Foil-Packet Jalapeño Poppers
Halved jalapeños, a powdered-cheese filling, and bacon crumbles, sealed in foil and set on the coals.
- calories
- 320
- weight
- 4 oz
- cal / oz
- 80
- protein
- 14 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 40 min
- water
- 60 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Jalapeños | 12 medium | they ride fine in a pack for two or three days |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered whole milk | 1/2 cup | stands in for the ricotta |
| Shredded parmesan or other dry hard cheese | 1/2 cup | shelf-stable pouch, not fresh mozzarella |
| Powdered cheese sauce mix | 1/4 cup | the packet from boxed mac and cheese works |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Onion powder | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Precooked bacon crumbles | 3 oz | shelf-stable pouch |
| Heavy-duty foil | 2 large sheets |
Method
- Build the fire early and let it burn down. You want a bed of coals, not flames.
- Split the jalapeños lengthwise. Scrape out seeds and ribs with a spoon. That is where most of the heat lives.
- In a mug or bag, stir the milk powder, parmesan, cheese sauce mix, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper together with the oil and about 60 ml of cold water. Add the water in splashes until it is a thick paste, not a sauce.
- Pack each pepper half with the filling and press bacon crumbles into the top.
- Lay the halves filling-up on a doubled sheet of foil. Fold the edges into a shallow tray with an open top so the filling browns instead of steaming.
- Set the tray on a grate over the coals, or directly on a level bed of coals raked flat. Twenty to twenty-five minutes, until the peppers slump and the filling takes color.
- Pull with a stick or pliers, not fingers. Let them sit five minutes before eating.
The original of this is oven food: cream cheese in a pepper, bacon around the outside, a rack to catch the grease. None of that survives a trip without a fridge, so the filling gets rebuilt from powders. Milk powder and dry hard cheese give it the body cream cheese was doing, the cheese sauce mix supplies salt and the tang, and oil plus a small amount of water pulls it into a paste. Keep the water low. A loose filling runs out of the pepper and burns on the foil.
Bacon becomes crumbles pressed into the top instead of a wrap, which also removes the reason for the rack. An open-topped foil tray matters more than it sounds: a sealed packet traps steam and you end up with pale, wet peppers. Coals rather than flame, because jalapeño skin blackens long before the filling is hot through.
Packing
Combine every powder and the seasonings in one bag at home. In camp it is one bag, one squirt of oil, one splash of water. Peppers go on top of the food bag, not the bottom.
Variations
- A tablespoon of dried chives in the mix if you want something green in it.
- No bacon: swap in crumbled jerky or leave it out and add a spoon of dried tomato bits. That makes it vegetarian.
- Set the tray in a covered dutch oven with coals on the lid for more even browning.
https://www.huntingpa.com/threads/simple-but-good-jalapeno-recipe.485