Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl.
Breast out the quail and cut off legs and soak in marinade overnight.
Slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise and remove seeds and pulp with a butter knife. Soak in freshly squeezed lime juice anywhere from one hour to overnight (the longer the soak, the stronger tang of lime).
When ready to assemble poppers, cut strips of hard, high-temp cheese that are approximately ½ inch thick by ½ inch wide (basically a strip to fit inside the hollow cavity of each halved jalapeño).
Place cheese strip in each jalapeño and top with a quail breast. Wrap bacon tightly around the poppers—you shouldn’t need a toothpick—and set along rim of an oven-safe skillet. Crack fresh black pepper over the top of the poppers.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add quail legs from the marinade to the center of the skillet.
Cook quail poppers and legs at 275 F for 20 minutes, then turn on the broiler to crisp the bacon and the legs. This should take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes at most.
Remove the skillet from the oven and let poppers cool for 5 minutes prior to serving.
Garnish with freshly minced cilantro (optional).
