BBQ Shotgun Shells

4.34 from 3 votes

Manicotti piped with a ground beef filling, wrapped in bacon, and brushed with bbq sauce; smoked shotgun shells never tasted so good!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American, BBQ

Keyword tailgate

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1

Servings

Calories 790kcal

Ingredients

24 Manicotti Shells
1 lbs Bacon thin cut
3/4 cup BBQ Sauce

Filling

2 lbs Lean Ground Beef
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
8 oz Cream Cheese Softened
2 tbsp BBQ Dry Rub
1/2 cup Tomatoes Diced
1/2 cup Corn
1/2 cup Scallions sliced
1/4 cup Jalapenos diced

Instructions

Brown off the ground beef in a skillet and drain any excess liquid. Transfer the ground beef to a large bowl and fold in softened cream cheese.
Add remaining filling ingredients and mix until smooth. Transfer the filling into piping bags (freezer bags will work as well)
Cut the tip off the piping bag and fill the raw manicotti shells with the ground beef mixture. Once you have all of the shells filled, wrap each shell with a slice of bacon. Make sure the bacon is wrapped tightly and covers the entire shell.
Refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours. This step is key because the bacon will soften the manicotti shell so that the shotgun shells are tender when you smoke them.
To prepare the shotgun shells, preheat the pellet grill to 275 degrees and place the shells on the grill at least 1 inch apart. Cook for about 1 hour until the bacon is fully cooked and the filling has reached an internal temperature of 170 degrees F.
Brush on a coat of your favorite bbq sauce, then cook for another 10-15 minutes until the sauce has caramelized. Serve with a creamy dipping sauce like my Southwest Ranch, and enjoy!!!

Notes

The serving size is three shells.

You can substitute any meat you like for this recipe, some people do ground turkey or breakfast sausage. You can also chop up leftover brisket or pulled pork.

If you don't have a smoker, you can still make this recipe in your oven or air fryer. Just cook at 300 degrees F. for about 25 minutes

Store the leftover bbq shotgun shells in the fridge for up to 5 days in a sealed container. You can freeze the leftovers for up to 90 days.

Nutrition