword Armadillo Eggs

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 40

rest 8

Servings people

Author David of Sunset & Sewanee

Prepare a wood smoker to (240°F or 115°C) degrees. Alternatively, you can make these in a regular oven without smoking. Just bake the Armadillo Eggs at (240°F or 115°C)for around 40 minutes or until the sausage is cooked.

Remove the goat or cream cheese from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature (about 20 minutes). Warming the cheese is crucial when mixing and stuffing the peppers so that the cheese is soft enough to work.
Cut the stems off of the jalapeños. Using a pairing or small thin knife, remove the pith and seeds from the chili. While holding the chili, gently knock out any remaining seeds onto your work surface.

Option 1 (spicy): Chop up the pith and seeds to add to your cheese mixture.
Option 2 (mild): Remove and discard the jalapeño pith and seeds.

In a small mixing bowl, add room-temperature goat cheese or cream cheese. Mix with shredded sharp cheddar. The cheddar gives the yolk color to the eggs when they are cut open.
Next, add the cheese mixture to a pastry bag or a plastic gallon Ziploc bag (snipped off on one corner) to make it easy to pipe the cheese mixture into the jalapeños. Alternatively, I've stuffed the peppers by hand with a flexible spreading knife.

Starting with the filled jalapeños, measure out enough bulk sausage to wrap around each jalapeno. Next, use the heel of the palm of your hand to make a thin-ish layer of sausage on your work surface. Use the jalapeño to determine the size.
Next, use a knife or spatula to scrape up the sausage off the work surface and, with your hands, form the sausage around each jalapeño, covering the entire surface. (If you wish to wrap the eggs with bacon.)

Place the Armadillo Eggs on a smoker-safe pan (preferably a cooling rack sprayed with oil) and place them into the smoker at (240°F or 115°C) for approximately 40 minutes. Alternatively, you can do these in a regular oven for the same amount of time.
Check the Armadillo Eggs often towards the end of the cooking cycle. Since you will be eyeballing how much sausage you will be using, and the size of the jalapeños may differ, the cooking time may take longer or shorter given these variations.
After 40 minutes, remove the Armadillo Eggs from the smoker or oven and allow them to rest for 8 minutes. Armadillos Eggs are best warm (not hot). If you have any leftovers or you made extra, refrigerate promptly or freeze them for later use.

You can add more flavors to the cheese mixture if you desire, such as finely minced garlic or roasted garlic, fired roasted diced red pepper, dry ranch dressing mix, and for a California-style version, add chopped black olives. However, I like the original version best.