Smoked Shotgun Shells
Best Shotgun Shells Recipe – These restaurant-style smoked shotgun shells feature a delicious combo of sausage and cheeses stuffed inside tender manicotti pasta, all wrapped in bacon and doused in barbecue sauce. They’re easy to make-ahead and great to serve with creamy dipping sauces!
What are Shotgun Shells?
Smoked Shotgun Shells are a decadent meaty snack that have been popping up on social media and in local barbecue joints… They’re made with manicotti stuffed with meat, cheese, and bold seasonings, then wrapped in bacon, slathered in barbecue sauce, and smoked!
These dense little packages of pasta, meat, and cheese are ridiculously addictive, and much easier to make than you might think!
The meat and cheese filling is packed into dried manicotti shells for easy assembly. Then each manicotti shell is wrapped in bacon and soaked in barbecue sauce before smoking. Therefore, the fatty moisture from the meat and cheese on the inside and outside of the pasta shells, along with the barbecue sauce moisture, allow the pasta to soften and cook as the shotgun shells are smoking.
You can even make shotgun shells ahead of time and rewarm them on the smoker or grill. You can also freeze them and rewarm them later!
I have no idea who originally created this smoked shotgun shell recipe, and wasn’t able to find anything online to offer credit. But whoever you are… Thank you! You are a genius.
Ingredients You Need
- Manicotti shells – the perfect shotgun shell-esque size for stuffing and smoking
- Ground pork sausage – your choice of mild or spicy sausage or Italian sausage
- Cream cheese – softened
- Cheddar cheese – shredded
- BBQ rub seasoning – or homemade steak seasoning
- Pickled jalapeno – diced
- Bacon strips – NOT thick-cut bacon
- BBQ sauce – your favorite flavor, like “sweet heat” we use here
How to Make Stuffed and Smoked Shotgun Shells
Set out a large mixing bowl and a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. In the bowl, combine the sausage, cream cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, barbecue seasoning, and diced jalapeños. Mix by hand until very smooth.
Use your hands to pack the meat mixture into the manicotti shells. Make sure there are no air pockets inside the manicotti – I find it best to pack the meat mixture from one end and push it all the way through to the other end of the pasta tubes.
Wrap each manicotti with a thin long slice of bacon. Stretch the bacon so that it fully covers the manicotti shell and can be tucked under on both ends.
Place the stuffed and bacon-wrapped manicotti shells in the baking dish.
Get the Complete (Printable) Smoked Shotgun Shells Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Pour the barbecue sauce over the top and allow the pasta shells to soak in the sauce for at least 30 minutes.
Once the manicotti are wrapped and soaking in barbecue sauce, preheat the Traeger (or other smoker) to 250°F.
After 30 minutes of soaking, gently move the shotgun shells out of the baking dish and onto the smoker grates. Try to retain as much barbecue sauce on the shotgun shells as possible. If needed, brush/pour extra over the top so there is a nice thick coating on each roll.
Smoke the shotgun shells at a consistent 250°F for 90 minutes. At this point check one of the shotgun shells by squeezing to see if the pasta inside is soft. It should be a perfect al dente, slightly firm but fully cooked through. If they need a little longer, leave them on the smoker for another 10 to 20 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Meat filling – Feel free to swap pork sausage with ground beef, chicken, or turkey sausage. You can even use leftover pulled pork or chicken, if you like!
- Cheese – Substitute or do a half-and-half mix of cheddar with shredded colby jack, Monterey jack cheese, mozzarella cheese, or spicy pepper jack cheese.
- Gluten-free – Use your favorite GF manicotti noodles.
- Jalapeños – Omit if they are too spicy. Or sub with even hotter peppers, like habanero, for a super big kick of heat
- Barbecue sauce – Here you can use any type of bbq sauce you want… Spicy, mild, hickory, whiskey-flavored, low sugar, or whatever.
- Without a smoker – No smoker? No problem! You can easily make this smoked shotgun shell recipe in the oven. Prepare them the same way as you would if smoking on a Traeger and spread out on a prepared baking sheet with a rim. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour, until the bacon and filling are completely cooked.
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm as-is, or with a side of creamy dipping sauce like ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or Caesar dressing. They are a fabulous appetizer or game-day snack to get any party going!
These cheesy, meaty shotgun shells are also hearty enough to enjoy as a main dish. Pair with comfort food side dishes for a Southern meal that everyone will love! We are big fans of cold and creamy salads like traditional coleslaw, deviled egg potato salad, or macaroni salad.
And for warm sides you can’t go wrong with classics like homemade macaroni and cheese, collard greens, baked beans (my fave Instant Pot recipe), or crispy fried okra. I also like to serve the rich stuffed shells with tangy green tomato or bread and butter pickles. They add a great vinegary kick and balance of flavor!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can make shotgun shells ahead of time and rewarm them on the smoker or grill. Or you can even freeze them and rewarm them!
Homemade smoked shotgun shells will keep well for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Place the leftovers in a container with a lid, or wrap them individually in plastic wrap before sealing them in a bag.
They’ll keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months sealed in an airtight bag. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before rewarming them.
They can, and they are delicious! The bacon won’t have quite the same crispyness, but you’ll still get all of the same savory smoky flavor.
If possible I suggest reheating briefly on the smoker, or in the oven for 5-10 minutes. You can even air fry the shotgun shells for 3-4 minutes to get the bacon a bit crisp again!
Looking for More Delicious BBQ Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- Spicy Mesquite Twice Baked Potatoes
- Chipotle Chicken Skewers
- BBQ Sauce Glazed Pineapple Ham Picks
- Best Brisket Burnt Ends
Smoked Shotgun Shells Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounce box manicotti shells
- 16 ounces ground pork sausage or ground beef
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 ½ tablespoon BBQ rub seasoning or steak seasoning
- 1/3 cup pickled jalapeno diced
- 16 ounces long thin-sliced bacon strips NOT thick-cut
- 18 ounces BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Set out a large mixing bowl and a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. In the bowl, combine the sausage, cream cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, barbecue seasoning, and diced jalapeños. Mix by hand until very smooth.
- Use your hands to pack the meat mixture into the manicotti shells. Make sure there are no air pockets inside the manicotti – I find it best to pack the meat mixture from one end and push it all the way through to the other end.
- Wrap each manicotti with a thin long strip of bacon. Stretch the bacon so that it fully covers the manicotti shell and can be tucked under on both ends.
- Place the stuffed and bacon-wrapped manicotti shells in the baking dish. Pour the barbecue sauce over the top and allow the pasta shells to soak in the sauce for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the manicotti are wrapped and soaking in barbecue sauce, preheat the smoker to 250°F.
- After 30 minutes of soaking, gently move the shotgun shells out of the baking dish and onto the smoker grates. Try to retain as much barbecue sauce on the shotgun shells as possible. If needed, brush/pour extra over the top so there's a nice thick coating.
- Smoke the shotgun shells at a consistent 250°F for 90 minutes. At this point check one of the shotgun shells by squeezing to see if the pasta inside is soft. It should be a perfect al dente, slightly firm but fully cooked through. If they need a little longer, leave them on the smoker for another 10 to 20 minutes.
This may sound like an odd question, but are the shells cooked before stuffing? Thanks…
Hi Dee!
No, they will absorb the moisture from the filling and the sauce, add cook as they smoke.
My husband said this is his favorite recipe that I make now. Thank you!
This is bursting with flavors! A new fam favorite 😍
oh my goodness, these were everything that I wanted them to be and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe