Pepper Shots: Smoked Shotgun Shells Enchilada Style

Shotgun shells had a real moment in backyard barbecue a few years back — bacon-wrapped manicotti stuffed with a meat filling, showing up on every smoker forum and cooking channel at once. Nobody seems to actually know where the name came from, and I’ve stopped trying to figure it out. What I do know is that once you’ve made a batch, it’s obvious why they caught on: they’re fast, they’re forgiving, and they take smoke better than almost anything else you can put on a rack.

This is my version. I took the shotgun shell format and ran it through a chorizo-and-enchilada filling I’d already been making for years, and it worked well enough on the first real attempt that I gave it its own name: Pepper Shots. That’s not a reference to the heat level, or not entirely — pepper shot was a real term from growing up on a farm, a shotgun shell loaded with pepper and rock salt instead of standard shot. Different context entirely, but the name fit well enough that it stuck.

My first batch came out bland. I under-seasoned the filling and paid for it at the table. The fix was straightforward once I found it, and it’s already built into the recipe below.

Table of Contents

• Ingredients
• The Filling
• Stuffing and Resting
• The Bacon Wrap
• Smoke and Crisp
• Finish It Two Ways
• FAQ

Ingredients

• 20–24 uncooked manicotti shells
• 1 lb ground beef, at least 90% lean
• 1 lb ground chorizo
• 2 packets hot and spicy taco seasoning (one packet per pound of meat)
• Red enchilada sauce, divided — some for the filling, the rest reserved for basting or finishing
• Pepper jack cheese, shredded, divided — shred it yourself, not the pre-shredded bag
• Bacon, standard thickness (not thick-cut), enough to wrap every shell
• Sliced jalapeños, for topping
• Smoked pico de gallo or crème fraîche, for serving (optional)

The Filling

Chorizo runs fatty — 20 to 25 percent isn’t unusual — so I balance it with lean ground beef instead of doubling down on richness. If you want something milder, ground pork or Italian sausage works in place of the chorizo, but you’ll want to bump up the seasoning to compensate, since chorizo is doing a lot of the flavor work here.

For seasoning, I use a packaged hot and spicy taco blend rather than building my own — it’s consistent batch to batch, and consistency matters more than originality when you’re making a big tray of these for a crowd. Mix the ground meats with the seasoning, a portion of the enchilada sauce, and a good handful of the shredded pepper jack. That’s the whole filling.

Stuffing and Resting

This recipe uses uncooked manicotti, which means the pasta needs time to pull moisture out of the filling before it hits the smoker. Stuff your shells — a piping bag or a zip-top bag with one corner cut off both work, and either beats trying to pack it in by hand — then refrigerate them for at least four hours, longer if you can manage it. Skip this step and the pasta comes out crunchy. Not al dente. Crunchy.

If you don’t have four hours, parboil the manicotti for two to three minutes before you fill it. That gets you most of the way to the same result on a shorter timeline. Pack the filling in fully — any air pockets inside the shell will dry out and turn crunchy during the smoke, and it’s fine if some filling hangs out the ends. That part crisps up and adds texture.

The Bacon Wrap

Use standard-thickness bacon, not thick-cut. Thick-cut tends to snap when you try to stretch it to cover a shell, and it takes longer to render. Let the bacon sit out for a few minutes before you start wrapping — cold bacon straight from the fridge doesn’t stretch, it tears.

Start at one end and wrap with a slight overlap. If a slice isn’t long enough to cover the whole shell, take it off and gently stretch it rather than starting a second piece partway down — a seam in the bacon is where it’ll come apart on the smoker. Lay the wrapped shells on a sheet pan lined with wax or parchment paper as you go.

Smoke and Crisp

I run these on a Traeger Pro 34 with Bear Mountain hickory pellets. Any wood works, but I stick with hickory here on purpose — this recipe skips the traditional BBQ sauce glaze, and the sweeter fruit woods that pair well with that glaze don’t do much for a filling built around chorizo and enchilada sauce.

Get the smoker to 225°F and turn on Super Smoke if it’s available. Place the shells on the bottom grate, close the lid, and let them go for 30 minutes. Flip, then give them another 30 minutes. Check a couple with an instant-read thermometer — once the filling hits 160°F, the internal temperature the USDA sets as the minimum for ground beef and pork, they’re food-safe and ready for the next step.

Bump the smoker to 350°F and close the lid. Cook five minutes, flip, then five more minutes, or until the bacon looks properly crisp. Smokers run hot in spots — if some shells are coloring faster than others, rotate the tray when you flip.

Finish It Two Ways

How you finish these depends on whether you’re serving them as an appetizer or calling them dinner.

As an appetizer: baste the shells with the reserved enchilada sauce directly on the smoker, three to five minutes a side. Pull them, top with sliced jalapeños and the rest of the pepper jack, and serve immediately — these don’t hold well once they’re off the heat.

As a main course: transfer the shells to a foil half pan, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top, and scatter jalapeños in. Back on the smoker for 10 to 15 minutes, then top with the last of the pepper jack and let the pan rest five minutes before serving. A smoked pico de gallo or a spoon of crème fraîche on the side rounds it out.

Steps

1. Mix the ground beef, chorizo, taco seasoning, a portion of the enchilada sauce, and a handful of shredded pepper jack to make the filling.
2. Stuff the uncooked manicotti shells fully, using a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner cut off.
3. Refrigerate the stuffed shells at least 4 hours so the pasta absorbs moisture from the filling (or parboil the manicotti 2–3 minutes before stuffing if short on time).
4. Wrap each shell in bacon with a slight overlap and lay them on a lined sheet pan.
5. Smoke at 225°F on the bottom grate for 30 minutes, flip, then smoke 30 minutes more.
6. Check internal temperature; once it reaches 160°F, increase the smoker to 350°F.
7. Cook 5 minutes, flip, then cook 5 more minutes until the bacon is crisp.
8. Finish as an appetizer (baste with enchilada sauce, 3–5 minutes per side, serve immediately) or as a main course (pan with enchilada sauce and jalapeños, 10–15 minutes, rest 5 minutes).

FAQ

What temperature do you smoke shotgun shells at?

225°F for the initial smoke, with Super Smoke on if your smoker has it. Once the filling hits a safe internal temperature, the smoker gets bumped to 350°F for a short finish to crisp the bacon.

How do you know when shotgun shells are done?

Check the filling with an instant-read thermometer. Once it reads 160°F — the USDA’s minimum safe temperature for ground beef and pork — the filling is done and it’s time to crisp the bacon.

Can you make shotgun shells ahead of time?

Yes, and it actually helps. Stuff the shells and refrigerate them at least 4 hours before smoking so the uncooked pasta can absorb moisture from the filling. If you’re short on time, parboiling the manicotti for 2–3 minutes before stuffing gets you a similar result.

What wood is best for shotgun shells?

Hickory is my choice for this version specifically because it skips the traditional BBQ sauce glaze. Sweeter fruit woods that pair well with that glaze don’t add much to a filling built around chorizo and enchilada sauce.

Can you bake shotgun shells instead of smoking them?

You can, and the filling and bacon will still cook through fine in an oven. You’ll just be skipping the actual point of the recipe — the smoke is most of what these are for.

That’s the process, appetizer or main course. If you land on a filling combination you like better, I’d genuinely like to hear about it.