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4.82 from 11 votes

Zesty Smoked Shotgun Shells

These smoked bacon-wrapped manicotti shells stuffed with cheesy pork sausage goodness are about to become your favorite barbecue appetizer. Easy to prepare and ready in under 2 hours, you might want to make a double batch if you plan on having any leftovers!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 10
Author Chris Riley

Ingredients

  • 1 lb zesty pork sausage (or similar)
  • 2 tsp all purpose BBQ rub
  • ½ cup white onion finely diced
  • 1 clove of garlic minced
  • 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
  • 10 manicotti shells
  • 1 lb bacon
  • ¼ cup BBQ sauce

Instructions

  • Preheat the smoker to 200 degrees F.
  • In a large bowl combine the pork sausage, BBQ Rub, onion, garlic, and cheese.
  • Mix by hand until all of the ingredients are well combined.
  • To make filing the shells easier, add the mixture to a Zip-lock bag and cut one end off.
  • Squeeze the filling into the shells halfway, flip to the other side and finish filling.
  • Repeat until all shells are filled.
  • Wrap the manicotti stuffed shells in the bacon covering as much of the shell as possible. (I used 1 ½pieces of bacon per shell).
  • Sprinkle the bacon with a little bit more of the BBQ Rub.
  • Transfer out to the smoker and place the shells directly onto the grates.
  • Close the lid and smoke at 200 degrees for about 1 ½ hours or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 160 degrees.
  • Then raise the temperature of the smoker to 250 degrees.
  • Brush the top and sides of the shells with the BBQ sauce.
  • Close the lid and continue to cook for about 30 minutes longer until the bacon is crisp to your liking and the shells are soft.

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