Smoked Shotgun Shells

smoked shotgun shell on the BBQ with smoke coming up and glazed in a BBQ sauce.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 10

Rest in Refrigerator Overnight 12

Total Time 13 30

Servings

Calories 461kcal

Author Jason

Equipment

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

Using Gloves: 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.

Internal Temperature: 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.

Soften Noodles: 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.

Filling Manicotti: 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.

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.

Leftovers: 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.

Freezer Friendly: Freeze 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.

Nutrition