Smoked Beef Armadillo Eggs With Red Wine Glaze

Smoked Armadillo Eggs are a delicious twist on jalapeño poppers. Take the classic popper stuffed with cheese, wrap it up with some Ground Beef, and then finish with a red wine glaze. These also make a great tailgating recipe, because you can prepare them in advance and then smoke them in your favorite portable grill.

Beef Armadillo Eggs in a cast iron pan with a wine bbq sauce. — *Armadillo eggs with beef make a great appetizer or tailgating bite.*

This recipe and video is sponsored by Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. on behalf of the Beef Checkoff. All opinions are our own.

What makes a jalapeño popper taste even better? How about taking some amazing seasoned Ground Beef and wrapping it around the cheese filled jalapeño. Then, the final touch is adding a savory red wine glaze to give a rich, cheesy, and slightly spicy appetizer. The best part is that we slowly smoke these incredible appetizers for even more flavor and to get the pepper nice and tender.

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Ingredients

When it comes to Armadillo Eggs, the two most important ingredients are the right size jalapeño peppers and for us it’s using good Ground Beef as our meat of choice. This recipe yields 6 eggs with 1 1/4 pounds of beef.

Size gradient of jalapeno poppers. — *Jalapeños come in a wide range of sizes. Strive for 2 – 3-inch-long jalapeños and consistent size.*

Jalapeños – Look for peppers that are 2 to 3 inches long. If the peppers are too small, you won’t get enough of that cheesy filling in there. If they are too big, they won’t be easy to eat AND they will require more Ground Beef and more filling than this recipe states.
Ground Beef – The best ratio is 80/20 Ground Beef. This means 80% is lean and 20% is fat. Not only does this mean amazing flavor, the fat ratio helps the Beef stay intact around the pepper as it slowly smokes. If you use lean Beef (90/10 or higher), you’ll need to add another binding agent like egg. For seasoning use a bold beef seasoning, which in our case is equal parts kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and granulated garlic.
Cheese – Cream cheese and shredded cheddar are our two favorites. The cream cheese makes for a soft texture and tanginess while the cheddar adds flavor and color.
Wine Glaze – The final ingredient is a wine-based glaze. We use our Pinot Noir BBQ sauce, but you can also use any BBQ sauce you like plus wine. Just use equal parts BBQ sauce to red wine.

See recipe card for quantities.

Preparation

Combine the softened cream cheese and cheddar in a bowl and mix with to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine the beef with the seasoning and mix.
Next, cut the stem/top off the jalapeño and discard. Then using a narrow sharp knife, remove the seeds, membrane, and ribs so the jalapeño is hollow (this also minimizes the heat).
Stuff the jalapeño with the cheese mixture. Be sure to pack it in tightly to avoid air pockets.
Layout the seasoned Beef in a large rectangle and divide into six squares. Using your hands, gently press the pepper into the Ground Beef and work the Ground Beef around the pepper forming the “egg”. Be sure that all sides are surrounded and that you have enclosed and pinched any seams.

Process steps on how to make armadillo eggs. — *Steps for making beef armadillo eggs.*

6 uncooked beef Armadillo Eggs on a baking sheet

Softening Cream Cheese – Consider leaving the cream cheese out of the fridge for an hour to soften. If you use a microwave, do not go longer than 10 second increments to soften or it could melt (and we want soft cream cheese, not melted).

Smoked Armadillo Eggs Instructions

Preheat Grill/Smoker: Start with preheating your smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit using oak or a fruit wood. The low temperature is important to keep the beef from shrinking. If the smoker runs hotter, the beef will pull back and shrink, exposing the pepper and making for an uneven cook.

Smoke Armadillo Eggs: Place the Beef Armadillo Eggs on the smoker for one hour. After one hour the internal temperature of the beef will be between 165 and 170 degrees F, which means they are cooked through.

Armadillo eggs on the smoker at 225 - 250 degrees Fahrenheit. — *Smoke at low heat to avoid the Beef from shrinking away from the jalapeño.*

Glaze Eggs: Next glaze the eggs with the wine glaze and continue smoking for an additional 10 minutes. This lets the sauce set and darken for more flavor.

Glazing armadillo eggs with a wine glaze. — *Glaze after one hour and then continue smoking to let it set.*

Remove: Remove and then let them rest for 5 – 10 minutes until they are cool enough to touch. Serve and enjoy.

Hint: When cleaning the grill after use, remember to use a non-wire-based grill cleaner while the grill is still warm to clean the grates.

Substitutions

If you don’t have time to make the wine glaze from scratch you can use any barbecue sauce you like.

Wine Glaze – Any dry red wine will work. Instead of using our own recipe, you can put 1/2 cup of wine and 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce in a pan over medium heat. Stir to combine until bubbling and let cool.

Top tip

If all you can find is large jalapeños (over 3 inches long), increase the amount of Beef to 2 pounds to account for the size. And then plan an additional 30 minutes of cooking time before glazing.

Smoked Armadillo Eggs in a pan with sauce. — *Time for a bite.*

Food Safety

Things to keep in mind while cooking with Ground Beef.

Cook Ground Beef to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
Wash hands after touching raw meat

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

beef Armadillo Eggs in a cast iron pan with sauce.

Smoked Beef Armadillo Eggs Recipe

A classic jalapeño popper wrapped in seasoned ground beef and then finished with a delicious red wine BBQ glaze.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

resting time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Servings: 6 eggs

Calories: 671kcal

Author: Mary Cressler | Vindulge

Cost: $15

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Instructions

Preheat Smoker: Prepare smoker targeting 225 – 250 degrees Fahrenheit using oak or fruit wood.
Prep Ingredients: In a large bowl combine Ground Beef and beef seasoning and mix. In a separate bowl mix the cream cheese and cheddar cheese together.
Prep Jalapeños: Cut the stem/top off the jalapeño and discard. Then using a narrow sharp knife, remove the seeds, membrane, and ribs so the jalapeño is hollow (this also minimizes the heat). Stuff the jalapeño with the cheese mixture. Be sure to pack it in tightly to avoid air pockets.
Make Eggs: Layout the seasoned Beef in a large rectangle and divide into six squares. Using your hands, gently press the pepper into the Ground Beef and work the Ground Beef around the pepper forming an “egg”. Be sure that all sides are surrounded and that you have enclosed and pinched any seams.
Smoke Armadillo Eggs: Place the Beef Armadillo Eggs on the smoker for one hour. After one hour the internal temperature of the beef will be between 165 and 170 degrees F, which means they are cooked through.
Glaze: Next glaze the eggs with the wine glaze and continue smoking for an additional 10 minutes. This lets the sauce set and darken for more flavor.
Remove and then let them rest for 5 – 10 minutes until they are cool enough to touch. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

If Tailgating – Place the uncooked eggs in a storage container and then keep in cooler or refrigerator until you are ready to smoke them. Make the sauce in advance as well so all you need to do is smoke and glaze.
Softening Cream Cheese – Consider leaving the cream cheese out of the fridge for an hour to soften. If you use a microwave, do not go longer than 10 second increments to soften or it could melt.
Wine Glaze – Any dry red wine will work. Instead of using our Pinot Noir BBQ Sauce recipe, you can put 1/2 cup of wine and 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce in a pan over medium heat. Stir to combine until bubbling and let cool.

Nutrition

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