The Kitchen: Shotgun Shells 

By Barry Christensen

This recipe comes from the southern United States, hence the gun-related name. This is an easy recipe and a tasty, bite-sized appetizer. 


Ingredients:


BBQ sauce

Oink Rub

Manicotti shells

Italian sausage or ground pork, seasoned to taste

Good-quality bacon (cheap bacon falls apart when you work with it)


Twenty-four hours prior to cooking:


Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with sausage meat. Wrap manicotti with bacon. Place in a container or cover well with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 hours.


Cooking instructions:


Remove from fridge 30-45 minutes prior to cooking. Season the Shotgun Shells with Oink Rub and set your smoker to 250°F. This can also be done in the oven.


Once smoker has reached 250°F, place Shells on a wire rack over a foil pan for 90 minutes.


After 90 minutes, remove, and turn up the heat to 350 degrees. Coat Shells with BBQ sauce and place back in smoker for 10-15 minutes.


Once done, let stand for 5 minutes on a cutting board, then cut in half, and serve.


Other variations of this recipe include using ground beef or mixing in jalapeños or cheese, so have fun with it and make it your own!