Cheeseburger poppers

I can’t always come up with witty post titles. Fortunately, this one should catch your attention in spite of itself. You really can’t go wrong when you stuff fresh, fiery jalapeños with ground beef and melty cheese, drench them in beer batter and fry them to golden-brown perfection. The homemade ranch is the icing on the cake.

They’re big and gooey, which makes them a little tricky as a finger food. Still, the most macho men (and hardcore ladies) will take them to the face while hovering over the game-day app table without thinking twice. My advice? Grab a plate, hunker down, and go to town on these babies with a fork and knife.

Cheeseburger jalapeño poppers with homemade ranch

You’ll need:

Two dozen jalapeños

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb sliced American cheese (from the deli), chopped

4 oz cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons dried, minced onion

1 tablespoon garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Enough vegetable oil to fill a small stock pot, sauce pan or deep fryer so that the poppers are completely submerged during frying

For beer batter:

1 beer

1 1/2 cup flour

Salt and pepper to taste

For homemade ranch:

1/2 cup mayo

1 cup sour cream

1/2 tablespoon dill

1/2 tablespoon dried, minced onion

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the ground beef with a little oil or butter in a skillet over medium-heat until cooked through—5 minutes or so—stirring constantly.

Pour off excess fat and add meat to a bowl with cheeses, onions, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir together until the cheese begins to melt and the ingredients are well incorporated. Set aside.

Slice each jalapeño, down the side in a “v” shape, as shown below, and carefully remove the seeds and white veins. If some seeds and veins are left, that’s fine–your poppers will just be a little spicier. Keep the tops with the jalapeños they came from as best as you can so you’ve got a good fit on each popper.

Fill a piping bag (or a plastic bag with a hole snipped on the end) with the popper filling and pipe a bit into each popper. The insides should be full, and the “lids” on the poppers bulging a bit, but not so much that the poppers don’t stay together.

Set filled jalapeños aside and prepare the batter by mixing all batter ingredients.

You can also prepare the ranch sauce at this time—simply mix all ranch ingredients in a bowl and chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat. You’ll want to reach and maintain a frying temp between 360 and 375 degrees or so.

When oil is heated to the proper temp, using tongs, dip each jalapeño, one at a time, in the batter; let excess drip off for a second or so and quickly place directly into the oil. Immediately after putting each jalapeño in the batter, agitate with your tongs to make sure the popper doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. You can fry poppers in batches of 2 or 3, for about 3-5 minutes each or until golden brown. If necessary, adjust the burner to maintain your oil temp.

Drain poppers on a paper towel and serve immediately with ranch.