Smoked shotgun shell bites are a bite-sized version of the classic, meaty appetizer. Manicotti noodles are stuffed with a spicy blend of beef, sausage, cheese, cream cheese, bacon, and BBQ sauce, then smoked to perfection.
Smoked shotgun shells are one of my favorite appetizers to serve at any gathering. Living in Texas, I’m able to break out the smoker year-round, so you’ll always find these meaty, cheesy, spicy bites on the menu.
One of my favorite appetizers, I’ve transformed these classics into bite-sized, poppable versions that everyone always loves.
Serve them alongside other tasty finger foods like cheeseburger sliders, bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers, and pepperoni pizza roll ups for a party everyone will remember.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Like all my recipes, this one uses simple ingredients to create all its delicious flavor. Just raid your kitchen and head to the store to find everything you need!
- So Easy: All you have to do is mix, stuff, and smoke. There’s nothing to it!
- Customizable: You can easily change up this recipe to make it your own.
- Versatile: These are a welcome addition to any gathering year-round.
- Great for Meal Prep: These shell bites are freezer-friendly, making them perfect for saving for later.
Key Ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Beef and Sausage: A blend of ground beef and hot Italian sausage gives these bites a meaty flavor with the perfect amount of fat for juiciness.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, red pepper flakes, diced jalapenos, and diced onion give the bites an aromatic flavor and a kick of heat.
- BBQ Sauce: BBQ sauce adds tons of flavor and moisture, keeping the bites nice and juicy.
- Cream Cheese: Cream cheese adds tang, richness, and texture.
- Sharp Cheddar: Sharp cheddar is bold, so it stands up to the other flavors in the shells while making them ooey and gooey.
- Bacon: Bacon adds smoky, salty flavor and more texture to the bites.
Variations
- Breakfast Shells: Use spicy or sweet breakfast sausage to make a fun breakfast version.
- Lower-Fat: Try ground turkey and turkey bacon for a version that’s lower in fat.
- Mild: Omit the jalapenos and red pepper flakes for a mild version.
- Extra Spicy: Try using Pepper Jack in place of cheddar for even more spicy flavor.
How to Make Smoked Shotgun Shell Bites
- Par-boil the noodles, rinse with cold water, and set aside. Then, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, except the remaining BBQ Sauce. That will be used for coating the bites as they smoke.
- Gently stuff the shells with the meat mixture from both ends. Then, cut them into three pieces, wrap them in bacon, secure with toothpicks, and coat with BBQ sauce.
- Place the shells onto wire racks set on top of two baking sheets lined with foil.
- Smoke at 275°F for 2 hours. Then, brush with more BBQ sauce, and smoke at 350°F until the bacon is crispy. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Mix the filling until just combined. Overworking the meat will cause it to contract too much, squeezing out the juice.
- Use a very sharp knife to cut the manicotti. This helps ensure the noodles don’t break as you cut them.
- Chill your onions in the fridge for about 30 minutes to avoid stinging eyes while chopping them.
- Always wash your hands after handling hot peppers and never touch your face.
Smoked Shotgun Shell Bites FAQs
They are a bite-sized version of the popular appetizer, shotgun shells, which are full of meat, cheese, BBQ sauce, and zesty seasonings stuffed into manicotti shells and smoked.
If you don’t add enough moisture in the form of sauce, your shells can get dry as they smoke. In addition, if you overwork the meat, it will contract too much, squeezing out the juices as it smokes.
Refrigerate your shells for up to 4 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
More Zesty Appetizer Recipes
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Smoked Shotgun Shell Bites
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- 1 pound ground hot Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cups sharp cheddar or Bold 3 Pepper Colby Jack cheese
- 8 ounce cream cheese
- 1 jalapeno, stem and seeds removed, diced
- 2 teaspoons slap ya mama seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- (2) 8 ounce boxes manicotti shells, (might not use all of them)
- 3 pounds bacon
- 18 ounce BBQ sauce, ⅓ cup will be added to the meat mixture, the remaining will be for coating
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 275 degrees and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on the top of each baking sheet. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and par-boil manicotti noodles for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and mix together until combined, except the extra barbecue sauce for coating and the bacon.
- Gently stuff manicotti noodles with meat mixture, from both ends.
- Using a sharp knife gently cut each stuffed shell into three pieces.
- Wrap each shotgun shell bite with a strip of bacon, secure with a toothpick, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush with barbecue sauce and place both baking sheets in the smoker onto the grill grates.
- Cook for 2 hours, brushing additional barbecue sauce on after two hours.
- Turn the smoker up to 350 degrees and smoke for an additional 30 minutes or until the bacon is crispy.
Notes
- Mix the filling until just combined. Overworking the meat will cause it to contract too much, squeezing out the juice.
- Use a very sharp knife to cut the manicotti. This helps ensure the noodles don’t break as you cut them.
- Chill your onions in the fridge for about 30 minutes to avoid stinging eyes while chopping them.
- Always wash your hands after handling hot peppers and never touch your face.
Nutrition
Ok these were SOOO good! My family absolutely loved them. I have to make these again for the holidays.
I made these over the weekend and they were a huge hit. The pasta softened perfectly and the smoky flavor was amazing.
This is one of the most brilliant and fun appetizer concepts I’ve seen in a long time! I’m sure the smoky flavor pairs perfectly with that savory filling. Great game-day food!
These were so good! I mad them last night for no other reason than that they looked fantastic. Spoiler alert: They are!
This is every delicious appetizer flavor rolled up into one amazing recipe. I love it!
These look so good! I love all that sausage stuffed into the noodles, and that BBQ sauce!
These are crazy good! I love that big punch of heat with the beef and bacon.