Smoked Pig Shots
Smoked pig shots are a meat shot glass of smoked sausage and thick cut bacon, filled with a jalapeno infused cheesy mixture, cooked and smoked until you end up with a meaty cheesy flavor bomb of smoked deliciousness. YES!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
These smoked pig shots are crazy good. We’re talking smoked sausage, bacon, cheese, some spiciness, and smoke! How can this NOT be good?
Plus, these things only take an hour to cook, so you’re munching down on these barbecue appetizers in no time.
No crazy ingredients with room to put your own flair into it make this smoked pig shots recipe a winner.
This recipe makes a great appetizer to accompany several other barbecue dishes such as some baby back ribs, St. Louis style ribs, pork butt, or some pork butt burnt ends.
Ingredients And Equipment Needed
As previously mentioned, there is nothing crazy here.
- Thick cut bacon and smoked sausage – This is the shot glass. A slice of sausage as a base with thick cut bacon wrapped around it and secured with toothpicks.
- Cream Cheese and Cheddar Cheese – This makes the base of the cheese filling.
- Jalapeno Peppers And Dry Rub – The addition to the cheese filling that adds more flavor and a spicy kick.
You will also need, of course, a grill or smoker. A piping bag (or zip lock bag with the corner cut out) to get the cheese mixture into the pig shot will also be needed.
Optionally, a wire cooling rack to place them on for easy placement and removal of the pig shots off the smoker. You can, of course, just place them on the grill grates if you like.
If you would like to do this in the oven, the directions are listed below.
How To Make Smoked Pig Shots
Cut the stem off the jalapeno, then cut them in half lengthways. Deseed the jalapeno, removing the membrane as well.
Optionally, cut 24 whole jalapeno slices (very thin). More on this later.
Next, dice the jalapeno into very small cubes so they will pass through the piping bag without any issue. Set aside.
Cut the smoked sausage into 1/2 inch slices and set them aside.
Cut 12 pieces of thick-cut bacon in half lengthways, giving you 24 bacon strips.
Next, take a piece of bacon and wrap it around a piece of sausage slice and secure it with two toothpicks by inserting them through the sausage to the other side in a cross pattern.
Repeat this process with the remaining bacon and smoked sausage until you have all 24 pieces assembled.
Place the sausage and bacon shot glasses into the refrigerator while you prepare the cheese filling. I would recommend placing them on a wire cooling rack, so it’s easy to move these yummy bacon cups around.
Next, in a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, diced jalapeno, and dry rub.
note
Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature. It’s much easier to mix. If you forget, just use your microwave to soften it up a bit.
A note on the rub: we use our own dry rub, which you can find in the recipe card.
It’s perfect for pork, and I use it on everything. It’s a Memphis-style bbq rub that has the perfect balance of sweetness and heat. But by all means, use your favorite.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix and combine well until the mixture has a uniform color.
Next, transfer the cheddar and cream cheese filling into a piping bag. If you don’t have one, just put the filling into a zip lock bag and cut the corner out of it.
The (optional) Jalapeno Slices
This is entirely optional, but I recommend it. Place a very thin slice of jalapeno on top of the cheese filling, or place that slice on top of the smoked sausage rounds before piping in the filling.
Remove the sausage bacon shot glasses from the refrigerator and pipe the cheese filling in, about a tablespoon in each.
Leave just a bit of space at the top, as the filling will grow a bit during the cooking process.
Get the smoker (charcoal grill, pellet grill, etc … all good) to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the wood of your choice. Oak, hickory, and pecan wood are always solid choices. For these, I added hickory and some cherry wood. I wanted the color to pop. I wasn’t disappointed.
Place the pig shots into the smoker. If you’re using a grill (like I did this time), put them over to the side, allowing them to cook with indirect heat.
Smoke these pig shots for about 1 hour, give or take a few minutes, until the bacon is crispy and the cheddar and cream cheese filling is golden brown.
Pull them from the smoker and allow them to rest for about 10 minutes before diving in and devouring this delicious appetizer of barbeque bliss.
But make sure to remove the toothpicks!
Crispy bacon, smoked sausage, and that yummy spicy cheese filling all wrapped in that smoky goodness makes a perfect bite. Yes, I was popping them whole into my mouth. I’m not sorry!
These smoked pig shots make an excellent appetizer for your next barbecue event. Whether that’s a party, game day or tailgate, or just for you and your family, everybody will love them.
Smoked Pig Shots In The Oven
Yes, this recipe works just as well in the oven. You can prepare the pig shots as directed, with the exception that you will place them in the oven.
You will miss out on the smokiness, though. To combat this, add a few drops of liquid smoke to the cheese mixture when mixing it up.
Liquid smoke is very concentrated, so I wouldn’t add more than 1/4 teaspoon.
Other than that, I would place my prepared pig shots on a cooling rack inside of a foil-lined baking sheet and cook them up as directed.
Very easy cleanup and you end up with these tasty morsels of bacon goodness without the need for a smoker.
Tips
- The type of sausage and bacon you use can be different than what we used. Our smoked sausage had a pretty decent circumference. It’s ok if your bacon has some overlap but you may need to trim some off if it’s going around too far.
- If you’re using an indirect heat cooking method, you might want to rotate the pig shots halfway through to ensure even cooking.
- When wrapping the bacon around the sausage base, put the meatier part of the bacon facing down. This will help in keeping these shots stable.
- Use a wire cooling rack. You don’t want to fight with each piece as you move them around.
Variations
This recipe is perfect for mixing things up to find your favorite flavors.
- You could add a touch of maple syrup or brown sugar to the cream cheese filling to sweeten it up a bit.
- Top these smoked pig shots with a drizzle or two of your favorite bbq sauce.
- Adding green chiles instead of jalapenos can tame the heat if you want a more mild experience.
Storing And Reheating
If you happen to have any leftover pig shots (which I doubt), just let them cool to room temperature and store them in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to four days.
To reheat, place them in the oven (or air fryer) at 300 degrees until the cheese mixture has hit approximately 160 degrees F.
If you are wanting to freeze them, store them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat them, pull them out of the freezer.
It’s best to let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight, but you can place them out on the counter and let them thaw and immediately reheat at 300 degrees F, as previously mentioned.
Other Delicious Barbecue Recipes
Smoked Pig Shots
Ingredients
- 12 Bacon thick cut, cut in half lengthways
- 10 oz Smoked sausage
- 8 oz Cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup Sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Jalapeno peppers diced small
- 2 tbsp Dry rub
Dry Rub (Memphis Style)
This dry rub recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of rub. This recipe only calls for 2 tablepoons.
FYI
- 1/2 cup Paprika
- 1/4 cup Chili powder
- 3 tbsp Kosher salt
- 3 Black pepper
- 3 Brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp Garlic powder
- 2 tbsp Onion powder
- 1 tbsp Dried oregano
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 2 tsp Dry mustard
- 1 tsp Cayenne powder
Instructions
- Cut the stem off the jalapeno, then cut them in half lengthways. Deseed the jalapeno, removing the membrane as well.
- Optionally, cut 24 whole jalapeno slices (very thin).
- Dice the jalapeno into very small cubes so they will pass through the piping bag without any issue. Set aside.
- Cut the smoked sausage into 1/2 inch slices and set them aside.10 oz Smoked sausage
- Cut 12 pieces of thick-cut bacon in half lengthways, giving you 24 bacon strips.12 Bacon
- Take a piece of bacon and wrap it around a piece of sausage slice and secure it with two toothpicks by inserting them through the sausage to the other side in a cross pattern.
- Repeat this process with the remaining bacon and smoked sausage until you have all 24 pieces assembled.
- Place the sausage and bacon shot glasses into the refrigerator while you prepare the cheese filling.
- In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, diced jalapeno, and dry rub.8 oz Cream cheese, 1/2 cup Sharp cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Jalapeno peppers, 2 tbsp Dry rub
- Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix and combine well until the mixture has a uniform color.
- Transfer the cheddar and cream cheese filling into a piping bag. If you don’t have one, just put the filling into a zip lock bag and cut the corner out of it.
- Optionally, place a very thin slice of jalapeno on top of the cheese filling, or place that slice on top of the smoked sausage rounds before piping in the filling.
- Remove the sausage bacon shot glasses from the refrigerator and pipe the cheese filling in, about a tablespoon in each.
- Get the smoker to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the wood of your choice. Place the pig shots into the smoker. If you’re using a grill, put them over to the side, allowing them to cook with indirect heat.
- Smoke for about 1 hour, give or take a few minutes, until the bacon is crispy and the cheddar and cream cheese filling is golden brown.
- Pull them from the smoker and allow them to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
- Remove the toothpicks
Love these!
You may want to try this next time.
Kielbasa wrapped in bacon,
Slice of jalapeno
Chunk of cream cheese
Chopped shrimp
Cheddar cheese
Old Bay seasoning.
Sounds damn good to me!