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Texas Twinkies are the perfect combination of smoky, creamy, and savory flavors. With a crispy bacon exterior and a cheesy brisket filling, these delicious treats are guaranteed to impress your guests. Make them as a fun appetizer or side dish and I promise, they'll be a great conversation starter every single time!
One of my favorite things to do at parties is make something no one has ever heard of. People instantly want to give it a try and see what they think. It doesn't get much more fun than making Texas Twinkies!
But even though the name is novel, the flavors are tried-and-true. With leftover brisket, cream cheese, jalapeno, and barbecue sauce, you get the best of Texas barbecue in every bite.
Plus, you'll love that this recipe uses manicotti pasta as the "casing" to hold the ingredients together. Although I often like to make Texas Twinkies as giant jalapeno poppers, this version is a little bit milder and is easier to wrap with bacon for maximum flavor.
If you love this variation, try these Bacon Cheeseburger Shotgun Shells or add a tangy twist with these Bacon Cheeseburger Pickle Poppers.
What are Texas Twinkies?
If you're not familiar with this phrase, then let me introduce you to your new favorite party appetizer. Texas Twinkies are basically all the best flavors rolled into one bite-sized snack.
You'll often find them made with whole jalapenos to serve as the "cake" in the Twinkies, but I like to use manicotti shells instead. Technically, that might make them "Shotgun Shells" instead, but hey, it works!
Fill them with cream cheese, jalapenos, leftover brisket, and cheese, then wrap the whole thing with a slice of bacon and smoke to perfection. Glaze with your favorite BBQ sauce and watch them disappear almost instantly.
They're over-the-top, out-of-this-world, and absolutely worth the effort. Your friends and family will thank you and ask you to make them for every party!
Why you’ve got to try this Texas Twinkies Recipe
- They’re fantastic appetizers for parties, BBQs, or game days.
- Easy to customize with different fillings to suit any palate.
- A great way to use leftover brisket creatively.
- Made with everyday ingredients you can find at any grocery store
- Layered with sweet, savory, and smoky flavors
Equipment
To make your own Texas Twinkies, you really don't need too much. You'll need a smoker, a medium bowl, a large pot, strainer, and a plastic bag to pile the filling into the shells.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese - To take things over the top, I actually like to smoke the cream cheese first. This adds extra flavor and really brings it all together.
- Leftover chopped brisket - This is one of my favorite ways to use up leftover brisket (if that's a thing). I usually make these the day after I smoke a 15 lb brisket, since that process takes so long.
- Jalapeño pepper - Finely chopped to add heat to each one.
- Manicotti shells - This is the "shell casing" to hold everything together. For classic Texas Twinkies, use large, hollowed jalapeno peppers instead.
- Bacon - Everything is better with bacon. The pasta shells will be wrapped with bacon before being smoked. Use regular cut bacon to help everything smoke evenly.
- Shredded cheddar cheese - This will melt and help make the filling cheesy and creamy.
- Your favorite BBQ seasoning - I recommend Queen Bee for a sweet touch.
- BBQ sauce for finishing - Use whichever BBQ sauce you enjoy the most. There's no right or wrong answer here. I usually like a sweet barbecue sauce to bring out the flavors from the brisket.
To make Classic Texas Twinkies (aka the best jalapeño poppers ever), skip the manicotti shells and stuff the cream cheese mixture directly into jumbo jalapeños.
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How to Make Texas Twinkies with Manicotti
- Rest and serve: Remove from the smoker and let the Texas Twinkies rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Preheat your smoker to 200°F.
- Smoke the cream cheese: Score a crosshatch pattern into a block of Philadelphia cream cheese and season liberally. Place it in the smoker for 30 minutes. It’s ready when it’s soft and slightly jiggly without melting.
- Cook the pasta: While the cream cheese smokes, parboil the manicotti shells for 5 minutes. This softens them just enough to handle. After boiling, lay the shells on a paper towel-lined plate to cool and dry. Again, you can absolutely replace the pasta with large, cored jalapenos if you prefer.
- Prepare your filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the smoked cream cheese, chopped brisket, chopped jalapeno pepper, shredded cheddar cheese, and a touch of your BBQ seasoning. Mix well until it forms a cohesive mixture.
- Fill the shells: Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a piping bag or zip-top bag with a corner snipped off. Pipe the brisket mixture into the manicotti shells until they are completely stuffed.
- Wrap with bacon: Take 1-2 slices of bacon and wrap each stuffed shell tightly, ensuring the start and end points of the bacon sit on the underside of the shell to keep it secure.
- Season again: Liberally dust the wrapped shells with your favorite BBQ seasoning for extra flavor.
- Smoke: Increase the smoker’s temperature to 375°F. Place the bacon-wrapped shells on the smoker grates. Use indirect heat to ensure even cooking and to avoid burning the bacon. Smoke for approximately 1 hour, or until the bacon reaches a deep amber color and is crisp to your liking.
- Glaze with BBQ sauce: During the final 5 minutes, brush each shell with BBQ sauce for a sweet, tangy finish.
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Storing Suggestions
If you end up with leftover Texas Twinkies, you can keep them in an airtight container the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, either bake in an oven or air fryer at 350F until heated through.
Tips & Variations
- Choose the right brisket: Leftover brisket is ideal, especially the point cut for its fat content and flavor. If using brisket flat, add a touch more BBQ sauce for moisture.
- Smoke the cream cheese: This optional step adds a smoky depth to the filling that’s worth the extra effort.
- Use a sharp knife: The cream cheese filling needs to have small, finely chopped pieces of jalapeños and brisket to make it easy to pipe.
- Experiment with different fillings: Try substituting ground beef, Italian sausage, or even pulled pork for unique variations.
- Make spicy Texas Twinkies: Add diced habaneros or use a hot BBQ sauce for an extra kick of heat. You can also replace cheddar with pepper jack cheese or smoked gouda.
How to Serve
You can serve Texas Twinkies with all your BBQ favorites. Since it takes brisket so long to cook, we almost always serve them with a different type of smoked meat or steaks, like these Bourbon Brown Sugar Ribs or Smoked Tri-Tip.
But then, you get to bring in all your favorite appetizers and sides, like a BLT Pasta Salad or Homemade Coleslaw. It doesn't matter what you serve - they'll disappear long before the meal is served!
FAQs
How do you keep bacon wrapped Texas Twinkies crispy?
There's a bit of an art to wrapping things in bacon. Especially since this recipe has pasta and a creamy filling inside, the bacon could turn soggy, not crispy, if you aren't careful.
For the best results, use regular or thick cut bacon, but avoid overly fatty slices that may render too much grease. It also helps to ensure the bacon starts and ends at the bottom of the shell to keep it intact. You don't want it to double up beyond the edges or it can be too thick to cook evenly.
How do you cook manicotti for shotgun shells?
The goal is to parboil the shells, or basically par-cook them. If you cook them too much, they'll be too soft to handle. It's best to boil for about 5 minutes, then let them cool and dry on paper towels to remove excess moisture.
Why are my Texas Twinkies spilling out?
Don’t overfill the manicotti shells. Leave a small gap at the ends to prevent spillage during smoking.
More Delicious Recipes
- Brisket Cheeseball Recipe with Leftover Brisket
- Brisket Bombs
- Brisket Potato Skins
- Pickle Ham and Cheese Roll Up
Let's get cooking!
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Texas Twinkies (Brisket Shotgun Shells)
Ingredients
- 8 oz Cream Cheese smoked see description above
- 1 C Brisket chopped
- 1 Large Jalapeno or 2 medium
- 1 lb Bacon regular cut
- 6 Manicotti noodles
- ¾ C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 200F
- Crosshatch your cream cheese and liberally season. Place in smoker to smoke for 30 minutes. You'll know it's done when it's jiggly but not melting.
- While cream cheese is smoking, parboil manicotti shells for 5 minutes to soften. Remove from water and place on paper towel lined plate to cool and dry.
- While cream cheese is smoking, chop your brisket, and jalapeno, and prep the rest of your ingredients.
- When cream cheese is done smoking combine it with, the brisket, jalapeno, cheddar cheese and seasoning in a mixing bowl and mix well to combine. Place cream cheese mixture in a piping bag.
- Pipe the brisket cream cheese mixture into the manicotti shell until it's full, do all of your manicottis at once, then wrap each in 1-2 slices of bacon, making sure both the beginning and end of the bacon slices are on the bottom of the stuffed manicotti shell, this will hold the bacon together while smoking.
- Season liberally with your favorite bbq seasoning - I prefer Queen Bee for this one, as it has a nice sweetness to compliment the flavors.
- Smoke at 375 for 1 hour, or until bacon is cooked to your liking. You want it to be a dark amber color without charring. During last 5 minutes of cooking, cover in BBQ sauce.
- Remove and let rest for 5 - 10 minutes to allow cheese to cool and serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce if desired.
Holly Walter says
I'm sooooo making these
Danny Dobrzenski says
You're in for a treat!
Robert says
Great recipe. Everybody devoured them. Didn't look as great as yours, but I'm getting there.
Definitely trying this again.
Danny Dobrzenski says
Thank you! Practice makes perfect, but no matter what they look like, they always taste great
Coby Breeschooten says
Sooo good unreal!!!