Cheesy and delicious, Jalapeño Popper Grits have all the flavors you love in jalapeño poppers. In case you’ve been living under a rock, if you order jalapeño poppers in a restaurant you’ll get jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese, cheddar, and bacon bits, then rolled in breadcrumbs and fried. Recipes for homemade jalapeño poppers often have you bake the poppers instead of frying them, and wrap them in bacon before baking.
As popular as they are, you usually only find jalapeño poppers at Tex-Mex fast casual restaurants and football-watching parties. They’re sort of a pain to make. Jalapeño popper dip has become popular in the last few years, but since it needs to be served warm, it’s got some limitations. At my house we combat that by turning jalapeño popper flavor into a breakfast/brunch/side dish so we can trot it out anytime.
You can use canned jalapeño peppers, but get the plain ones not the ones in adobo sauce, aka chipotles. Chipotles tend to be extremely hot, so it’s difficult to get the jalapeño flavor without making the grits too hot for the general public. So use the plain canned jalapeños or do what I do: roast fresh ones.
Roasted jalapeños couldn’t be easier. Wash them then bake in a 400° oven until they’re getting browned and a bit wrinkled. You’ll need to watch them. The timing can vary widely depending on your peppers and your oven, but it will take at least 15 minutes.
When the jalapeños are done, let them cool until you can handle them. Then cut off the stem end and slice the pepper in half lengthwise. Run a knife down the center to remove seeds. Much of a jalapeño’s heat is in the seeds, so you can moderate the heat by removing a few, some, or all of the seeds. I usually remove them all and put a bottle of hot sauce on the table for the hot-heads.
Jalapeño Popper Grits made as directed hold beautifully in a slow cooker if needed. Nice!
Pro Tip: According to everybody you should wear gloves when handling jalapeños. I know this, and yet I never seem to have gloves when I want to handle jalapeños. It’s useful to know that the compound responsible for the heat is capsaicin. Capsaicin is a hydrophilic substance, meaning it won’t wash off with water and regular soap. You’ll need a solvent. I use Dawn Dish Liquid to wash my hands–including under my nails–immediately after handling the peppers. It’s the best everyday oil-cutter I know.
Jalapeño Popper Grits
Ingredients
- 1 quart milk, or half milk and half water
- 1 t. salt
- 1 t. onion powder
- ½ t. garlic powder
- ¼ cup crumbled bacon--about 4 slices fried crisp
- 1 cup regular grits (not instant, not stoneground)
- ½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- ½ cup shredded extra sharp cheddar
- 1 4 oz. can canned diced jalapeño peppers, drained and chopped, or 4-5 fresh jalapeños, roasted, seeded, and chopped
- hot sauce of your choice for the table
- extra chopped jalapeño, crumbled bacon, and cheese for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Add milk, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and crumbled bacon to a heavy-bottomed skilllet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Stir in the grits. Turn the heat to medium low and cover the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the grits are tender, 7 or 8 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the cheese and jalapeños. Stir while the cheese melts. Serve hot.
0 Comments