Smoked Shotgun Shells

Meaty with a kick, these manicotti shells are stuffed with Italian sausage, ground beef, cheese, and hot peppers, then wrapped in bacon and smoked. Served with a few sauces on the side, they make a tasty and unique appetizer you and your guests will love.

Smoked shotgun shells scattered on parchment paper.

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What makes smoked loaded shotgun shells the perfect meaty snack? 

If you are looking for something a bit different but still simple to prepare in your smoker, look no further than this Smoked Shotgun Shells recipe.

What are Smoked Shotgun Shells you may be wondering? Don’t worry, they’re not dangerous, except maybe to your waistline. Smoked Shotgun Shells are manicotti pasta shells stuffed with well-seasoned meat, diced hot peppers, and cheese, then wrapped in bacon and coated with dry rub.

Smoked to perfection for about an hour over hickory wood, one bite, and you’ll want to load up your plate with them.

Why you’ll love this best Smoked Shotgun Shells recipe

You may have tried making Smoked Shotgun Shells before and wound up with almost inedible rubbery or dried-out pasta shells. Don’t be put off trying this recipe. Check out below for the ultimate secret to ensuring you always have tender manicotti.

And once you master these delicious appetizers, they are so quick and easy that you’ll look for any excuse to make them!

Smoked Shotgun Shells ingredients

For the best Smoked Shotgun Shells recipe, you’ll need:

• Ground chuck 
• Italian sausage
• White onion, small diced 
• Garlic, minced
• Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Cream cheese 
• Fresh jalapeno or serrano peppers, small diced
• Freshly ground black pepper 
• Manicotti shells
• Bacon 
• Kinders Brown Sugar Rub
• Barbecue sauce

Smoked shotgun shells ingredients on a tray.

Ingredient notes and recipe variations

You can use hot or sweet Italian sausage in this recipe for Smoked Shotgun Shells, depending on how much heat you want. Bulk sausage meat will save you money since you will need to remove the sausage meat from the casing anyway.

Look for thin-cut bacon that was smoked using the same wood you plan to use to smoke the Shotgun Shells. Thick-cut bacon will not stretch and wrap around the pasta tubes as easily so stick with thin bacon.

You can swap the cheddar cheese with Gouda, Mozzarella cheese, or Monterey Jack cheese.

If you don’t like or can’t find Kinders Brown Sugar Rub, use another sweet dry rub.

Go with a sweet BBQ sauce for the best contrasting flavors.

How to make them 

To prepare Shotgun Shells:

1. Add the ground meat, Italian sausage meat, diced white onions, minced garlic, shredded sharp cheddar, diced hot peppers, and freshly ground black pepper to a large mixing bowl. 
2. Use gloved hands to combine well. 
3. Stuff the mixture into dry manicotti shells. Using a large disposable piping bag with a large tip makes the job much easier. 
4. After stuffing all the shells, wrap them with the slices of bacon. Be sure to cover the entire shell, or it can dry out in the smoker. 
5. Sprinkle the bacon-wrapped stuffed shells with the dry rub and place in a baking dish.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least four hours, but overnight is best. This is the secret to tender pasta shells, so don’t rush this step.  

To smoke Shotgun Shells:

1. Preheat your smoker to 350°F. 
2. Remove the stuffed shells from the fridge and let them warm up a bit on the counter. 
3. For easier handling, lay them out on a wire rack and then place the entire rack on the grill grates in the preheated smoker. 
4. Smoke until the meat mixture inside the shells reaches 160°F. 
5. Brush the bacon with BBQ sauce and smoke for 10 more minutes. 
6. Serve whole or slice them on a bias with a couple of dipping sauces on the side. 

Collage of making smoked shotgun shells

What to serve them with

Smoked Shotgun Shells are best with a dipping sauce such as the barbecue sauce used to brush on them in the smoking process. But you can give your guests a few choices:

• Mexican Queso. Cheese lovers will want to whip up this white queso recipe for dipping. It pairs wonderfully with the smoked stuffed shells and tastes better than the queso you can find at most Mexican restaurants. 
• Spicy Mac and Cheese – The spice in this mac and cheese offers a nice contrast in flavor.
• Green salad with a vinaigrette – A simple green salad with a light vinaigrette would provide a refreshing counterpart.

Serve them as an appetizer or main dish with your favorite BBQ sides.

Smoked shotgun shells and a small cup of barbecue sauce.

How to store the leftovers 

To keep any extra smoked loaded shotgun shells, allow them to cool. Then, put them into an airtight container. Store them in the fridge or freezer.

How long do they last?

Smoked Shotgun Shells will stay fresh for 3-4 days in the fridge and up to a month in the freezer.

How to reheat them

To reheat thawed Shotgun Shells, brush them with BBQ sauce and cook covered for about 15 minutes or until the center reaches 165°F covered in a 350°F oven.

What type of wood should you use to smoke these?

An aggressive smoke flavor works well for this Smoked Shotgun Shells recipe. Hickory wood is an excellent option here.

Smoked shotgun shells and a small cup of BBQ sauce.

More game day smoked appetizer recipes

Smoked shotgun shells and BBQ sauce on parchment paper.

Print

Smoked Shotgun Shells

Smoked Shotgun Shells are an incredibly tasty appetizer perfect for game day or any fun occasion. Course AppetizerCuisine AmericanKeyword Smoker Recipe Prep Time 20 minutes minutesCook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutesChilling 4 hours hoursTotal Time 5 hours hours 30 minutes minutes Servings 24 Calories 412kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh jalapeno or serrano peppers
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 8-ounce boxes manicotti shells
• 2 16-ounce packages bacon (might need more, depending on how many slices of bacon are in the package, thinner sliced bacon is better.)
• ¼ cup Kinders Brown Sugar Rub or other sweet rub of your choice
• ½ cup barbecue sauce

Instructions

In a large bowl combine ground chuck, Italian sausage, chopped white onion, minced garlic, shredded cheese, cream cheese, chopped peppers, ground black pepper. Mix to combine. You can either mix by hand or by using a dough hook attachment on a mixer.

Carefully stuff the manicotti shells with the meat mixture. When all of the shells have been stuffed, wrap them with bacon. Be sure to gently stretch the bacon over the pasta shell. You want to cover as much of the pasta shell as possible.

Sprinkle rub over the bacon-wrapped pasta shells. Cover the pasta shells with plastic wrap, and place them in the refrigerator. Store for at least 4 hours, overnight is best. You do this so the pasta will soften. If you do not perform this step, the pasta may be tough.

Preheat your smoker to 350°F. Once the smoker has heated, place the shotgun shells into the smoker. Cook for 1 hour, verify the internal temperature is at least 160°F. Baste the shells with your favorite barbeque sauce, and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes so the barbeque sauce will set up.

Remove from the smoker. Serve whole or cut into slices.

Nutrition

Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 279mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 1mg