TRAEGER SAUSAGE FATTY RECIPES

Steps:

• Press manicotti shell into ground sausage to fill about 1/3. Add a ½ inch square x 1-inch long piece of cheese into the shell then finish stuffing sausage into the rest of the shell.
• Tightly wrap a single piece of bacon around the manicotti shell. It is best to stretch the bacon first so it is long enough to wrap and cover the entire shell. Place the wrapped shells onto a pan with a rack.
• Brush barbecue sauce onto the top and sides of the bacon wrapped shell then apply a coating of Jeff's original rub.
• Place pan of stuffed, wrapped shells into fridge for 2 hours or even overnight to help the shells to soften a little. (Not absolutely necessary but improves the bite)
• Set up smoker for cooking at 225°F using indirect heat. If your smoker uses a water pan, fill it up.
• Place the pan of appetizers onto the smoker grate and let them smoke cook for 2 hours or until the bacon starts to get crisp. It is sometimes helpful to crank up the heat to 275 for an additional 30 minutes to get a better texture on the bacon.
• Brush sauce onto the wrapped shells and let them caramelize in the heat for about 10 minutes before removing them from the smoker.
• Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Make the cream cheese mixture by combining the softened cream cheese, ½ cup grated cheese, 1 tablespoon of Jeff's original rub and and 2 tablespoons of chopped jalapeños into a small to medium sized mixing bowl. Mix well.
• Wrap the half pieces of bacon around the sausage slices and secure with a toothpick.
• Fill the "cups" with the cream cheese but not all the way to the top. The bacon will shrink as it cooks.
• Setup your smoker for indirect cooking at about 250-275°F or as close to this temperature as you can.
• Place the pig shots on the smoker grate and smoke cook for approximately 90 minutes or until the bacon is cooked through and has good "bite-through" or texture.
• When the appetizers are finished cooking, you can glaze with barbecue sauce if you like. I used my original barbecue sauce thinned with a little apple juice. Let the pig shots continue in the heat for about 10 minutes after cooking to allow the sauce to set.
• Serve immediately.