As a certified BBQ chef and long-time backyard grilling master, I live for inventing fun twists on classic recipes by fusing complementary flavors and textures. These shotgun shells appetizer combo marries the comforting tastes of Italian manicotti with smoky American barbecue. It creates the ultimate party-ready finger food. Hollowed-out manicotti tubes pack a savory ricotta and ground beef filling, enveloped with bacon and lacquered with sweet-and-spicy barbecue sauce right on the smoker. This ingenious recipe merges my favorite cooking passions into an utterly craveworthy snack.

While these manicotti bites may look intimidating, have no fear – you don’t need professional technique to impress your guests with these chef-level morsels. My step-by-step recipe guide makes the process totally foolproof. I’ll also share pro tips to take the flavor over the top along with troubleshooting for common beginner mistakes. Soon your friends will be begging for the secrets to your world-class Smoked Shotgun Shells BBQ recipe!

“Matt Pittman of Meat Church says he and some friends workshopped this recipe for Smoked Shotgun Shells until they all agreed they tasted better than any other version out there.”

So, let’s dive mouth-first into cheesy, bacon-y, barbecue-sauce-dripping manicotti magic!

How to Make Smoked Shotgun Shells

While stuffed manicotti can look intricate, this recipe comes together surprisingly easily with a bit of gentle handling. The pasta shells can be delicate, so the key is taking care when filling them to avoid tearing or splitting. Working slowly and deliberately as you spoon the savory beef mixture into each tube prevents breakage issues.

Rather than pre-seasoned sausage, I chose to prepare the ground beef filling myself. Using lean ground beef allowed me to personally craft the herb and spice blend, controlling the flavors to my exact taste. Customizing your mix opens up an opportunity to make this dish your own. Whether you prefer a classic Italian profile or give it a smoky, Tex-Mex twist, the filling readily adapts.

Step 1: Whip Up the 3-Cheese Ricotta Filling

Combining cheesy, meaty, saucy fillings takes shells from boring to extraordinary. Get creative with mixes like:

– Italian sausage, ricotta, parmesan, spinach

– Pulled smoked chicken, bacon, ranch

– Tri tip, caramelized onions, gouda

– Mac and cheese with BBQ beef

– Chili spiced beef with pepper jack

Season the fillings aggressively with honey hog BBQ. Smoke tames seasoning, so use a heavy hand when salting and spicing!

Step 2: Prepare Savory Ground Beef Mixture

I find that customizing the ground beef filling really makes these manicotti tubes my own.

First I brown some good quality lean beef with my preference of mushrooms, onions or peppers until nicely caramelized. I then mix in herbs like parsley or basil from my garden with fragrant spice blends. Sometimes I create a quick Bolognese-style meat sauce as the base, blooming aromatics in wine before letting tomatoes simmer into the beef. Other iterations you can do is, skip the veg and go Tex Mex with cumin, chili powder and cheddar for a taco twist.

After a few trial runs, I’ve settled on my current favorite filling combo. Savory Italian sausage and ground sirloin mingling with sauteed spinach, garlic, fennel, oregano and shredded parmesan. Just enough to be interesting while letting the star ingredients shine.

Variations to Try: Substitute Ground Turkey, Sausage, Vegetables

Step 3: Stuff Manicotti & Wrap Bacon Blanket

As I prepared to wrap the stuffed manicotti tubes, I found that standard sliced bacon provided the perfect blanket. While I originally considered thick-cut bacon for its meaty texture after smoking, traditional slices stretch nicely around the pasta tubes without awkward overhang. Ultimately, any bacon variety in your refrigerator sufficed to add delightful flavor and crunch.

You need to take care to fully envelope each filled tube within two slices, adequately sealing in the ends to secure the cheesy contents. As an extra touch of personalization, I gently sprinkle an additional pinch of my homemade barbecue dry rub. Blending smoky paprika, garlic and onions – over the bacon cloak on each assembled manicotti. This light seasoning allows the Mediterranean-style components inside to shine while adding subtle complexity.

This multifaceted approach is how I craft a personalized manicotti experience that wows my guests.

Step 4: Flavor Development

To ensure the delicate manicotti pasta cooked through perfectly, I let the stuffed shells rest in the refrigerator for 6 hours before smoking. This chill time allows the seasoned meat juices and bacon moisture to gently permeate into the pasta, protecting against undercooked centers.

While untraditional, I find this extended marinating period worth the extra planning when cooking for large gatherings. How?

Here’s a tip for you: You can fully assemble the cheesy bacon-wrapped batches a day or two ahead without sacrificing quality. Then they go straight from fridge to smoker once your guests arrive. Finding ways to streamline preparation while maximizing texture and taste makes entertaining for a crowd much more enjoyable. The components all meld into harmonious barbecue bliss after low-and-slow cooking anyway. So why not utilize that flavor-melding fridge time to make the process more enjoyable?

Step 5: Grill to Perfection & Glaze Sweet BBQ Finish

When I’m finally ready to cook these imaginative creations, I fire up my trusty Camp Chef 24” smoker to 250°F and add a blend of Traeger cherry wood pellets for subtle sweetness. The stuffed manicotti tubes get gently placed onto racks, where they slowly smoke for 90 minutes to heat through while taking on delicate woody aroma.

Right before serving, you need to kick the temperature up to 350°F. This last 10 minute blast of heat makes that bacon sizzle up crispy just like you want to have it.

Then comes the fun part – generously bast each bacon-wrapped tube in bourbon-infused barbecue sauce. Carefully coat them all in the glossy, maple-tinged glaze before searing over high heat one last time. This firms up the sauce into sticky finger-licking goodness.

Looking for More Great Appetizers with Bacon?

Bacon makes everything better! Here are some of my favorite bacon-wrapped smoked appetizers:

– Jalapeño poppers filled with cheese/spices

– Smoked deviled eggs with candied bacon

– Chicken drumsticks coated in bacon jam

– Bruschetta on bacon bread with balsamic glaze

– Bacon-wrapped tater tots with special sauce

Can’t get enough of these smoky, beefy-cheesy flavors? Try these creations next! 5 Easy grilling Recipes for a Crowd

The Key: Make Sure the Noodles are Fully Cooked

Undercooked pasta ruins the experience, while properly cooked pasta ensures your shells achieve that perfect texture. To ensure tender yet firm shells, make sure to:

– Salt pasta water generously before boiling

– Only stuff shells once fully cooked al dente with a fork

– Choose extra-large or jumbo sized shells to avoid overstuffing

– Partially bake stuffed shells before smoking to further cook noodles

Anne’s Pro Tip: BBQ lovers often ask me, Can we make Smoked Shotgun Shells without a smoker?

Well, the flavor won’t be as intense, but here are my tried and tested tricks to infuse a smoky essence without a true smoker.

– Add 2 Tbsp of liquid smoke flavoring to any slow-cooked sauce or filling

– Mix 1 cup of soaked wood chips into a foil pouch of sauce/filling, then grill

– Use a stovetop smoker box and add to a Dutch oven slowly baking filling

– Opt for smoked cheeses, paprika, garlic powder instead of wood smoke

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid: Waterlogging, Uneven Fillings

As I gained experience stuffing manicotti over the years, I made every pasta-filling blunder imaginable. My biggest early pitfalls were waterlogged shells that turned to mush and uneven beef-to-cheese ratios within each tube.

I learned the hard way that undercooked, brittle pasta absorbs excess moisture like a sponge. Once stuffed, any wet ingredients left them bloated and flimsy when cooked. Carefully following the package guidance for al dente shells ensured proper texture.

Portioning the filling first into individual spoonfuls guaranteed each tender tube gets stuffed uniformly with the flavors I intended. Patience pays off in perfect, harmonious flavors and textures inside every custom-tailored pasta roll.

Storage & Freezing Instructions

As an avid meal prepper and leftover aficionado, I’m always seeking ways to enjoy my cooking all week long. I store these hefty bacon-wrapped stuffed shells safely for up to 5 days refrigerated once cooked.

You can flash and reheat single portions by sautéing gently in an oiled pan to restore that crispy bacon without drying out the tender contents. Adding extra sauce creates delicious leftover fusion flavors.

I hope these guides help you achieve sweet smoked shotgun shells in your own kitchen! Let me know your favorite smoked appetizers in the comments!

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