Traeger Smoked Shotgun Shells

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Our easy Traeger Smoked Shotgun Shells take uncooked manicotti noodles, stuff them with a mixture of seasoned ground beef and cheese, wrapped in bacon, and then painted with a spicy-sweet glaze to finish the whole thing off. Smoked for an hour and then raise the temp a bit to crisp up that bacon, and you’ve got one of our favorite appetizers on the smoker!

If you need an appetizer that’s going to be the star of your next cookout, look no further. All you need is one of these savory meat-stuffed pasta tubes, but don’t let that stop you. We suggest leaving lots of time between the appetizers and the main if Smoked Shotgun Shells are on the menu!

Use whatever type of meat you’d like. Sausage is a popular stuffing, but we decided to go with a spicy seasoned ground beef instead and copious amounts of shredded smoked Beecher’s cheese.

Mix it up with whatever you have around, though! You can’t really go wrong here, so as with all of our recipes, feel free to experiment and make them your own.

Don’t forget to check out our Pellet Grill Hub!

Smoked Shotgun Shells shopping list

Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here’s the list of items you’ll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Manicotti Shells
Ground Beef
Roasted Garlic Blend
Midnight Toker Rub
Beecher’s Smoked Flagship Cheese
Bacon
Dark Brown Sugar
Real Maple Syrup
Sriracha
Cayenne Pepper

How to make Smoked Shotgun Shells

This is just the overview so you can see what you’re actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

Preheat the pellet grill

Not too hot! You want it about 220° for the first stage of this.

Mix

Put together the ground beef, seasonings, and the cheese.

Stuff & Wrap

Stuff the ground beef mixture into the manicotti shells. Wrap each shell with one piece of bacon.

Smoke

Place the shotgun shells onto the grill and let them smoke for one hour. Crank up the heat to 350°.

Mix and Glaze

Mix up all the glaze ingredients, and when the bacon fat is rendered and it is starting to firm up, paint the glaze onto the shells. Cook 10 more minutes, roll those bad boys over and paint the other side. Cook 10 more minutes and remove from the grill and enjoy!

Traeger Smoked Shotgun Shells FAQ

How do you store leftovers?

In a baggie in the fridge is best for these!

What’s the best way to reheat leftovers?

In the oven is best. You could get away with the microwave if you absolutely have to, though.

More amazing recipes to try

Prep Time
15 minutes

Cook Time
2 hours

Total Time
2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

12 manicotti shells
1 pound 80/20 ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Roasted Garlic Blend
1 teaspoon Midnight Toker Rub
1 cup shredded Beecher’s Smoked Flagship Cheese
12 slices bacon (NOT thick sliced, for the best results)

Glaze

1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup real maple syrup
2 teaspoons sriracha hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your pellet grill to 220°.
Combine the ground beef, Roasted Garlic Blend, Midnight Toker Rub (see notes for substitution suggestions), and the shredded cheese. Mix together with your hands until everything is well combined.
Stuff the mixture into your uncooked manicotti shells. Don’t pack it in too tight. You might only have enough to fill 10-11 shells, and that’s okay.
Wrap each shell with a piece of bacon as best as you can. Place onto a tray and repeat until all the shells are wrapped.
Place the bacon-wrapped shotgun shells onto the grates of your grill. Smoke for an hour, and then turn the heat up 350°.
Once the grill comes up to temp and the bacon fat has mostly rendered and is starting to crisp, mix together the glaze ingredients and lightly paint on the bacon. Cook 10 minutes, gently roll the shells and paint the other side.
Cook until the glaze is set and make sure the internal temperature of the meat reaches at least 160°.
Remove and serve.

Notes

If you don’t have the Roasted Garlic Rub or Midnight Toker yet, get ordering, but you can substitute in any garlic-heavy rub for this and it’ll still be great!

The same goes for the Smoked Beecher’s Flagship. If you aren’t in the Pacific Northwest you might have a hard time finding that. That’s okay! Use your favorite sharp cheddar or whatever cheese you’re loving lately. Cheese + meat, you can’t really go too wrong here.

Traeger Smoked Shotgun Shells – Or Whatever You Do