Bratwurst Popper Boats
Elevate your tailgate with these sausage popper boats featuring bold BBQ flavors and a creamy filling for crowd-pleasing results.
Bratwurst Popper Boats
This recipe comes from Matt Pittman, CEO of Meat Church BBQ, YouTube personality, and friend of Montana Knife Company.
5
15 minutes
30 minutes
320
German-American
Appetizer
These sausage poppers make perfect game-day snacks. I’ve been serving them at tailgates for years, and they never last longer than a few minutes.
My secret is using a clean, sharp knife to cut the bratwursts lengthwise and create boats for cream cheese, jalapeños, and BBQ seasoning. Clean cuts won’t tear the casing; a dull blade almost certainly will.
Ingredients
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- 5 fresh bratwurst
- 1 cup whipped cream cheese
- 1 cup sharp cheddar, freshly shredded
- 2 Tbsp. pickled jalapeños (substitute fresh if you want spicier sausage poppers)
- 1 Tbsp. your favorite honey BBQ seasoning (I use Meat Church’s Honey Bacon BBQ Rub)
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15 slices of fresh jalapeños (substitute pickled if you prefer milder sausage popper boats)
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- Sharp kitchen knife (nonnegotiable for clean cuts through the bratwurst)
- Instant-read thermometer
Directions
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Set your smoker or pellet grill to 300°F. Because the cook time is pretty short, any wood type works well for these sausage poppers. I use pecan, which adds a great flavor profile.
Combine cream cheese, shredded cheddar, pickled jalapeños, and honey BBQ seasoning in a medium bowl. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
Using a clean kitchen knife, pierce the casing and cut a slit lengthwise down each bratwurst. Your cut’s quality impacts your sausage popper boats’ presentation, so make sure your knife is sharp.
Using your fingers or a small spoon, gently open the bratwurst to form a boat shape. Fill each sausage boat with the cream cheese mixture and season the top with additional honey BBQ seasoning. For easier handling, place the prepared bratwurst popper boats on a wire rack.
Place the bratwurst boats in the smoker. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F using an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.
Remove the sausage poppers from the smoker and garnish with slices of fresh jalapeño. Allow the sausage poppers to cool slightly before serving.
