Grilled Jalapeno Poppers and Bratwurst

Back in January 2021, my brother Michael, friend Dan Weir and myself enjoyed a camping trip to Mariposa County cattle ranch, owned by friends of ours, and enjoyed grilled bratwurst, along with jalapeno poppers, on my second Weber "Smokey Joe" grill, that I use for camping trips, and as a fire pit.

Photo: It's early Monday afternoon, January 21, 2021, and my friend Dan gets the party started by cutting oak wood for charcoal. Yes, we made charcoal from oak wood at our camp. It was much better than the charcoal you purchase at your local big box store!

We camped near the Mariposa County gold rush-era town of Hornitos, on a 6000 acre cattle ranch, owned by friends of ours. It's private property, and we have the "key" to the property, so we can do practically anything we want to do except ignite a wildfire or shoot the cattle.

Oak wood grows everywhere on the property, which makes for an excellent campfire, along with fine grilling.

Photo: I'm a happy guy, as I reach to the sky, as we make charcoal from oak logs. It takes a couple hours to make a barrel of charcoal, and we always have some to take home. There is no finer charcoal in the world than charcoal made, on-site, from Mariposa County oak wood.

Photo: That evening we were able to enjoy the fruits of our labors as I fired up the Weber "Smokey Joe" grill, and put on bratwurst sausages to cook for some of tonight's hors d'oeuvres.

Photo: Michael lefts the lid to the grill to turn the sausages, to they grill evenly and sport grill marks on all sides. The bratwurst is almost ready to enjoy!

Over the years, my Weber "Smokey Joe" has become my go-to grill, as it's the perfect size, it's "low tech" and easy to use, and it makes for outstanding grilling, providing you know your way around a grill. I have two of them, one that's a "homebody" on my patio, and this one, that I've had for 40+ years, that I use on camping trips as a grill, and a fire pit, at camp grounds where in-ground fires aren't allowed. If you're on a budget and want to do some grilling, you can't beat a Weber "Smokey Joe" grill.

Photo: Bratwurst sausage is ready to remove from the grill, as it sports grill marks and is slightly blistered.

We grilled the sausage using charcoal we made from oak wood earlier in the day, and it worked out, as it provided a great, hot fire along with a smoky taste for the sausage.

We simply dipped the bratwurst into yellow mustard and enjoyed... along with a beer or four...

Photo: The oak charcoal was still hot, so we decided to grill a second round of hors d'oeuvres... "Jalapeno Pepper Poppers!" These are always a most-requested snack when I camp with our usual group. They're super simple to make and they're always a crowd pleaser.

To make these, I take a jalapeno pepper and slice it open with a sharp knife. I remove the seeds and stems, but I leave the end intact, as it adds to the presentation. I stuff each pepper with a single link of breakfast sausage and shredded Mexican cheese for flavor and to take up any slack. Then, I wrap each popper in a slice of bacon. That's it!

Throw them on the grill, over direct heat, and cook until the bacon is slightly charred and the cheese is runny. Trust me, this is a crowd pleasure appetiser!

Photo: Michael and Dan enjoy "Grilled Jalapeno Poppers" at our camp, late Monday afternoon, January 21, 2021. Cheers!