Smoked and Stuffed Bell Peppers

Howdy folks, and thanks for stopping by the website! We have taken one of our favorite camp meals and leveled up the flavor: Stuffed Bell Peppers. Stick with me because I’ve got some tips and tricks that will make stuffed peppers an all time favorite.

This recipe is especially good for someone who is just learning how to cook using Dutch ovens over hot coals at camp. Most of the ingredients are pre-cooked and just need some time over the fire to melt the cheese and meld all of the delicious flavor.

Trick #1: Add a Couple of Anaheim Peppers to the Mix

I love the flavor that Anaheim peppers bring when they’re blistered and peeled. Once they’re nice and soft, peel the skin off and slice into strips. Lay the strips of Anaheim pepper over the sides of the bell peppers before you add the meat, rice, and cheese.

Tip: To easily peel the Anaheim pepper, move it immediately from the grill into a plastic bag with about 2 tablespoons of water. Steam for 2 minutes or so, and the skin will peel off without a fuss.  

Trick #2: Smoke the Peppers Before Baking

Go ahead and blister the Anaheim peppers with a good char. The skin will peel off and the pepper will have so much more flavor! Smoke the bell peppers just enough to soften. You don’t want to char those too much because you won’t need to peel the skin and you want them firm enough that they won’t fall apart when you’re baking the stuffed pepper

Tip: Mesquite wood will bring the best flavor to the peppers.  

Trick #3: Add Cheese to the Bottom of the Pepper Before You Stuff it

After the peppers come off of the smoker, add a couple of tablespoons of cheese to the bottom. This will help the meat mixture adhere to the bottom of the pepper and will add texture and flavor to the stuffed pepper. You’ll add more cheese at the top right before baking.

Cook the peppers in a Dutch oven over hot coals for 20 minutes or so. When the peppers are tender, add mozzarella cheese over the top and cook until the cheese is melted and turning golden brown on top.

Trick #4: Top with Red Chile Sauce or Enchilada Sauce

The final touch: pour a couple of tablespoons full of red chile or red enchilada sauce over the top of the melted cheese. We used the Fresh Chile Company’s medium red chile sauce on ours, and it was perfect. If you are sensitive to spicy foods, go with mild – this bites back a bit.

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Stuffed Bell Peppers – Cowboy Kent Rollins

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 4 Anaheim peppers
• 6 bell peppers cored and seeded
• 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
• 1 medium white onion finely chopped
• 1 ½ tablespoons Kent's chili seasoning or chili seasoning of your suiting
• ½ tablespoon Kent’s Mesquite seasoning or salt, pepper and ancho chili powder to taste
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Fresh Chile Co. Red Chile Sauce or enchilada sauce or salsa
• Shredded Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.
• Core and seed the bell peppers. Place the bell and Anaheim peppers on a grill or burner. Cook the bell peppers until they begin to soften and are slightly charred, rotating occasionally. Cook the Anaheim peppers until they are thoroughly charred, rotating occasionally.
• Remove from the heat and place the Anaheim peppers in a plastic sack with 2 tablespoons of water. Let rest for a few minutes then remove from the sack and peel off the skins. Set aside.
• Crumble the beef In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat. When the meat begins to brown, stir in the onion, chile and Mesquite seasonings. Continue cooking until the meat has browned.
• Stir in the rice and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes then remove from the heat and set aside.
• Cut the blistered Anaheim peppers into ¼ to ½ inch strips. Place 1 – 2 tablespoons of Mozzarella cheese in the bottom of a bell pepper. Drape the strips of cut Anaheim peppers on the sides of the bell peppers. Generously stuff each bell pepper with meat.
• Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle each pepper with 1 – 2 tablespoons of Mozzarella cheese. Continue baking another 5 to 8 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
• Remove from the oven and spoon over red sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve warm.