Texas Smoked Shotgun Shells
Cheesy Mexican chorizo and beef stuffed manicotti shells wrapped in bacon, smoked, and glazed with spicy BBQ sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb Mexican chorizo
- 1 oz Shredded Mexican Cheese
- 4 oz can Diced Green Chiles
- 2 tbsp Pickled Jalapenio Peppers, diced
- 1 tbsp Ranch Seasoning
- 24 Manicotti
- 24 slices Bacon (regular or center cut)
- Sprinkle of Your Favorite BBQ Rub (optional)
- 1 cup Spicy BBQ Sauce*
Instructions
- 1. Preheat smoker to 275°F with the lid closed.
- 2. Mix the ground beef, chorizo,cheese, green chiles,diced jalapefio peppers,and ranch seasoning in a large bowl.
- 3. Fill the manicotti shells with the meat filling, using your fingersto press the filling all the way throughfrom end to end.
- 4. Wrap each shellwith a slice of bacon,making sure to start and finishboth ends on the bottom of the shell. Optional:Sprinkle your favorite BBQ rub or Tex Mex seasoning over the bacon.
- 5. Place the bacon wrappedshells on the grill gratesand cook for 75-90 minutesuntil the bacon is crispy.
- 6. Brush the shells with the BBQ sauceand cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- 7. Serve the shells with your favoritesalsa, queso, ranch, or dips.**
Notes
*I used Traeger Texas Blazin' BBQ Sauce, but any BBQ sauce works. You can add a splash of hot sauce to your favorite sweet BBQ sauce for an extra kick.
**See post above for the smoked queso and smoked salsa recipes pictured here. Smoke with a sweeter wood like apple or cherry for best results.
You can make these shotgun shells the day before and refrigerate until going on the smoker. You'll want to freeze them if you plan to make ahead any longer than a day.
To reheat smoked shotgun shells, you can use an oven or air fryer at a low temperature (300°F) to reheat without burning the bacon. Reheat for 10-15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F again. You can also microwave a few at a time for 60-90 seconds.
