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DescriptionThis Dragon's Breath Shotgun Shells BBQ recipe is our take on the shotgun shells we've all been seeing on the internet recently. You stuff Manicotti shells with beef, pork, venison, anything you want. Wrap it in bacon and through it on the smoker for a couple of hours, and you end up with one of the best smoked BBQ appetizers you've ever had. Our take on it is where the dragon's breath tag is used. We decided to spice these up using hot Italian sausage and our jalapeno BBQ sauce. An actual dragon's breath shotgun shell in the firearms world, is an incendiary round that discharges fire and sparks along with the projectiles. Spice is often described as fire, so dragon's breath seemed like a nice fit to describe these. Give this recipe a try and let us know what you think.
Instructions
 Recipe Card powered by Smoked shotgun shells have been taking social media by storm, luckily for us, we’ve been making these delicious things around SMS HQ for a while now! Made from pork sausage, or beef sausage if that’s your style, and then packed into manicotti shells with cheddar cheese, bbq rub, and finally wrapped with thick-cut bacon before being smoked to crispy, pork-rich perfection, Shotgun shells are a perfect tailgate/cookout snack! How to make smoked shotgun shells!It’s pretty easy to prepare smoked shotgun shells, unlike larger protein cooking like brisket or pork there is a lot more prep involved here. The trade-off is that the cook-time is much shorter, making these perfect as an appetizer or side dish for your next barbecue event. You can prep these guys in advance and keep them in the refrigerator until cooking time, which is convenient if you’re planning a multi-item barbecue event. These shotgun shells take about an hour and a half so you can easily put them on during the middle of a brisket or pulled pork cook and have an awesome smokey snack as you wait for the main event! Gather your ingredients.The most important place to start with any recipe is to read it completely at least twice. This makes sure you’re familiar with all the steps, and hopefully, avoid making any rash decisions along the way. Once you’ve read the recipe, gather all of your ingredients or mise en place, and then move on to the prep. Preheat your smoker.As with any barbecue recipe, the first step is going to be preheating your smoker. For this recipe, you’ll be cooking at 200°f. Give your smoker enough time to get up to temperature before placing your prepped shotgun shells inside the cooking chamber. Because these shotgun shells take less time to prepare, it’s important to ensure the smoker is up to temperature and the wood is burning cleanly so as not to impart any off flavors or soot onto the food. Mix the shotgun shell filling.Begin to prepare the shotgun shells by mixing the filling. Combine the ground sausage, barbecue rub, shredded cheese, onion, and garlic in a large metal mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix the filling together thoroughly until the mixture is even and consistent. You want to work the mixture a little to emulsify the cheese and build a good protein structure, so really dive in there and mix away. You can substitute the cheddar for other cheeses if you like but try to stick to softer block cheeses, like Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack, mozzarella, or gouda. Furthermore, you can add tons of different fillings or mix-ins, from things like diced jalapeno to chopped apple, or even diced cured meats like prosciutto, or salami, you can really go to town with the variations. Stuff the shotgun shells with the filling.One major difference between manicotti and shotgun shells is the preparation of the shells themselves. While you normally cook manicotti shells before filling them when making most pasta dishes, you want to start with uncooked manicotti shells for your shotgun shells. As the shells cook, the pasta will soak in the juices from the meat mixture and the bacon wrapping, so no need to worry about crunchy pasta! To make the filling process easier, place a few large spoonfuls of the filling mixture into a ziplock bag and cut the bottom corner off to create a homemade piping bag. Then carefully squeeze the filling into the manicotti shell, making sure to fill from both sides to avoid air pockets. This recipe should fill about 10 manicotti shells give or take 1 shell either way. You can also use cannelloni shells if you’re Wrap the shells in bacon!There isn’t much in this world that isn’t improved by wrapping it in bacon, and these zesty smokey shotgun shells are no different. Bacon wrapping can be a bit of an art, but luckily these shells aren’t too large and you really only need 1 piece of bacon per shell. You can use more if you like, but 1 to 1.5 pieces should be fine. To properly wrap the bacon start at one end of the shell and wrap in a spiral pattern around the shell while pulling slightly to stretch the bacon. You may have to go back and re-wrap the first few you do as you go, you’ll definitely get the hang of it by the 3rd or 4th shell. Try to make sure you get as much coverage on the shells as possible, if not the ends of the shells may remain crunchy. Put the Shotgun Shells in the Smoker.Once the shells are wrapped in bacon it’s time to transfer them to the preheated smoker. Place the shells directly onto the grill grates, not on a pan or aluminum foil. The bacon needs to be rendered and if you cook the wrapped shells on a pan the bacon won’t get fully crispy! After arranging the shotgun shells, button up the smoker and allow them to cook undisturbed for about an hour. At the hour mark, you can start temping the Shotgun Shells, they should reach an internal temperature of 160°F before moving on to the next step. Glazing the Shotgun Shells.With the shells at 165°f, you can start glazing/crisping the bacon on the shells to finish them. The first step is to turn up the smoker’s temperature to 250°f. If you’re using a pellet grill or a gas/electric grill. it’s pretty easy to increase the temperature, on the other hand, if you’re working on a charcoal pit or a stick burner, it’s going to take a little planning, so make sure to add a little fuel in preparation for the temp increase. Once the smoker is up to temperature, open the pit door and glaze the outside of the bacon-wrapped shells with the barbecue sauce. Make sure to turn the shells over to glaze the underside evenly as well. Close the smoker door and allow the shells to continue to crisp and cook for 30 minutes more, checking on them every 10 minutes. Once you see the barbecue sauce start to caramelize, remove them from the smoker and allow them to rest before serving immediately! Serving and Reheating.These smokey, cheesy, sausage-filled, bacon-wrapped shells are perfect on their own, but everyone loves a dipping sauce. Try making serving these with the SMS Alabama White Sauce. The sweet, salty, bacon-wrapped shotgun shells go perfectly with the zesty, tangy mayonaise-based sauce, and it’s always nice to have an extra condiment around, just in case! If by some miracle you end up with any of these delicious snacks left over they will keep just fine in an air-tight container for a few days under refrigeration. To reheat try popping them in your air fryer for 5-10 minutes, or if you don’t have access to an air fryer, you can microwave them for 2-3 minutes until they are hot inside. 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
Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them I may make a small commission, at no additional cost to you. What do you eat with shotgun shells?Bacon – You'll need a full pound – perhaps more. Regular bacon works best. Thick-cut won't stretch enough to wrap around the shells. BBQ sauce – A sweet and spicy sauce works best with Shotgun Shells.
What temperature do you smoke shotgun shells?Wrap each shell in one piece of bacon covering the shell as much as possible. Season all sides of the shells with Meat Church Honey Hog. Prepare your smoker at a temperature of 300 degrees. I recommend a medium smoke wood for this cook such as hickory or pecan.
Can you reuse shotshells?Shotgun shells may not look so attractive when discarded at the shooting range, yet they can be reused to create many practical and decorative objects.
Are shotgun shells made of plastic?Typical construction
Modern shotgun shells typically consist of a plastic case, with the base covered in a thin brass plated steel covering. As noted previously, paper shells used to be common, and are still made, as are solid brass shells.
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How to make shotgun shells food
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