In Smoke We Trust: Dub Shack BBQ Presents Smoked Shotgun Shells

I ain't a killer but don't push me to smoking something killer for the next party - or another installment of Tailgating For Everyone from your friendly pitmaster. 

This week, I'm smoking shotgun shells!

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. ground sausage

2 lbs. ground beef

2 lbs  shredded cheese

8 oz cream cheese, softened (ricotta is a good alternative)

2 (or 3) packages of unbroken manicotti noodles

3 lbs regular cut bacon 

Barbecue rub of your choice (I'm using Fire and Smoke Society's Pork Perfect)

Barbecue sauce (Of course, I used my Dub Shack BBQ's The O.G.)

STEP ONE. Of course, having a clean surface area is critical but also make sure you have enough good manicotti shells before you get started. Even if one or two shells break (I broke two), the bacon will do a good enough job of holding in the mixture. Speaking of which, find the largest mixing bowl in the cabinet and add the ground beef and pork and cheeses to the bowl. I tend to season my meat at every stage - and this is completely optional - so get your favorite BBQ rub and liberally spread it around and put those two hands to good use helping everything in the bowl play nice. 

STEP TWO. Once the crew in the bowl is mixed to satisfaction, it is time to stuff the shells. Some people may use a piping bag to fill the air with the meaty and cheesy mixture or even cut the corner of a freezer bag to do the deed, and as a word of advice: If you stuff your manicotti shells by hand, be careful not to break them. Once this step is completed, wrap each noodle with bacon to not only cover them but also because bacon makes everything taste better. The reason why regular cut bacon is recommended over the more popular thick cut bacon is that it crisps up quicker; in this experience, I used two strips of bacon per shell so plan accordingly.

STEP THREE. Here is an unusual step in the process: Refrigerate the shotgun shells at least four to six hours preferably overnight to soften the pasta. Go to bed, go to work, out to play with the kids, do yardwork, etc. but don't think about them. Whenever your miracle of time occurs, bring them outside to warm up to room temperature and light the smoker to 325 degrees. This time around, I am using applewood splits although any wood that plays nice with pork will work for this recipe. They should cook for about one hour but make sure the internal temperature of each shell is 160 degrees since we don't play around with ground beef like that. 

STEP FOUR. Once the shells hit 160, use the side burner from the offset grill to crisp up the bacon. Following this step, add your own favorite BBQ sauces such as Dub Shack BBQ's The O.G. and paint them on all sides until desired color is achieved. Remove from the smoker, plate them up, and serve immediately!

I finally got around to hopping on a new barbecue trend - or is a permanent member of the repertoire like the smoked cream cheese or queso from the past two summers? With some prep work and planning ahead, this could be a killer tailgate item. After all, this is Season 2 of the Tailgating For Everyone series: I promise toward the end of this season, I'll leave an link to each recipe for the pitmaster in your life to use as a bookmark to peruse when cooking in the backyard gets mundane. As always, thank you for reading this post and as your friendly pitmaster, I really hope you go wow the socks off the next tailgate party. Be blessed, be safe, be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ!