# ISO - help w/jalapeno poppers



## jerseyjay14 (Jan 31, 2008)

So im looking to make jalapeño poppers for the superbowl.  i tried a test run but they didnt come out so hot and i had difficulty correcting the problem.  I'd like to use a deep fry batter, instead of bread crumbs, as a coating.  the restaurant down the street does this and they taste so much better.

anyhow, my issue is, either the jalapeno is cooked enough and is still crunchy, or the outside is charred.  my recipe is basically:

- Jalapeno's
- cream cheese
- shredded cheddar
- bacon(cooked and cut into bits)
- flour

then the batter:
flour, cornstarch, water, soy sauce, oil.

basically i melt the cheeses and combine with bacon.  slit and stuff the peppers.  coat in flour, then dip in the batter and deep fry for 2-3 minutes.

i guess i somehow need to cook the jalapeno more, maybe ahead of time.  i tried doing this ina  pan and baking it but it either just roasted or got too soft and was to hard to work with...

i think i may try boiling them in water first... anyone have any suggestions?  Also, the batter didnt stick to the pepper so easily...


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## sage™ (Jan 31, 2008)

Are you using fresh or pickled jalapenos?


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## Jeff G. (Jan 31, 2008)

jerseyjay14 said:


> So im looking to make jalapeño poppers for the superbowl.  i tried a test run but they didnt come out so hot and i had difficulty correcting the problem.  I'd like to use a deep fry batter, instead of bread crumbs, as a coating.  the restaurant down the street does this and they taste so much better.
> 
> anyhow, my issue is, either the jalapeno is cooked enough and is still crunchy, or the outside is charred.  my recipe is basically:
> 
> ...



I would bake them instead of boiling. I think boiling will cause them to separate and lose their skins, meat would get soft.  You need the skins to hold them together.  Lay them in a shallow pan and pop in a hot oven until they are good and hot.  Let them cool then stuff and fry.


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## Andy M. (Jan 31, 2008)

Try frying them at a lower temperature so the inside cooks before the batter burns


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## jerseyjay14 (Jan 31, 2008)

sage™ said:


> Are you using fresh or pickled jalapenos?



fresh.......


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## TATTRAT (Feb 1, 2008)

Blanch your peppers and shock to cool. Then Stuff and batter. I do a very similar no frill snack(especially since Super Bowl is coming) with a very similar recipe.

If you want something different for a filling, i use what you do but add crab and grilled corn.


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## jerseyjay14 (Feb 1, 2008)

TATTRAT said:


> Blanch your peppers and shock to cool. Then Stuff and batter. I do a very similar no frill snack(especially since Super Bowl is coming) with a very similar recipe.
> 
> If you want something different for a filling, i use what you do but add crab and grilled corn.



blanching... this is putting them in some simmering vinegar correct?  how long?

what is "shocking to cool"

thanks for the tips!


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## Mraughh (Feb 1, 2008)

shocking is when you put the veggies in ice water to stop the cooking process. A bowl of water with some ice cubes works. I do mine in cold running tap water since I can't get access to ice easily here.


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## JillBurgh (Feb 1, 2008)

jerseyjay14 said:


> blanching... this is putting them in some simmering vinegar correct? how long?


 
No blanching isn't meant to be done in vinegar. You just use boiling water. Drop the peppers into the boiling water for a short time (maybe as short as 10-15 seconds for your purposes), lift them out and quickly drop them into a deep bowl of water with ice cubes. 

Play around with the boiling time, too long will make the skins come right off. Actually, blanching is often used to remove skins on tomatoes, peaches and the like.

You may be thinking vinegar because some people add a drop of vinegar to the boiling water for poached eggs?


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## TATTRAT (Feb 1, 2008)

As jill said, no vin, just good ol H2O.


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## jerseyjay14 (Feb 1, 2008)

TATTRAT said:


> As jill said, no vin, just good ol H2O.



thanks, i did a bit of a test run.  Boiled them in vinegar for 3 minutes(before i got your responses to use water).  i didnt "shock" them... forgot to.  these came out a bit softer, but still not soft enough and the peppers overpower everything (i.e. the batter and cheese filling)

i'll try again in a few minutes:

- boil in water (how long?  15 seconds???)
- shock in ice water
- stuff
- batter
- deep fry


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## jerseyjay14 (Feb 1, 2008)

also, the peppers im using are on the larger side, if that makes a difference... thats a standard tablespoon in the picture:








another issue is the batter is a bit bland.  i use 1 part beer(a dark winter) and 1 part flour with a tablespoon of paprikka.  got the recipe off line.  is there a good way to seaosn it to spice it up?  maybe just some S & P?

here are the the last ones from the test run:


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## JillBurgh (Feb 1, 2008)

Oh geez those look delicious in the picture.

When you blanch the peppers, do it after you slit/seed the pepps but before you stuff em. Maybe you need to let the hot water contact the pepper flesh inside & out? Boiling time is iffy since you are the pioneer in the world of jalapeno-blanching for poppers.

Here's an idea: Bake the stuffed peppers without any batter until nice and soft. Stick em in the fridge till you're ready to serve them and fry/batter them up to order.

I have a stuffed pepper griller. It's an iron plate held up on 4 iron "legs" with 1-inch holes in it. You cut the tops off the jalapenos, seed them, stuff them, pop a tiny hole in the bottom of the pepper (to let juices escape) then prop the pepps upright in the holes. Stick it in the grill or oven and let em cook up all nice. I bet doing something like that ahead of time would soften them nicely. Then you could store them in the fridge til you're ready to fry them.  I know that most fried foods are precooked, maybe we're finding out why!


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## auntdot (Feb 1, 2008)

Your pepperes gook great.  I usually bake but deep fry should work.  Perhaps smaller peppers would work better.  We will also use Anaheim peppers and they are fairly large but the thickness of the meat is less than a large jalapeno.

I also add my solid grated cheese without melting.  Doing this might let you leave them in the fryer longer without the cheese mixture becoming too liquid and gooey.

Am not suggesting you change your method of cooking at all, when I do mine in the oven I do the flour, egg, Panko routine twice.  And usually make it with jack cheese instead of cheddar, but love those with yellow cheese too. 

Sounds like you are committed to getting this the way you want it by Superbowl.  Best of luck.


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## jerseyjay14 (Feb 1, 2008)

ok made another test batch.  definetly getting closer:

- boiled them for 3 minutes, then shocked them in cold water

- deep fried for 4 minutes.

they were alot softer.  cheese was nice and melty.  outside was xrisp but got soggy very quickly.  main issue now is that the better just isnt tasty,  you can taste the beer, thats about it, needs to be seasoned.  i added salt but couldnt notice.

some of the peppers still seemed a bit "meaty"  should i boil even longer?  my fear is if i boil them too soft it will fall apart


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## JillBurgh (Feb 1, 2008)

I think a strong pepper presence is desirable here.  If the peppers ended up a lot softer, as you say, then you're in great shape.

This evening I had a Eureka! moment.  Try this T&T Chiles Rellenos batter/recipe as a basis (so good!):


 Roast and peel the chiles (you can do this over your gas stove's open flame). Make a lengthwise slit in each one, carefully so as not to break them, and remove seeds and membranes. Soak in cool water to cover with 1 Tbl salt and 2 tsp white vinegar for 20 min. This, for some reason, will firm them up for stuffing.  Rinse, drain, set aside until ready to stuff the chiles with cheese. 

(You could prepare to the stuffed point Sat and batter/fry on Sunday...)

And the best part... Prepare batter: Beat 3 egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then stir in 3 (beaten) egg yolks one at a time.  Roll chiles in a flour mixture of all-purpose flour and S&P. Dip the jalapenos  in the egg mixture and drop into oil, frying til golden.

Don't forget to remove to paper towels, as the absorption of oil should help with keeping them crispy. If this recipe doesn't get you exactly what you want, then I don't know what will!


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## GrillingFool (Feb 2, 2008)

See if you can find a spicy breading mix like House of Autry medium hot breading mix.
I use that on my fried gizzards and pickles and it is great!


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## JillBurgh (Feb 5, 2008)

JerseyJay:

Any post-game update on those poppers?


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## jerseyjay14 (Feb 5, 2008)

JillBurgh said:


> JerseyJay:
> 
> Any post-game update on those poppers?



yes, i finally was able to perfect them....

it seems that boiling them in water for 7 minutes does the trick.  soft, but not to soft.  then shocked them in ice water...  then stuffed, battered, and deep fried for 4 or 5 minutes in oil heated to 350 degrees...

regardless of how hard i tried, i couldnt season the batter to get the bitter taste to go away.  so instead after they came out of the oil i seasoned the crispy outside with some salt, and it did the trick... i also went with a cream cheese + melted velveta mix and it seemed to work alot better then cream cheese + shredded cheddar(this got a bit stringy after melting)






- Recipe -

*Ingredients :
*- 24 jalapeño peppers
- 8 oz of cream cheese
- 8 oz of velveta or cheeze wiz
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped into bacon bits
- vegitable oil(to deep fry)
-- for the batter
- 12 oz sam adams winter
- 1.5 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- salt
*
Directions:*
- combine the beer, flour, and paprika in a mixing bowl and wisk until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps.

- Melt the cream and velveta cheese in the microwave or over a double broiler.  mix the cheeses until combined and stir in the bacon bits.

- cut a slit in the jalapeno's from the tip to the stem.  using a 1/4 teaspoon, remove the seeds and scrape the insides clean.  

- Boil the jalapeno's for 7 minutes, then immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water.  then stuff with the cheese mixture, and roll in flour coating generously on all sides.

- Heat the oil in a large pot to 350 degrees. while holding the stems, dip the jalapeno's in the batter until completely covered, then immediately place them into the oil.  it is important to quickly go from the batter to the oil to ensure that the pepper retains as much of the batter as possible on the outside.

- cook in the oil for 4 to 5 minutes or until deep golden brown.  remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate covered with paper towels.  sprinkle on some salt.  let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

​


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