Smoked BBQ Shotgun Shells
I’ve been wanting to try a Smoked BBQ Shotgun Shells recipe for awhile… and let me just say they were WELL worth the wait!
I mean, what a fun appetizer, right?!
Basically it’s a manicotti shell stuffed with any cheesy filling your heart desires.
Then wrapped in bacon and smoked.
And named because the manicotti shell resembles the same shape as a shotgun shell just makes them more intriguing when serving to guests.
How to Make Smoked BBQ Shotgun Shells
You’ll need some leftover Traeger Smoked BBQ Pork Shoulder, cream cheese, shredded cheese, bacon, BBQ seasoning, and manicotti shells to start.
First, chop up some of the pulled pork pretty small.
And measure a cup and a half of the pork after it’s been chopped.
Then toss with a little BBQ sauce in a bowl.
Add a block of cream cheese at room temperature, a cup of shredded cheese, and a tablespoon of your favorite BBQ seasoning blend.
Mix that together and you can start stuffing your shells.
No need to cook the manicotti shells (stay tuned for a trick later that will soften them).
I had the best luck rolling the mixture in a size similar to the shell and stuffing both ends, pushing the filling in.
I got 14 shells total.
You may get more or less depending on the size of manicotti you have.
Now we wrap each one with a slice of bacon, overlapping slightly.
I did notice some of the shells didn’t have the ends covered well with bacon and those ends were a little crunchy when serving.
So I would recommend making sure all surfaces of the shell are covered with the bacon.
Season all sides with more BBQ seasoning and place them in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours.
This little trick will help soften the pasta so they get cooked properly on the smoker and no crunchy shell đŸ™‚
Set the smoker or pellet grill to 250 degrees and place them on the grill grate.
They will cook 2 hours total, flipping halfway through.
If you like crisper bacon, just let them hang out on the smoker a little longer.
Serve Smoked BBQ Shotgun Shells with BBQ sauce for dipping and enjoy!
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If you like Smoked BBQ Shotgun Shells, you might also like these smoker recipes…
Smoked Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos
Smoked Salami Pepper Rolls
Traeger Old Bay Shrimp Boil
Best Traeger Grill and Smoker Recipes
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Smoked BBQ Shotgun Shells
Equipment
- Traeger/Pellet Grill
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chopped leftover smoked pork
- BBQ sauce
- 8 oz block cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup shredded cheese of choice (I used Mexican blend)
- 1 Tbsp BBQ seasoning (plus more to sprinkle over top)
- 14 uncooked manicotti shells
- 14 slices bacon
Instructions
- Mix the chopped pork with some BBQ sauce in a bowl. Add the cream cheese, shredded cheese, and 1 tablespoon of the BBQ seasoning. Stir until combined.
- Carefully stuff each manicotti shell with the cheesy pork mixture. I had the best luck rolling a small amount in my hands the same shape as the shell and stuffing each end.Note: With my size manicotti I made 14, depending on the manicotti shell size you may end up with a few more or less.
- Wrap each slice of bacon around the stuffed shells, overlapping slightly.Note: Make sure the ends are covered by the bacon to prevent a crunchy end after cooking.
- Sprinkle more BBQ seasoning over all sides of the bacon. Store them in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours.Note: This step is important to soften the manicotti shells so they cook properly and do not turn out crunchy.
- Set your smoker or Traeger pellet grill to 250 degrees. Place the shotgun shells on the grill grate for 2 hours, flipping halfway through.
- Serve with BBQ sauce for dipping.
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