Shotgun Shell Question:

[Big Daddy 731]

Hello everyone, I'm new here...Forgive me if this is a old topic...
has anyone made shells ahead of time froze them to smoke later?

 

[Maylar]

Perhaps you should define "shells".

 

[LYU370]

Never froze them before, but I imagine it should be fine. Probably depends on what type of cheese you use, as some freeze/thaw better than others.

Maylar, Shotgun Shells are manicotti shells stuffed with a meat mixture & cheese and wrapped in bacon.

 

[BuffettFan]

On topic, Andy, how long do you boil the shells before stuffing and smoking?
Mine have always been too long or not long enough!

 

[Tat-que]

I didn’t pre cook mine I just prepared a day ahead and the stuffing and bacon softened the shells as they rested , and as you cooked the fat finished them!

 

[BuffettFan]

That's what I did last time too, Doug.
Shells were.....ah.....crunchy.
Gum bleeding, tooth breaking crunchy.
Maybe I didn't wait long enough between filling, wrapping and smoking.
But I'm gonna keep trying till I get it right!

 

[LYU370]

On topic, Andy, how long do you boil the shells before stuffing and smoking?
Mine have always been too long or not long enough!

I've tried about 5 minutes and also just stuffed uncooked and into the fridge for a while. If you boil, just par boil to soften just a bit. Either way, let them hang out in the fridge for a few hours. I think I prefer the par cooked version.

 

[BuffettFan]

Gonna try again, maybe half for 5 minutes, half no boil, let em ALL sit overnight before smoking.
Thanks for the intel, Doug and Andy!

 

[unclemuscles]

That's what I did last time too, Doug.
Shells were.....ah.....crunchy.
Gum bleeding, tooth breaking crunchy.
Maybe I didn't wait long enough between filling, wrapping and smoking.
But I'm gonna keep trying till I get it right!

Minimum of 4 hours in the fridge, but overnight is better

 

[Tat-que]

That's what I did last time too, Doug.
Shells were.....ah.....crunchy.
Gum bleeding, tooth breaking crunchy.
Maybe I didn't wait long enough between filling, wrapping and smoking.
But I'm gonna keep trying till I get it right!

I really don’t think it’s possible to get a “tender” noodle when doing this it’s either gonna be a bit crunchy or a tad chewy/gummy by the time you get bacon cooked! No matter how long you rest it! But …. I never tried par cooking noodle! I might try one more time! Fingers crossed!

 

[TravelingJ]

I would also try parcooking the bacon, to help that part go faster on the smoker.

 

[Maylar]

Maylar, Shotgun Shells are manicotti shells stuffed with a meat mixture & cheese and wrapped in bacon.

Well, learn something new every day. I was thinkin' 12 gage. :tongue:

 

[Maylar]

Minimum of 4 hours in the fridge, but overnight is better

The online recipes that I've seen say the same. The moisture in the stuffing softens the pasta before cooking.

 

[Big Daddy 731]

Shotgun Shells are uncooked manicotti pasta noodles stuffed with a mixture of sausage, ground beef, cheeses and other seasonings and veggies that are wrapped in bacon and smoked.

 

[Big Daddy 731]

Minimum of 4 hours in the fridge, but overnight is better

I find overnight works better, but it is important to be sure and wrap the entire shell with bacon. The last shells we made I mixed grated zucchini in with the ground meat, and the shells were perfectly soft after refrigerating them overnight. The zucchini didn't change meat texture or the flavor profile at all. I do believe it softened the shell though.

 

[NCGrimbo]

That's what I did last time too, Doug.
Shells were.....ah.....crunchy.
Gum bleeding, tooth breaking crunchy.
Maybe I didn't wait long enough between filling, wrapping and smoking.
But I'm gonna keep trying till I get it right!

This also happened to me the one time I tried them. Nothing in the recipe I was following mentioned waiting between filling and smoking, but it was about 30 minutes since I made them before starting the smoker. Not worth trying again in my opinion.