Crab Rangoon Shotgun Shells | New Years Appetizers on the BBQ

1. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, crab, green onion, garlic, soy sauce, and mozzarella.
2. Carefully fill the pasta shells using your hands or a piping bag with a large-bore tip. Ensure that the filling completely fills the pasta inside from end to end with a little space at each opening end.
3. Once filled, plug the ends with bacon, then wrap a small square of bacon around the end. Finally, wrap the shells in bacon, covering the two caps on the ends as tightly as possible so that the filling doesn’t come out.
4. Chill the Crab Rangoon Shotgun Shells for at least 4 hours to overnight. This ensures that the pasta is softened properly before smoking.
5. Preheat your grill to 250°F (121°C). You can use gas or charcoal for this.
   Gas: Remove your cooking grids and a sear plate over a burner. Replace the sear plate with your stainless steel smoker box, filled with wood chips. Ignite the burner below the smoker box, as well as another burner on the opposite side of the barbecue if needed. (This may or may not be necessary due to your grill’s size and the outdoor temperature.) 
   Charcoal: Use an indirect setup like the snake or chain style, where the outside edge of the charcoal basket is lined with a thin layer of charcoal, with smoke wood dotted through. Light a small load of charcoal and place it at one end of the chain. The lit charcoal will slowly light the rest of the charcoal.
6. Once up to temperature and holding steady, place your Rangoons onto the grill, away from direct heat, and smoke them for 60 to 90 minutes.
7. While they’re smoking, make the baste and dip by combining the sugar and vinegar and bringing to a boil until it reduces and becomes syrupy. Take your syrupy mixture off the heat and stir in your sambal, ginger, and garlic. Allow this to cool, then strain through a mesh strainer.
8. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, turn up the heat and brush the cooled sweet and sour over the bacon. Once the sauce has tacked up and become shiny, the bacon has crisped a little more, they’re ready to come off.
9. Serve these topped with a little chopped chives or cilantro, and the rest of your sweet and sour sauce dip. Pair with a hoppy pilsner or IPA, these are all-purpose beers that will pair nicely with the creamy, sweet and sour, and crabby Rangoons, as well as the other nibbly bits you will likely have to go with these delicious appetizers. If wine is being served, something like a Canadian, Dry Riesling with a crisp finish, green apple notes will be well-suited to pair not only with these Crab Rangoon Shotgun Shells but other similar salty, sweet, and flavorful appetizers for a New Year's Party.

These Crab Rangoon Shotgun Shells are the perfect balance of creamy, smoky, and with a hint of crispy bacon, are an unforgettable way to ring in the New Year. Serve them with a tangy, sweet and sour dip, crack open a cold beer or crisp Riesling, and toast to good friends, great food, and another delicious year ahead. What do you cook on the grill to ring in the new year? Share your BBQ party recipes, stories, and photos with us on Facebook and Instagram. Use the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrills for a chance to be featured.

Happy Grilling!