Let’s get a little crazy, shall we? What if the dish you take to your next bbq is a little cheesy, a little smokey, covered in bacon, oozing sausage and smells like heaven? Introducing: Smoked Shotgun Shells, the perfect appetizer, snack, main dish, perfection of a dish in the shape of its own name. Here we go.
🍽️ Why This Works
Did somebody say bacon? You can’t wrap manicotti in bacon and not fall in love.
Surprise! You get that smokey flavor you crave. It’s an unexpected flavor twist even for bacon-wrapped manicotti, and you don’t have to spend all day babysitting the smoker to take this dish to it’s next level.
Pure decadence. Sausage stuffed cheese manicotti wrapped in bacon. All the goodness of breakfast in a savory bite.
🐷 Ingredients
📝 Ingredient Notes
Sausage – Purchase your ground sausage of choice by the pound instead of buying it in casings you would have to remove.
Bacon – Thin sliced bacon works best for this recipe. Thick sliced bacon will require a longer cook time and create even more grease.
Cheese – Pepper jack cheese was our choice. We like to get a block of cheese and grate it ourselves. Good cheese makes a difference!
Manicotti Noodles – These large dry noodles are just waiting to be stuffed.
Dry Rub – Bring good seasoning to the party! We used the Burnt Sacrifice Sweet Carolina rub. You can use your favorite.
BBQ Sauce – Again, use your favorite! We love this Sweet ‘n Mild Mississippi Barbecue Sauce if you are looking for a recommendation. I know I’m always looking for a new sauce to try over here!
⏲️ Equipment and Tools
Large Mixing Bowl. This is where you mix the filling for the smoked shotgun shells!
Cooling Rack on a Baking Sheet. A safe place for the shotgun shells to rest for one day in the fridge before you smoke them. The flavors meld. The meat dries out a bit. The noodles soften. You get all of your meal prep done the day before. It’s a win-win.
Smoker. Use what you have! Any smoker will work.
Pastry Brush. To get bbq sauce on hot noodles.
🔥 Instructions
Step One: Grate your cheese. Freshly grated cheese is always just a little more flavorful and doesn’t have the powdering anti-caking agent in pre-grated cheese.
Step Two: Put all of the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and mix it with your hands until the mixture is smooth and evenly mixed. If you want to go rogue, add a little bit of the dry rub to your mix.
Step Three: Stuff the noodles. Take an uncooked manicotti and push the filling mixture in from both ends.
Step Four: Sprinkle with the bbq rub on both sides of the shells. Put on a cooling rack that is placed on a sheet pan. Continue until all the manicotti noodles are complete.
Step Five: Everything needs to chill. Refrigerating the stuffed noodles overnight will allow the noodles to soften and soak up sausage flavor.
Step Six: Preheat your smoker to 350ºF. Smoke your shotgun shells for one hour. Did I mention this was fast? After one hour, brush the manicotti with bbq sauce and leave them in the smoker for five to ten more minutes until the sauce caramelizes a bit. Yum!
❗ Recipe Tips and Tricks
If you use gloves, working with sausage and bacon isn’t so bad. Mixing the sausage filling by hand is definitely the way to go. You don’t want to overwork the sausage or break up the cheese too much with a hand mixer.
For doneness, your goal is for the filling mixture to reach 165ºF. The best way to judge this is to get an instant read thermometer. Make sure to check out our list of wireless meat thermometers.
If you don’t have twenty four hours to let your noodles soften in the fridge, you can parboil them for 4-5 minutes so that they have just started to soften before stuffing them.
For a more “professional” way to stuff the manicotti, load the sausage filling in a disposable piping bag, twist the open end a few times and hold it in the palm of your hand, cut the tip off to match the size of your noodle, place the open tip of the bag into the noodle as far as it will go, and squeeze filling into the tube. You may still have to work from both ends. Some people swear by this method, but I like using my hands.
🧑🍳 Storage and Reheating
Uncooked smoked shotgun shells can be kept in the refrigerator, covered, for up to three days before your big event depending on the “use by” date on your sausage.
If you have leftover smoked shotgun shells, they store beautifully in the refrigerator and can be reheated quickly in the microwave in as little as thirty seconds. Keep them in an airtight container for up to three days. For reheating, add thirty seconds at a time until the cheese is bubbly and hot in the center.
Freeze your leftovers in an airtight container for up to three months if you won’t use them up quickly enough. Thaw and reheat in a skillet or microwave.
Additions and Substitutions
For sausage, you can go hot, mild, seasoned, or sweet. Take your pick. Honestly you could probably even get away with chorizo.
If you aren’t a fan of pepper jack cheese, use Colby jack, cheddar, or a Mexican cheese blend.
Would you like to kick up the heat? Add a diced jalapeño to the sausage mixture, or stir in a dash or two of red pepper flakes or ancho chili powder.
We used dry manicotti noodles. You can find several different noodles that would work for this recipe.
Add pepperoni to the sausage and cheese mixture. I mean, why not?
Serving Suggestions
This incredible dish works as an appetizer, snack, or side dish. It’s a perfect conversation starter for your next big bbq — it’s bacon and bbq combined so what could be better? You could also serve these with a salad for a quick hands off weeknight meal with a little prep the day before.
BBQ Smoked Shotgun Shells go well with burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, salad, or any grilled or smoked meat.
❓ Recipe FAQ
Yes. Freeze for up to three months in an airtight container.
One hour. It doesn’t take long at all, and you can work on other party appetizers that require direct attention. If you use a lower temperature such as 275ºF it can take up to one and a half hours.
We used 350ºF. If you have an electric smoker that tops out at 295ºF, just adjust the cook time to make sure the bacon is fully cooked and the filling reaches 165ºF.
Sausage stuffed manicotti, wrapped in bacon and covered in bbq flavors. These delectable treats look like their namesakes, but taste like cheesy bacon perfection.
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Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with me through social media by following me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!
Equipment
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 16 Manicotti Shells
- 1 jar BBQ Sauce
- 16 oz Bacon thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp BBQ Rub use your favorite
- 1 lb Sausage
- 8 oz Pepper Jack Cheese shredded
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the sausage and pepper jack cheese. Optional: sprinkle in a little of the bbq rub into the mix. Mix with hands and until well combined.
- With each manicotti noodle (uncooked), fill each noodle from both sides with the sausage mixture. Sprinkle with the bbq rub on both sides of the shells. Put on a cooling rack that is placed on a sheet pan. Continue until all the manicotti noodles are complete.
- Place the stuffed noodles in the refrigerator overnight so the sausage mixture will help soften the noodles.
- Heat smoker to 350°F and place the noodles on the grate and cook for about 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, the insides should be about done and it's time to brush the exterior of the shells with bbq sauce and let caramelize a bit for 5-10 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Jason’s been firing up the grill for over 30 years after graduating from the US Coast Guard Academy. His love of finely-grilled steak and chicken led him to buy his first Weber grill to put on his apartment patio in 1992. Each military move led to a new grill (a mixture of gas and charcoal) until he fell in love with the Big Green Egg in 2008. Since then, he has added another 4 grills to the collection. Yes, he has a problem. Jason loves smoking in the ceramic BGE with exotic woods including olive wood from Egypt and hard to find varieties such as sassafras and orange wood. Jason takes the term “foodie” to a whole new level, jumping at the chance to take food tours and cooking classes during foreign travels. These have provided inspiration to incorporate new ideas into recipes when he gets back home. He has been featured in Fox News, Parade, Yahoo News, Kansas City Living and more. After retiring from the military and moving to southwest Florida, he has focused grilling and smoking locally sourced meats and fish (read: he likes to catch his own fish!)
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