Bacon-Wrapped Pepper Poppers With Pork Loin
I know I already have you with that title… any recipe that begins will bacon-wrapped is worth a shot, right?!
We have had a TON of peppers from the garden, most of which will end up in salsa but I try to use a few here and there while they are at their peak of freshness!
Most of our meat comes from the farm, so when we get ready to butcher, we must make sure our freezers have enough room for an entire beef or pork! We are getting ready to make room for a beef so we thought we should try to clear out some meat this week.
We started with a pork loin. Between two people, this is a ton of meat! So I usually cut it in half or quarters and make different dinners for each section. That way we don’t completely burn out eating pork all week!
Today, I’ll share with you the bacon-wrapped pepper poppers we made on the grill this week. I’ve been trying to cut back on cooking in our kitchen for two reasons… 1) It’s gorgeous outside 2) I have to boil water to do my dishes with all these house renovations underway. We are currently without our hot-water heater!
Backyard dinners it is!
First, I cut the loin into small steaks about 1 to 1.5 inches thick.
Then I trimmed the fat and cut into bite-size pieces. Normally, I would leave the fat attached for grilling the steaks because it adds more flavor but since these are bite-size there would be no way to trim the fat after cooking.
Then I used some green bell peppers from our garden. I washed, seeded and cut them in half. Some larger store-bought peppers may have to be cut down into smaller sections.
I spread out a small cube (about 1 Tbsp) of cream cheese on each pepper, topped with a couple cubes of pork loin, then wrapped the entire pepper with bacon.
For the larger pepper bundles, I used a whole slice of bacon but for the smaller ones I used only half a slice.
Secure with toothpicks (soak in water to ensure they won’t catch fire on the grill)
At this point you could marinade the wraps as well. Italian dressing would be a great option. I left mine unseasoned and un-marinated because I figured the bacon would give it all plenty of flavor and salt!
Hit the grill and cook until bacon and pork are completely cooked through. Boy were they delicious!
I enjoyed a couple poppers over a bed of couscous! These are also a great backyard barbecue crowd pleaser for any party!
Get outside and grill some this weekend! I know you’ll love them… and the cleanup is a cinch! 😉
P.S. The lumber in the background of this photo is a sure sign that house renovations are still underway! Getting so exciting! More updates soon!
Here is a handy-dandy printable! Share with your friends!
- 1/4 Pork Loin (2-3 pounds cut into small cubes)
- 4 oz Cream Cheese
- 3-4 Bell Green Peppers (or 5 small garden bell peppers)
- 1 lb Bacon (may have to cut slices in half for small peppers)
- Toothpicks (soaked in water)
- Wash, seed and halve the bell peppers. Quarter the larger peppers.
- Cut the pork loin into small 1” to 1.5” thick steaks, then into small cubes.
- Spread small cubes of cream cheese into each bell pepper and top with pork loin.
- Wrap the pepper bundles in bacon using full slices for large peppers and half slices for the small ones.
- Secure with a toothpick and grill until bacon and pork is cooked through. About 10-12 minutes on each side.
- Serve as an appetizer or as a main course.
Have a great weekend!
Oh and before I forget, if you are local and want to come and shop the rustic honey boutique collection, you can come and see me this Saturday, July 12th from 9-3 in Appleton City, MO at the park for the Annual Car & Craft Show. Hope to see you there!
-Lauren
Oh my goodness, these sounds sooo good! Definitely going to have to give these a try 🙂