Smoked Shotgun Shells: 5 Filling Ideas

In case you’re in search of a scrumptious appetizer, you must attempt smoked shotgun shells. This recipe consists of 5 totally different fillings for any occiassion.

What are smoked shotgun shells?

Smoked shotgun shells gained a ton of recognition on social media in 2021. They’re a enjoyable, meaty appetizer you may make in your grill or smoker.

They’re manicotti noodles filled with a floor meat and cheese combination wrapped in a chunk of bacon. They get their identify as a result of the form of the pasta shell resembles a shotgun shell.

The important thing to creating them excellent is to make use of raw manicotti noodles and original-cut bacon. Right here’s why:

• In case you cook dinner the manicotti, the noodles will probably be too floppy, making them too laborious to stuff.
• In case you use thick-cut bacon, it would take too lengthy to render and change into crispy and the filling will get overcooked.

There’s one essential step to this recipe!

You should let the stuffed, wrapped noodles relaxation within the fridge for a number of hours. The moisture within the meat will soften the noodles, so that they cook dinner after they’re smoked.

In case you skip this step, the noodles will probably be chewy and/or crunchy.

I like to recommend resting them for no less than six hours. So you may make them the evening earlier than you need to smoke them, or make them within the morning and smoke them within the early afternoon.

Elements

This smoked shotgun shells recipe is made with the flavors of Oktoberfest with bratwurst, cabbage and stone-ground mustard. For various fillings, see beneath.

• Bratwurst: Bratwurst is solely seasoned floor pork. Search for raw bratwurst hyperlinks within the meat case at your native grocery retailer. Take away the meat from the casings. Or make my homemade bratwurst recipe and simply don’t case the meat.
• Manicotti or Cannolloni Shells: These are giant tubed pasta shells. They’re typically 3-4 inches lengthy and 1 inch in diameter. Be sure you use them raw.
• Bacon: Search for unique bacon, not thick-cut. I often use Oscar Mayer Authentic for bacon-wrapped dishes.
• Cheddar Cheese: Use shredded – pre-shredded or shred your personal.
• Cabbage: I purchase pre-shredded. It’s situated within the produce part close to the lettuce. It’s additionally nice for making coleslaw.
• Onion: Diced white or candy onion.
• Stone Floor Mustard: Since it is a German-inspired recipe, I take advantage of stone floor mustard, you too can use senf or yellow or Dijon mustard. Along with mixing the mustard into the meat, I take advantage of it as a dipping sauce.
• SPG: SPG is solely a mix of salt, pepper and garlic that’s already mixed. In case you don’t have SPG, you may make your personal with equal elements kosher salt, coarse-ground black pepper and granulated garlic or garlic powder.
• BBQ Rub: You’ll season the surface of the shotgun shells with this rub. For the bratwurst stuffed shells, I take advantage of a savory rub. After I make conventional shotgun shells, I take advantage of a sweeter rub.

Substitutions: As an alternative of bratwurst, you should utilize any floor meat. You can even change up the cheese with different shredded cheeses or cream cheese and use any veggies.

See the total recipe card beneath for servings and a full record of components.

Different Smoked Shotgun Shell Varieties

• Traditional: Use floor beef, Monterey Jack cheese and diced onions. Brush with barbecue sauce.
• Southwest: Use chorizo, pepper jack cheese or Oaxaca cheese, diced onion and jalapeno peppers. Brush with raspberry chipotle sauce after one hour.
• Breakfast: Use breakfast sausage with cheddar cheese. Brush with maple syrup after one hour.
• Italian: Use Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese and diced onions. Don’t brush with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese after you take away it from the grill. Serve with marinara.

How you can smoke shotgun shells

1. STEP ONE: Take away the bratwurst meat from the casings and place the meat in a big bowl. Combine with the cheese, cabbage, onion, mustard and seasoning.

2. STEP TWO: Stuff the meat combination into 14 raw manicotti shells, being cautious to not break them.

3. STEP THREE: Wrap every stuffed pasta tube with a slice of bacon. Place on a sheet pan or baking sheet. Cowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for no less than six hours or in a single day.

PRO TIP: As a result of the noodles are raw, it is vital to refrigerate the bacon-wrapped shotgun shells. This step softens the manicotti tubes, so you do not have crunchy pasta.

4. STEP FOUR: Warmth your smoker to 300F levels.

You possibly can cook dinner this recipe on a gasoline grill, charcoal grill, pellet grill or Ninja Grill. The secret is to cook dinner it over oblique warmth. Set your grill up with a temperature of 300F levels with an oblique warmth zone.

Gasoline Grill: In case you’re utilizing a gasoline grill, depart one burner off and switch no less than one burner on. Regulate the burner temperature, till the grill temperature gauge registers between 300F levels. You’ll cook dinner the shotgun shells over the grill grate that has the burner turned off.

If you wish to add smoke taste, fill a smoke field or foil pouch with wood chips and add it to the warmer aspect of the grill.

Charcoal Grill: In case you’re utilizing a kettle-style charcoal grill, push the recent coals to 1 aspect. Place the grill grate over the coals and cook dinner the shotgun shells over the aspect the place there are not any coals. In case you’re utilizing a drum smoker or ceramic cooker, use the diffuser to dam the direct warmth.

Pellet Grill: Pellet grills are robotically arrange with an oblique warmth zone as a result of they’ve a steel diffuser plate that rests over the fireplace pot. Merely, flip the grill to 300F levels and let it warmth up. Then, you may place the appetizers anyplace on the grill.

Ninja Grill: The smoker setting on the Ninja Grill is engineered to offer oblique warmth that circulates from the convection fan from the highest. Merely add wooden pellets and set the temperature and time.

5. STEP FIVE: Sprinkle the shotgun shells along with your favourite BBQ rub and smoke for one hour, flipping as soon as.

6. STEP SIX: The shotgun shells are prepared when the bacon is cooked by means of and the inner temperature of the stuffing is no less than 165F levels.

OPTION: After one hour, you may brush the shotgun shells along with your favourite BBQ sauce and proceed cooking for one more 10-Quarter-hour. 

How you can serve smoked shotgun shells

As soon as the smoked shotgun shells are accomplished, switch them to a serving platter and serve them with a aspect of stone-ground mustard for dipping.

Whenever you take a chunk, you’ll get the good cabbage and mustard flavors of a standard bratwurst.

Storage

Leftover shotgun shells could be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3-5 days. Reheat in a microwave or air fryer.

To make these upfront, wrap the shells in bacon after which freeze. Whenever you’re able to smoke them, thaw them within the fridge in a single day after which smoke.