Smoked Shotgun Shells

Smoked Shotgun Shells
Smoked Shotgun Shells make a fantastic appetizer or tailgating treat! We have made these with many different fillings and this Summer settled on this recipe that my family and guests loved. It's a very hearty version and it is filled mostly with meat and a little cheese and hatch chilies for a Southwestern flavor profile which we think you will love.

It's key to allow the meat mixture to rest in the pasta tubes in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. We have test 1 hour, 2 and 3 hours as seen in this video and the results are not as good.

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Welcome to the official Meat Church BBQ YouTube channel! Meat Church is a global lifestyle BBQ brand and has one of the largest social media reaches in the world of outdoor cooking. The unique brand offers some of the most popular craft BBQ seasonings, apparel, recipe development & live fire cooking instruction around the world. Matt Pittman is the pitmaster and the founder of Meat Church BBQ. He is an expert and respected authority on outdoor cooking. Students travel from around the world to attend BBQ schools in his private outdoor kitchen. Make sure to subscribe and enable ALL notifications!

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[andykives]

I've made this recipe twice in the last week. In my experience, setting for five hours (last Sunday) in the refrigerator isn't enough to give a soft shell after your one hour cook. I regrouped and made this recipe for my employees today with a 14 hour overnight in the fridge and they were perfect. The first thing I noticed this morning was the shells had softened enough to indent some with my finger. My employees agree that they are amazing.

[tricepilot]

Just made this yesterday afternoon. I did use the suggestion below to parboil the shells about 2 minutes short of fully cooked. This way you can simply cut the shell with scissors and fill them and then the bacon hides the cut anyway (from a suggestion below). They came out great and the neighbors loved them too!! I did the smoked brisket mac & cheese and I'm setting out to do many more recipes from this channel.

[davidsoto]

You did it again!!! I can't wait to try these!! I lost my mom 2 years ago to cancer and when she passed I was in a bad place. Watching your videos and learning to grill saved my life!! Thank you!!!

[McLovin]

Your kitchen space is extremely clean and spacious, I like that man. I get iffy looking at other cook places with cramped ceiling and tables. Keep up the great content!

[DAGORG]

I made some this last weekend. I cooked the pasta before but cooked it ~1 minute short of the recommended time. Then split them open to stuff and rolled them back up. The bacon does a great job of holding it together and you can’t tell the difference. Thanks for the video!

[panderson]

I made these for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I mixed the rub in with the meat, instead of sprinkling on the outside. Couple of tips: Let them sit overnight in the fridge, the shells will be much softer. Also, before you crisp up the bacon/brush on the sauce, let them sit on paper towels for a few seconds to make them less greasy.

[thedieseldaniel]

I love all the additional information you provided in the video. I appreciate that you have done testing and research on the recipes before you make your quality videos. Always great, and I feel so confident to give these a shot and they’ll be great first try!!!

[jimwsmith]

Making these for NYE this year. I’m hoping the guests will like them. They look great ! Thanks Matt and Meat Church fam. Happy New Year !!

[ParadigmUnknwn]

I split the difference between cooking the pasta and using it dry. I soak the manicotti shells in a bowl of water before making them. No particular time. I do that first and whenever I'm done getting my meat, peppers, cheese, and seasoning together for the filling, I pull them out one at a time and stuff them. That bit of moisture really helps them cook up better in my experience.

[terryhamilton]

After taking two shots at making these….I have had trouble with getting the pasta soft. So THANK YOU for the fridge tip. I’ve done them with just straight pasta….a little tuff, and Ive boiled them, still tuff. I agree best way is just use fingers.

[morals]

It’s my daughters 8th birthday this weekend and all she wants to do is cook these with Dad! So I can’t wait to try them.

[allenkimball]

I just done these for the first time this past weekend and stuffed them with my Jerky gun the nozzle fits right inside worked great. Thanks for the videos

[bdctrans]

Since I can't have wheat (celiac disease), I tried making them with roasted and peeled hatch chillies as a carrier. It works great, I cut off the top and bottom of the chilli and put them in the fridge for a while I made and chilled the filling. I pre-made the filling and made them into 5"X2", what I call "free form sausages" on parchment and par froze them for an hour to an hour and a half. I found the cream cheese filling became too runny for this method, but the combination of the hard cheese, chilli ends, meat and spices really hold the shape well. I did use two strips of bacon for each to give it a better structure. Then refrigerate overnight and for a quick 30 minutes in the freezer before putting them in the smoker. Thank you for your version! Another recipe that I can enjoy with a twist!

[barryfriesen]

I love shotgun shells! I have started precooking my Manicotti (about half the recommended time) just to soften them a little so the areas that are not bacon wrapped are not so tough. Also makes them a little more pliable for stuffing.

[jackbackintheday]

Made these many times before but the 4 hour minimum fridge time was the key! Left them in over night and they were finally right! Also used the Dr. Pepper bbq sauce Matt made for the Dr. Pepper chicken. Wow!

[patrickbatman]

I made these yesterday and they came out amazing. Had I not watched this video I wouldn't have known about the 4 hour sit time. Thanks!

[damienminnock]

Greetings from Ireland. Thanks for your recipe, I made these shotgun shells over the weekend in a Weber Master Touch and they were fantastic. I made them up a left them in the fridge overnight. Pasta was perfect. They were a huge hit with my family.

[richhansen]

I use a jerky shooter with the snack stick horn, it fits all the way to the end of the shell and fills them fast and perfectly. I also use it for filling pig shots.

[mvjr]

Hatch Chiles are a treasure. Worked near Hatch NM, 6yrs ago & never had them until then... Awesome Chile. Nice touch and good idea !!!

[donnapollock]

No Piping bag just fill by hand so it is completely stuffed and no air holes in the middle. These look amazing, and as the Bacon renders down it will soften the outside of the shell. Thank you for your recipe, and the great tips...