Wild In The Kitchen: Venison-Stuffed Shotgun Shells

Venison-Stuffed Shotgun Shells

This recipe doesn’t involve shotgun shells, but the popular appetizer will have that appearance after you finish.

18 large Manicotti tubes

1-lb. ground venison

1-lb. thin bacon

8-oz. cream cheese

Parmesan cheese

Italian seasoning

Olive oil

Your favorite BBQ rub

Brown the ground venison in a skillet, and set aside on paper towels to drain. Parboil the Manicotti pasta in water with one tablespoon of olive oil. Drain and spread Manicotti on tray so they will not stick to one another. Make the filling by placing the room-temperature cream cheese in a bowl. Mix in the browned ground venison, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly. Using a spoon, stuff the Manicotti tubes. Wrap the tubes with bacon by first placing one half-strip lengthwise, then wrapping the other half-strip around the tube to secure the lengthwise bacon. This will keep the stuffing inside the tube while cooking. Sprinkle the tubes with BBQ rub. Pre-heat the smoker, grill or oven to 225 degrees. If using a grill, cook on indirect heat. Cook for about two hours or until the bacon is done.