Texas Twinkies with Jalapeños, Cream Cheese and Brisket

Makes 12 Texas Twinkies

Ingredients

12 whole jalapeños
12 tablespoons cream cheese
1 ½ pounds cooked, chopped fatty brisket
12 thick cut strips of bacon
2 tablespoons course ground black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 ounces barbecue sauce (optional)

Instructions:

Heat oven to 300 degrees.
Slice one side of the jalapeño from stem to tip. Slice across the whole stem end and remove it. Carefully remove the seeds and pith inside. Repeat with each pepper.
Place the jalapeños on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the jalapeños and place them in bowl of ice water to extract additional seed oil (otherwise they may be extremely spicy) for 30 minutes. Remove from the bowl and allow to air dry.
Fill each jalapeño halfway with a tablespoon of cream cheese. On top of the cheese, pile 2 ounces of pre-cooked chopped fatty brisket, enough to just fill the jalapeño.
Mix kosher salt and coarse ground pepper into a small bowl and apply a pinch to the stuffing of each pepper before closing and wrapping with 1 slice of thick-cut bacon.
Heat your grill to 350 to 400 degrees, setting up the grill with a dual-zone cooking surface with a cool zone and a hot zone with the coals all stacked to one side.
Place the stuffed peppers on the cool side of the grill for 25 minutes with the lid on. When the bacon is crispy and no brown, the dish is done. Remove from the grill and paint each finished pepper with barbecue sauce (optional) prior to serving.

Per stuffed pepper (with barbecue sauce): 272 calories, 16 g fat, (6 g saturated fat), 71 mg cholesterol, 579 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar, 27 g protein