Smoked shotgun shells are stuffed Cannelloni pasta loaded with pulled pork, melty cheese, and jalapeño, all wrapped in crispy bacon. Cooked on the smoker and drizzled in BBQ sauce, these shotgun shells are highly addictive!
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Recipe Highlights
- ⏱️ Ready in: About 3 hours (includes chilling and smoking time)
- 🍽️ Makes: 6 shells (double the recipe for 12)
- 👩🏽🍳 Difficulty: Easy
- 🥓 Flexible Fillings: Pair with beef, chicken, or pork. Perfect for using up leftover BBQ. (We used pulled pork and it was amazing!)
If you’re looking for the best game day recipes, these smoked shotgun shells are it! These bacon-wrapped, cheese-stuffed pasta shells are smoky, saucy, and guaranteed to disappear fast at your next cookout or game day.
We made smoked shotgun shells with our leftover smoked pulled pork recipe, and it couldn’t have been a better fit. Wrapped in bacon and finished with our Memphis bbq sauce recipe, these shells came together quickly and easily.
We first got the idea from a Facebook reel and knew we had to try it! Luckily, we already had everything on hand, which made this recipe the perfect last-minute Southern barbecue appetizer.
Make Ahead Tip
Stuff and wrap the shells the day before, refrigerate overnight, then smoke before serving!
What You'll Love About This Recipe
- Entertaining: Perfect for game day or as a fun finger food for parties.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Assemble them the day before, chill overnight, and just smoke before serving.
- Smoky, Crispy, Saucy Combo: Every bite hits all the textures. The tender pasta, creamy filling, crisp bacon, sticky BBQ glaze.
Ingredients
- Cannelloni Shells: These shells are perfect for stuffing. Manicotti can be used as a substitute, but the shells are larger.
- Cheese: Our mix includes cream cheese, white cheddar, and pepper jack for a creamy, cheesy filling. Feel free to experiment with your favorite cheeses.
- Jalapeño: Adds just the right amount of heat and pairs perfectly with the cream cheese. Remove seeds for milder spice, or leave them in for extra kick.
- Bacon: Wrap bacon around each shell. They crisp up beautifully on the smoker! Skip thick cut bacon because it takes too long to crisp up.
See the recipe card below for full information on the ingredients and quantities.
Recipe Variations
We used leftover pulled pork, but you can switch it up with ground beef, brisket, sausage, or shredded chicken. I love the idea of doing chicken with buffalo sauce! A seafood option like crab, shrimp, or crawfish would also be delicious.
Learn How to Make Smoked Shotgun Shells (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Cook cannelloni shells in boiling water for 1–2 minutes, then let them cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Combine pulled pork (or chicken/beef), cream cheese, cheddar, pepper jack, jalapeño, and BBQ rub until well mixed.
Step 3: Carefully fill each shell from both ends with the mixture.
Step 4: Wrap each shell with 2 half-slices of bacon (one around, one lengthwise to seal). Season with more BBQ rub. Chill shells for at least 2 hours (up to 24).
Step 5: Smoke at 250℉ for about 1 hour until bacon is crisp. Brush with BBQ sauce, cook 5–10 more minutes to tack up.
Step 6: Rest for 10 minutes, then serve with extra sauce for dipping.
What to Serve with Shotgun Shells
Smoked shotgun shells go great with classic BBQ sides like Southern potato salad and BBQ coleslaw. You also can’t go wrong with Southern baked mac and cheese or baked beans!
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Place cooled shotgun shells in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days.
- Reheat: Warm in the oven at 325°F until heated through or pop in the air fryer.
Smoked Shotgun Shells FAQs
Yes, you need to parboil the shells first. Parboiling softens the cannelloni shells just enough so they don’t crack when stuffing, and they’ll continue to cook through during smoking.
Yes, you can, but manicotti shells are larger than cannelloni, so you won’t get as many servings.
At least 2 hours (up to 24). This helps the bacon firm up and keeps the filling from oozing out.
More BBQ Appetizer Recipes
Looking for more BBQ appetizer ideas for your next cookout or game day? Try these:
If you tried these Smoked Shotgun Shells or any other recipe on our blog, consider leaving us a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments.
📖 Recipe
Smoked Shotgun Shells Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Cannelloni shells
- ½ cup pulled pork chopped
- ¼ cup cream cheese softened
- ⅛ cup white cheddar cheese shredded
- ⅛ cup pepper jack cheese
- 1 jalapeño diced
- 1 ½ teaspoon BBQ rub
- 10 slices bacon halved
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Parboil the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the shells and cook for 1–2 minutes, just until slightly softened. Remove and let them cool on a wire rack for 10–12 minutes.
- Mix the filling: In a bowl, combine the pulled pork, cream cheese, cheddar, pepper jack, jalapeño, and BBQ rub. Stir until well mixed.
- Stuff: Carefully fill each shell from both ends using a spoon and/or your fingers, packing the filling in without cracking the pasta.
- Wrap in bacon: Wrap one half-slice of bacon around the shell, then use the second half-slice lengthwise to seal the ends.
- Chill: Place the shells in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours, to help them hold their shape.
- Preheat the smoker: Set up for indirect heat and preheat to 250℉.
- Smoke: Place the shells on a wire rack set directly on the smoker grates. Smoke for about 1 hour, or until the bacon is crisp.
- Sauce: Brush with your favorite BBQ sauce and cook 5–10 minutes more to let the glaze set. Remove from the smoker and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Serve: Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy with extra BBQ sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Use a Wire Rack: Place the shells on a wire rack set directly on your smoker grates. It makes moving them on and off the grill so much easier.
- Portion Size: Depending on how full you stuff the shells, doubling the recipe will give you about 10–12 shotgun shells.
- How to Stuff: A piping bag sounded good, but we found it more hassle than help. Using a spoon to fill the shells and gently pressing the mixture in with your fingers works best.
Krysten says
I love this recipe! We always end up with pulled pork leftovers, and usually they go to waste because we run out of ideas for how to use them. This recipe is the perfect solution. The jumbo pasta shells are inexpensive, and all you need is cream cheese, bacon, and BBQ sauce to bring it all together. If you don’t like spicy, you can leave out the jalapeños, but I love the kick they add. It’s almost like a jalapeño popper!
Parboiling the shells first is key so they’re not too crunchy. They’ll still have a little bite around the edges from the smoker, which I actually enjoy. These didn’t last long in my house. I wish I had doubled the recipe because they’re seriously addictive!