If you’re looking for the perfect appetizer to kick off your BBQ, look no further! This Grilled BBQ Shotgun Shell recipe is sure to be a hit with your friends and family. Whether you’re hosting a backyard party or just looking for a tasty snack to enjoy while grilling, this BBQ appetizer is sure to satisfy your cravings. So fire up the grill and get ready to enjoy some delicious BBQ flavored Smoked Shotgun Shell!
BBQ Shotguns shells is a great idea for a tailgating food or as an appetizer for your next event. This is one of those things that you can pre-make and either cook at your tailgating event or warm up in oven as needed. It is one of those dishes that everyone will talk about and love to eat.
One of the great things about this dish is that the meat can easily changed to meet yours and your guest taste buds.. You can also add more spice to it using hotter peppers or hot rubs. You can likewise sweeten this up with a sweet BBQ sauce. The sky is honestly the limit on how you can make this recipe your own.
One thing that I will encourage is that you make this recipe a few time to experiment as to how you like them best. Our first attempt was not very good. The pasta was not cooked enough for me to share that recipe.
We have revised our recipe for the BBQ Shotgun Shells to ensure they are easy and perfect every time. This smoked shotgun shells minis recipe was absolutely amazing, and everyone loved them.
Boiling Manicotti Shells
1 – In a large pot add in your Water and 3- tbsp of Elite BBQ Smokers SPG rub (Salt/Pepper/Garlic rub) or equivalent
2 – Once the water comes to a hard boil. Add 4-5 manicotti shells and boil the manicotti shells pasta for 4-5-minutes. I am wanting a softer Al Dente texture, but you can boil them less if desired.
3 – Remove the manicotti shells from the boiling water and cut them in half. Place them in a pan with a cooling rack to allow the water to drain off of them.
Sausage Filling
1 – In a medium Skillet add in the Wagyu Tallow or Olive Oil and cook on medium heat.
2 – Once the oil is hot, add in the chopped Onions and Jalapeno peppers and saute them.
3 – Add in the Sausage and Elite BBQ Smokers SPG rub (Salt/Pepper/Garlic) rub (to taste) and cook until the sausage is completely cooked.
4 – Reduce to low heat and add in the Cream Cheese. Stir continuously until it has completely melted and mix all togehter.
5 – Remove from the heat and set to the side.
Setting up the Grill
1 – Setup your Weber Grill to have a Direct and Indirect Heat zoned areas. You can do this with a divider or like we did with some bricks.
2 – Place some Royal Oak Lump Charcoal in the Weber Grill in the Direct Heat side.
3 – In a Charcoal Chimney, fill with Royal Oak Briquettes charcoal and place on top of 2 Royal Oak Tumbleweeds Natural Fire Starters.
4 – Place a 1/2 pan on the indirect side and fill with water
5 – Once the Royal Oak Briquettes charcoal is fully light, dump onto the Royal Oak Lump Charcoal.
6 – Return the Weber Grill lid to the smoker and dial back the air flow. You are looking for a temperature of 300° on the indirect side. I choose to monitor the temperature with my Thermoworks Signals with the Pit probe.
Making the BBQ Shotgun Shells.
1 – Layout the Bacon on the cutting board.
2 – Take the manicotti shell and fill with the Sausage Filling from both ends. Make sure that you fill the shells completely.
3 – Wrap the stuffed Manicotti shells with 1 strip of the home-style bacon and place in a pan.
4 – Season the exposed side with the Sweet Smoke Q – If Anything Rub
Grilling the BBQ Shotgun Shells.
1 – Place them on the weber grill on the indirect heat side with the seasoned side down.
2 – Season the exposed side with the Sweet Smoke Q – If Anything Rub
3 – Grill the BBQ Shotgun Shells for amount 5-minutes and then rotate them to be over the direct heat side of the grill.
4 – After about 5-minutes rotate them back over the indirect heat side of the weber grill and flip.
5 – Grill for an additional 5-minutes and then rotate them to direct heat side of the weber grill.
6 – After about 5-minutes rotate them back over the indirect heat side of the weber grill.
7 – Repeat this process until you get your bacon to the crispiness that you want.
8 – Once you have your BBQ Shotgun Shells at the crispiness level you want. Apply some of the EAT The Next Big Thing BBQ Sauce and leave them on the smoke just long enough to set the sauce. (about 3-minutes)
Tasting the BBQ Shotgun Shells.
1 – Remove them from the grill and allow them to cool. Now Enjoy
2 – Let us know how they turned out and Tag #EliteBBQSmokers in your social media post.
We hope that you watch these videos and that it helps you. Please know that if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me and I will be happy to help. Good luck and hope to see you at a BBQ competition somewhere.
BBQ Shotgun Shells - Mini
Equipment
- Grill
- cast iron pot
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 box manicotti shells
- 1 package Smithfield Home-style Bacon
- Wagyu Tallow / Olive Oil
- 1 ea. Med. Chopped onion Chopped
- 3 ea, Diced Jalapeno Peppers without the seeds
- 1 lbs. Pork Sausage
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese
BBQ Rubs
- Sweet Smoke Q - If Anything Rub
- Elite BBQ Smokers - SPG Rub
BBQ Sauce
- EAT - The Next Big Thing
Instructions
Boiling Manicotti Shells
- In a large pot add in your Water and 3- tbsp of Elite BBQ Smokers SPG rub (Salt/Pepper/Garlic rub) or equivalent
- Once the water comes to a hard boil. Add 4-5 manicotti shells and boil the manicotti shells pasta for 4-5-minutes. I am wanting a softer Al Dente texture, but you can boil them less if desired.
- Remove the manicotti shells from the boiling water and cut them in half. Place them in a pan with a cooling rack to allow the water to drain off of them.
Sausage Filling
- In a medium Skillet add in the Wagyu Tallow or Olive Oil and cook on medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add in the chopped Onions and Jalapeno peppers and saute them.
- Add in the Sausage and Elite BBQ Smokers SPG rub (Salt/Pepper/Garlic) rub (to taste) and cook until the sausage is completely cooked.
- Reduce to low heat and add in the Cream Cheese. Stir continuously until it has completely melted and mix all together.
- Remove from the heat and set to the side.
Setting up the Grill
- Setup your Weber Grill to have a Direct and Indirect Heat zoned areas. You can do this with a divider or like we did with some bricks.
- Place some Royal Oak Lump Charcoal in the Weber Grill in the Direct Heat side.
- In a Charcoal Chimney, fill with Royal Oak Briquettes charcoal and place on top of 2 Royal Oak Tumbleweeds Natural Fire Starters.
- Place a 1/2 pan on the indirect side and fill with water
- Once the Royal Oak Briquettes charcoal is fully light, dump onto the Royal Oak Lump Charcoal.
- Return the Weber Grill lid to the smoker and dail back the air flow. You are looking for a temperature of 300° on the indirect side. I choose to monitor the temperature with my Thermoworks Signals with the Pit probe.
Making the BBQ Shotgun Shells.
- Layout the Bacon on the cutting board.
- Take the manicotti shell and fill with the Sausage Filling from both ends. Make sure that you fill the shells completely.
- Wrap the stuffed Manicotti shells with 1 strip of the home-style bacon and place in a pan.
- Season the exposed side with the Sweet Smoke Q - If Anything Rub
Grilling the BBQ Shotgun Shells.
- Place them on the weber grill on the indirect heat side with the seasoned side down.
- Season the exposed side with the Sweet Smoke Q - If Anything Rub
- Grill the BBQ Shotgun Shells for amount 5-minutes and then rotate them to be over the direct heat side of the grill.
- After about 5-minutes rotate them back over the indirect heat side of the weber grill and flip.
- Grill for an additional 5-minutes and then rotate them to direct heat side of the weber grill.
- After about 5-minutes rotate them back over the indirect heat side of the weber grill.
- Repeat this process until you get your bacon to the crispiness that you want.
- Once you have your BBQ Shotgun Shells at the crispiness level you want. Apply some of the EAT The Next Big Thing BBQ Sauce and leave them on the smoke just long enough to set the sauce. (about 3-minutes)
Tasting the BBQ Shotgun Shells.
- Remove them from the grill and allow them to cool. Now Enjoy
- Let us know how they turned out and Tag #EliteBBQSmokers in your social media post.