These smoked pig shots are absolutely delicious and are a great appetizer for any occasion. Made with smoked sausage, bacon, and a cream cheese mixture, these pig shots are smoked until the bacon is crispy and the cheese is melty.
Hoooo boy, do I have an appetizer recipe for you today! These pig shots take all the flavors of jalapeno poppers and combine them with smoked sausage to create smoky, meaty, bacon wrapped appetizers full of heat and flavor. They’re a unique recipe that’s always welcome at home or at any event. I only started making these recently, and I’m already in love. The flavor is massive, but the recipe is so easy!
Smoked Pig Shots
This recipe starts with chunks of smoked sausage. Then, I wrap them in bacon and top them with a cream cheese jalapeno mixture and top it with a jalapeno slice. Finally, I brush the entire thing with honey BBQ sauce and cook them on the smoker until the bacon is crispy and the cream cheese mixture is hot and bubbly. In the end, I have an appetizer recipe that explodes with flavor in every bite.
Why You’ll Love This Smoked Pig Shots Recipe
- The flavor combination of the smoked sausage, bacon, and cream cheese mixture is simply irresistible, and the smoke adds a depth of flavor that is hard to beat.
- They are easy to make. Just wrap the bacon around the sausage, fill it with the cream cheese mixture, brush it with honey BBQ sauce, and smoke.
- They make a great appetizer for any occasion and everyone will be talking about it. They are a bit messy but so worth it.
Smoked Pig Shots Ingredients
This recipe uses a few ingredients, but they’re all simple and easy to find at your local grocery store. In just one trip, you’ll have everything you need.
- Smoked sausage adds a smoky flavor perfect for these pig shots.
- Thick cut maple bacon adds a sweet and smoky flavor and surrounds the sausage slices keeping all the ingredients enclosed in the pig shot bite.
- Cream cheese adds a richness and creamy texture and helps bind the other ingredients together.
- Sour cream adds a tangy flavor and helps balance out the sweetness of the other ingredients, and helps keep the shots moist.
- Jalapeno adds some heat that cuts through the richness of the other ingredients.
- Sharp cheddar cheese adds a sharp and flavorful contrast and provides a bit of saltiness.
- Slap Ya Mama seasoning is a Cajun style seasoning that adds a lot of flavor and a bit of spice.
- Barbecue sauce adds a smoky and sweet flavor to the pig shots and helps bind the ingredients together.
- Honey adds a sweet flavor that helps balance out the heat of the jalapenos and keeps them moist.
- Brown sugar adds a caramelized flavor that balances out the sharpness of the cheddar cheese and when mixed with the barbecue sauce and honey, it helps keep the pig shots moist.
How to Make Smoked Pig Shots
This is an easy recipe to make and even beginners should have no problem with it. The hardest part about making this recipe is waiting for the shots to finish smoking.
Step 1: Make the BBQ Sauce
Whisk BBQ sauce, honey, and brown sugar together in a small bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Wrap the Sausage
Cut the bacon strips in half and wrap one piece around each sausage slice. Secure the half-slice of bacon with a toothpick, and place the sausage slices on a baking sheet. Set aside.
Step 3: Make the Cream Cheese Filling
Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Then, add the sour cream, diced jalapenos, cheese, and seasoning and stir to combine. Place the mixture in a piping bag or into a quart-sized baggie and snip the corner off of one end.
Step 4: Add the Cream Cheese and BBQ Sauce
Squeeze the cheese mixture on top of each thick rounds of sausage and top with a slice of jalapeno. Then, brush the BBQ sauce mixture onto the pig shots.
Step 5: Smoke
Place the pig shots directly on the grill grates of the smoker and smoke the pig shots for 50 to 65 minutes at 375 until the bacon is crispy. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Cut the sausages into ¾ to 1-inch chunks for the perfect size bites.
- Thick cut bacon works best for the smoking process.
- Piping the cream cheese mixture onto the top of the pig shots is the easiest way to apply it.
- Always wash your hands and never touch your face when handling hot peppers.
Variations
- Use your favorite smoked sausage or kielbasa for this recipe. There are all kinds of varieties out there.
- Use your favorite bacon, so long as it’s thick cut.
- Use your favorite BBQ sauce for this recipe.
- For a mild version, try making this with banana peppers or pepperoncini.
What to Serve with Smoked Pig Shots
These delicious pork bites are perfect as part of a larger backyard BBQ and as such, they’re delicious with all your favorite sides like:
- Cornbread
- Mac and cheese
- Baked beans
- Coleslaw
- Potato salad
- Macaroni salad
Recipe FAQ
Pig shots are shot glass-sized smoked sausage bites wrapped in bacon, topped with a spicy cream cheese mixture, and smoked until the bacon is crispy.
Pig shots are made of smoked sausage sliced into ¾ to 1-inch pieces. They’re wrapped in bacon, topped with a spicy jalapeno cream cheese mixture, and a jalapeno slice.
Absolutely. Construct the pig shots, then refrigerate them until you’re ready to smoke them.
Pig shots can easily be made in the oven or air fryer. Simply bake the pig shots at 375 for 4o to 45 minutes or air fry them at 390 for 10 to 12 minutes.
Leftover pig shots freeze very well and will last for up to a month.
Place the pig shots on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees until heated through.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Smoked Pig Shots
Refrigerate these smoked pig shots for up to 4 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to a month in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
To reheat them, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees until heated through.
Try This Delicious Smoked Pig Shot Recipe Today
These smoked pig shots are loaded with the smoky goodness of sausage and bacon along with a zesty, cream cheese and jalapeno topping and sweet BBQ sauce. They’re everything you’ve ever loved in an appetizer and a grilled dish combined into one! Give these a try, and I know you’ll be bringing them to every backyard bash you attend.
More Delicious Appetizer Recipes You’ll Enjoy
And, here is an easy and delicious Crescent Wrapped Smoked Sausage you can find on the blog.
Smoked Pig Shots
Ingredients
- 1 pound smoked sausage cut into ¾ inch chunks
- 12 ounce thick cut maple bacon
- 4 ounces softened cream cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 jalapeno stem, seed removed, diced
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ teaspoon Slap Ya Mama seasoning
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- â…› cup honey
- 1 ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- Jalapeno slices
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 375 degrees.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce, honey and brown sugar. Set aside.
- Cut bacon in half and wrap each piece of sausage with a strip of bacon,
- Place on a baking sheet and use toothpicks to hold bacon in place.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add sour cream, diced jalapenos, cheese and seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Place cream cheese mixture into a quart size baggie and make a small cut in the corner of the baggie.
- Squeeze cream cheese mixture on top of the sausage and add a slice of jalapeno to the top.
- Brush easy pig shot with the honey barbecue mixture and place on the grill grates directly.
- Smoke the pig shots for 60-75 minutes or until the bacon is crispy.
- Carefully remove and enjoy.
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How do you suggest cooking if you don’t have a smoker??
Hi Rhonda, If you don’t have a smoker, you can make these in the oven. On our other blog there is a recipe for Oven Baked Pig Shots. It’s over on Great Grub, Delicious Treats.
They are super delicious and I hope you give them a try. We made them in a mini muffin pan which worked well. I hope this helps.