Armadillo Eggs (Cheese-Stuffed, Sausage-Wrapped, Grilled Jalapeños) Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated Aug. 30, 2018
20120508-205444-armadillo-eggs.jpg

What are armadillo eggs? With the powerhouse of flavor delivered by these sausage-wrapped stuffed jalapeños, they question should be, what aren't they?

Recipe Facts

Active: 30 mins
Total: 75 mins
Serves: 24 servings

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Ingredients

  • 4 ounces cream cheese

  • 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

  • 6 large jalapeños, halved and seeded

  • 2 pounds loose breakfast sausage

  • 1 tablespoon favorite barbecue rub

  • 1 small piece light smoking wood, like apple or cherry

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and cilantro.

  2. Place one spoonful of cream cheese mixture into each jalapeño half. Cut each jalapeño into two equal pieces.

  3. Break off a ball of sausage about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Flatten sausage into a 1/4-inch thick disc and place stuffed-jalapeño piece in the center. Wrap sausage around jalapñeo, pinching sausage closed to completely encase jalapeño. Gentle roll sausage in your hands to create a smooth egg shape. Repeat with remaining sausage and jalapeños.

  4. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place smoking wood directly on top of coals. Sprinkle barbecue rub all over armadillo eggs, then place eggs on cool side grill and cover, with top air vent positioned over cool side of grill. Cook until sausage is cooked through and browned all over, about 30 minutes, flipping eggs halfway through. Any eggs not thoroughly browned can be quickly seared on hot side of grill, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a platter, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then serve.

Special equipment

Grill

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
152 Calories
13g Fat
1g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories 152
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 16%
Saturated Fat 5g 24%
Cholesterol 40mg 13%
Sodium 342mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 28mg 2%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 149mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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