Close-up of sliced Texas Twinkies on a wooden board showing smoked brisket and creamy cheese stuffed inside jalapenos wrapped in bacon and coated with sticky barbecue sauce.

These bacon-wrapped jalapeños are stuffed with smoky beef brisket and a rich, seasoned cream cheese filling, then baked until the bacon is crispy and caramelized with a sweet BBQ glaze.

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Table of Contents

Ingredients For Texas Twinkies
Ingredients Notes
Read This Before You Begin
How to Make Texas Twinkies
Storage and Reheating FAQ
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Texas Twinkies are a jalapeño poppers' bigger, bolder cousin, and they deserve every bit of attention they get.

Bacon-wrapped jalapeños stuffed with smoky beef brisket and a rich, creamy cheese filling. They're spicy, cheesy, crispy, and completely addictive.

This recipe makes 12 stuffed jalapeños, each packed with chopped smoked brisket, a seasoned cream cheese and pepper jack filling, and two slices of thick-cut bacon. Your oven does all the work, finishing with a BBQ sauce glaze that caramelizes the bacon for out-of-this-world southern flavor.

Two sliced Texas Twinkies on a white plate showing jalapenos filled with chopped brisket and cream cheese, wrapped in bacon and coated in barbecue sauce.

The great part of this recipe is that you don't need a smoker to make them. Store-bought brisket works beautifully, and if you want to go the homemade route, our slow-cooked oven brisket is the perfect starting point. Either way, these come together in your oven and deliver everything Texas BBQ is known for.

For a game day spread or just an easy appetizer that gets people talking, Texas Twinkies always deliver.

Ingredients For Texas Twinkies

Ingredient photo for Texas Twinkies with labeled ingredients including 12 large jalapenos, 12 oz brisket, 24 oz thick cut bacon, 8 oz cream cheese, pepper jack cheese, BBQ sauce, kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, and toothpicks.

Here's what you'll need to make Texas twinkies:

12 large fresh jalapeños (medium-sized - not too big, so the bacon can wrap around them fully)
24 ounces thick-cut bacon
12 ounces chopped smoked beef brisket, homemade or store-bought
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup pepper jack cheese, freshly shredded
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
¾ cup sweet and tangy BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's Original is a great choice for this recipe)
Rounded toothpicks, for securing the bacon

Ingredients Notes

You can swap the cheese: Try replacing the pepper jack with Chihuahua cheese for a milder, creamier filling, or use sharp cheddar for a sharper flavor.

Adjust the heat level: Leave a few seeds in the jalapeños for extra heat, or add a pinch of cayenne or chipotle powder to the cream cheese mixture.

Meat: No brisket on hand? Cooked and seasoned flank steak works well as a substitute.

Read This Before You Begin

These come together faster than you'd think, but a few small details separate good Texas Twinkies from great ones. Here's what I've learned from making them a number of times:

Tip 1: Wear gloves when prepping the jalapeños. Jalapeño oils burn, and they don't wash off easily - in fact, the oils can last for hours. Nitrile gloves keep your hands safe and comfortable.

Tip 2: Keep the bacon cold until you're ready to wrap. Cold bacon is much easier to wrap tightly and holds its shape around the jalapeño. Pull it straight from the fridge, just before you need it.

Tip 3: Use a baking rack if you have one. Baking the jalapeños on a wire rack over a pan lets the heat circulate around the bacon on all sides. If you don't have one, they'll still bake up, but the bottom might be a bit soggy.

Tip 4: Stuff your Texas twinkies with plenty of filling. You're wrapping these in bacon, so pile the cream cheese mixture on generously. It will compress as it bakes, and filling them nice and full will help make sure every bite is full of creamy cheese and brisket.

Tip 6: Let them rest before serving. They come out of the oven extremely hot, with molten cheese inside. Give them a few minutes before serving, or the filling will run everywhere when someone bites in.

How to Make Texas Twinkies

FIRST STEP: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, set a wire rack on top, and spray the rack generously with nonstick cooking spray.

SECOND STEP: Carefully slice a T-shape into each jalapeño just under the stem, then scrape out the seeds and membranes, leaving the stem attached. Wear nitrile gloves for this step.

Twelve fresh jalapeños with T-shaped cuts sliced into each one, arranged on a wooden cutting board ready to be stuffed.

THIRD STEP: Fill each hollowed jalapeño with the chopped brisket.

Twelve jalapeños sliced open and stuffed with chopped smoked beef brisket, arranged on a wooden cutting board.

FOURTH STEP: In a medium bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese, kosher salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Fold in the shredded pepper jack cheese.

Spoon or pipe the cream cheese mixture generously on top. Don't hold back. You'll be wrapping these in bacon, so pack in as much filling as you can.

Jalapeños filled with chopped brisket and topped with a generous layer of seasoned cream cheese mixture, arranged on a wooden cutting board.

FIFTH STEP: Wrap 2 slices of bacon tightly around each stuffed jalapeño and secure with a few toothpicks.

Twelve bacon-wrapped jalapeños secured with toothpicks on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet, ready to go in the oven.

SIXTH STEP: Place them on the prepared rack and bake for 45 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Remove the pan and brush each jalapeño generously with BBQ sauce. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes, until the bacon is caramelized and sticky.

Twelve fully baked Texas Twinkies on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet, glazed with caramelized BBQ sauce and crispy bacon.

SEVENTH STEP: Allow the Texas Twinkies to rest for a few minutes before serving.

How To Serve Texas Twinkies

Serve Texas Twinkies as a hearty appetizer alongside your favorite BBQ spread. They pair perfectly with coleslaw, baked beans, or cornbread.

Texas Twinkies are bold enough to anchor a full appetizer spread. Serve them alongside other bacon-wrapped bites, like bacon-wrapped pineapple, jalapeno poppers, or bacon-wrapped smokies for a game day table that nobody walks away from hungry.

Texas Twinkies jalapenos wrapped in bacon and brushed with barbecue sauce, with one sliced open to show the brisket and cream cheese filling.

Storage and Reheating FAQ

Storage: Store leftover Texas Twinkies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Freezing: Cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or gallon zip-lock bag. They keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Reheating: If they're frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until heated through. An air fryer works great, too.

Make Ahead: Stuff and wrap the jalapeños up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate until ready to bake. Pull them straight from the fridge and add a few extra minutes to the bake time.

Close-up of Texas Twinkies cut in half with jalapenos stuffed with brisket, wrapped in bacon, and finished with sticky barbecue sauce.

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Texas Twinkies

These bacon-wrapped jalapeños are stuffed with smoky beef brisket and a rich, seasoned cream cheese filling, then baked until the bacon is crispy and caramelized with a sweet BBQ glaze.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 25

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 418 kcal

Ingredients

12 large fresh jalapeños
24 ounces thick-cut bacon
12 ounces chopped smoked beef brisket (homemade or store-bought)
8 ounces cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
1 cup pepper jack cheese (freshly shredded)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
¾ cup sweet and tangy BBQ sauce
Rounded toothpicks (for securing the bacon)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, set a wire rack on top, and spray the rack generously with nonstick cooking spray.
Carefully slice a T-shape into each jalapeño just under the stem, then scrape out the seeds and membranes, leaving the stem attached.
Fill each hollowed jalapeño with the chopped brisket.
Stir together the softened cream cheese, kosher salt, garlic powder, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Fold in the shredded pepper jack cheese. Spoon or pipe the mixture generously on top of the brisket in each jalapeño.
Wrap 2 slices of bacon tightly around each stuffed jalapeño and secure with 1 to 2 toothpicks.
Place on the prepared rack and bake for 45 minutes, until the bacon is crisp. Increase the oven to 400°F, brush each jalapeño generously with BBQ sauce, and return to the oven for 10 more minutes until the bacon is caramelized and sticky.
Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Wear nitrile gloves when prepping the jalapeños. Jalapeño oils burn and don't wash off easily.
Keep the bacon cold until you're ready to wrap. Cold bacon is firmer and wraps much more tightly.
Use a baking rack. Elevating the jalapeños lets heat circulate around the bacon on all sides for even crisping.
Don't be shy with the filling. Pack in as much cream cheese mixture as you can. It compresses as it bakes.

Make Ahead: Stuff and wrap the jalapeños up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate until ready to bake. Add a few extra minutes to the bake time if going straight from the fridge.

Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Freezing: Cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or gallon zip-lock bag for up to 2 months.

Reheating: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes. An air fryer works great, too.

Nutrition

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Texas Twinkies

Ingredients For Texas Twinkies

Here's what you'll need to make Texas twinkies:

Ingredients Notes

Read This Before You Begin