Smoked Shotgun Shells Recipe
- 😍 Here is why this recipe is amazing:
- 🥓 Ingredients needed to make smoked shotgun shells:
- 📝 Ingredient notes:
- 🥣 Helpful Kitchen Tools
- 🔪 How to make Smoked Shotgun Shells, basic instructions
- ❄️ Storage Tips
- ♨️ Reheating Instructions
- 📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
- 👩🍳 Chef Tip
- 👩🏻🍳 Sarah Mock
Smoked shotgun shells are one of my favorite appetizers to make on the pellet smoker. Use uncooked manicotti noodle shells and stuff them with a mixture of ground beef, spicy ground sausage, cream cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese then wrapped them in bacon.
Smoked shotgun shells are one of my favorite appetizers to make on the pellet smoker. Use uncooked manicotti noodle shells and stuff them with a mixture of ground beef, spicy ground sausage, cream cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese then wrapped them in bacon. Smoke them and then painted them with bbq sauce to finish the…
Smoke them and then painted them with bbq sauce to finish the whole thing off. I smoke mine on my Rec-Tec smoker but I know a lot of my friends have the Trager smoker and love to use it to make these, call them Trager smoked shotgun shells. Got to love good branding!
The internet calls these, ‘smoked shotgun shells’ but I would have called them smoked, stuffed, bacon-wrapped manicotti shells, without the ammunition reference. But here we are.
Make a batch of these when you are making a smoked pineapple, smoked brisket or a whole smoked turkey! Give your guests a smoked appetizer while the main even is cooking.
For the full recipe including ingredient amounts for smoked shotgun shells and detailed instructions on visit savoringthegood.com
😍 Here is why this recipe is amazing:
- The addition of the cream cheese and ground sausage will give added moisture to the beef stuffing!
- The perfect appetizer for when you are smoking your favorite recipe and need a snack while you wait.
- Bacon slowly renders, softening and cooking the manicotti shells while cooking to a crisp.
🥓 Ingredients needed to make smoked shotgun shells:
Smoked Shotgun Shells Ingredients , manicotti shells, hot sausage, cream cheese, shredded cheese, regular cut bacon, ground beef, BBQ Sauce on a wooden surface with text overlay.
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
📝 Ingredient notes:
- Manicotti shells – This recipe requires you to stuff raw, uncooked manicotti shells with a meat and cheese mixture. I find that stuffing raw shells is easier than stuffing a par-boiled shell.
- Ground Beef – 85/15 is the mix that I use. For this recipe, you are going to NEED the fat in the meat to help soften and then cook the pasta shell.
- Hot Sausage – I am using a hot ground sausage for the recipe for added flavor but using a mild sausage or sage sausage will work as well.
- Cream Cheese – Use full-fat cream cheese because the shells need moisture and the meat needs extra moisture.
- Shredded Cheese – cheddar cheese is featured in this recipe.
- Bacon – use regular cut bacon to ensure the bacon is crisp by the time the stuffed manicotti shells are done cooking.
- BBQ Sauce – the bottled sauce is perfect for this recipe but use what you love!
For the full recipe including ingredient amounts for smoked shotgun shells and detailed instructions on visit savoringthegood.com
🔄 Substitutions
For an added kick of flavor add a few tablespoons of your favorite spice rub to the meat mixture.
🥣 Helpful Kitchen Tools
a clear pastry bag filled with meat mixture, filling a manacotti shell with meat.
- Disposable pastry bag – makes it easier to stuff the shells.
🔪 How to make Smoked Shotgun Shells, basic instructions
sheet pan of bbq covered smoked shotgun shells, tongs to the side, top down image.
- Mix the meats, cheese, and cream cheese until thoroughly combined.
- Fill each raw manicotti shell with the meat mixture.
- Wrap each shell with a piece of bacon.
- Refrigerate the filled shells for a minimum of 6 hours or up to 48 hours.
- Heat your smoker to 250 using your favorite wood pellets or smoking wood chips.
- Place the meat-stuffed manicotti shells on the smoking grate and smoke for 1 hour.
- Brush BBQ sauce over each shell, and raise the temperature of the smoker to 300.
- Cook until the bacon starts to crisp.
- Carefully turn over each shell, basting with BBQ sauce.
- Continue to baste and flip until the bacon is crisp and the sauce is sticky.
For the full recipe including ingredient amounts for smoked shotgun shells and detailed instructions on visit savoringthegood.com
❄️ Storage Tips
Be sure to cover the shells with plastic wrap or keep them in a zip-top bag for up to 48 hours before smoking.
♨️ Reheating Instructions
If you have any leftovers, you can microwave them on 50% power in 30-second increments until heated through. But I found the best way to reheat is in the oven.
📝 Frequently asked questions, answers and tips:
smoked shot gun shell pasta wrapped in bacon, cut in half with a pair of tongs holding it.
Can these be made without a smoker?
For sure! No smoker is needed. You are able to make them on the grill using the temperatures listed on the recipe card. The only thing you will be missing is the smoky flavor. Add a stop or two of liquid smoke to your sauce if you would like to have a smoky flavor without a smoker.
Why are the edges of the pasta shell so crispy?
If the edges of the shells are not kept moist enough, they will dry out. Be sure the bacon is touching the entire pasta shell. Extra sauce can also be brushed on the shells as they are in the final cook.
👩🍳 Chef Tip
female hand demonstrating how to wrap the bacon around the stuffed manacotti shell for Smoked Shotgun Shells Recipe
When wrapping the shell with bacon you will get the best wrap by aligning the bacon with the angle of the cut edge of the pasta shell.
For the full recipe including ingredient amounts for smoked shotgun shells and detailed instructions on visit savoringthegood.com
Sarah Mock of savoringthegood.com headshot 2018
👩🏻🍳 Sarah Mock
CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 13 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
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