Hey guys. I’m going to be cooking dinner for the family and in-laws on Thursday. Planning on doing smoked meatloaf, smoked Mac&cheese, home canned green beans for the main meal. I’be got some quail breasts from last year that I’d like to do as poppers on the smoker as well, or grilled as alternative, but have never done any before. Any recipe guidance you can provide? Particularly with cooking technique (time/temps or how to judge doneness). Thanks!

All I do is cut jalapenos in half, scrape out the guts, fill with cream cheese(whipped makes it easier), place breast on top and wrap with bacon.

I grill until the bacon is nice and crispy, you don't have to flip it.

If you can find some, McCormick maple smokehouse seasoning makes poppers taste mighty fine.

I am not a big fan of peppers... I like some heat but don't like peppers much so I do not hollow out a pepper and stuff. I prefer to cook quail breasts whole and do poppers out of dove breasts but the method is the same either way. Slice the breast meat off the bone, slice a jalapeno to whatever size you prefer, add a small slab of cream cheese, wrap in bacon, and toothpick in place. Marinate overnight in fridge with italian dressing. Grill on direct heat till bacon is done.

It's fairly labor intensive to sit around and make a bunch of poppers... I usually make 30 or so at a time (one limit of doves.)

Try to keep the meats dry... they are easier to handle. Thin bacon is easier to stretch tightly around the popper but cooks quicker. Dark meat of doves is more forgiving of temp. Thick cut bacon can kind of take-over the flavor because the individual breasts are just not very big.

Next time I want to do them, I am thinking about deconstructing them and cook everything on skewers. Perhaps still wrap the breast in bacon and skewer but everything else can be separate (obv not the cream cheese.)

Here's another good recipe: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=768420403944343