Cheeseburger Pig Shots Recipe

Fire up your Pit Boss Pellet Grill for the ultimate party finger food! Pig shots, also known as pork shots, are edible shot-size cups made of thick-cut bacon strips, smoked sausage, and are typically filled with a cream cheese mixture. But I wanted to take these up a notch and fill them with a ground beef mixture! If you love bacon cheeseburgers as much as I do, then you are going to LOVE this recipe. Not to mention the rave review you will get from your family and friends. These mini treats consist of smoky kielbasa, juicy ground beef, and melted cheese, all wrapped up in a smoky, savory bite and topped with ketchup, mustard, and a dill pickle chip for the complete bacon cheeseburger experience in every bite. You’ll want to double this recipe.

Servings: 6-8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb smoked kielbasa, cut into ½-inch thick rounds

• 1 (375g) pkg thick-cut bacon, cut in half

• Your favourite BBQ rub, as needed

• 20 toothpicks

• ¼ cup your favourite BBQ sauce

• ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

• Ketchup, for topping

• Mustard, for topping

• 20 dill pickle chips, for topping

Filling

• ½ white onion

• 2 dill pickles

• 1 lb ground beef

• 1 tbsp your favourite BBQ rub

Directions:

1. Preheat your grill to 300ºF (149ºC).

2. Make the filling. Place the onion and dill pickles into a blender and blend until they are finely minced. Transfer the minced onion and pickles to a large bowl and add the ground beef and BBQ rub. Using your hands, mix until everything is well combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Slice the sausage into ½-inch-thick rounds, you should have about 20 rounds. Cut the bacon strips in half crosswise. Wrap a half piece of bacon around each sausage, securing with a toothpick, to create a little “shot glass” of meat. Season the shots with the dry rub.

4. Remove the beef mixture from the refrigerator. Place the mixture into a piping bag or a resealable bag (cut the corner off big enough to allow the mixture to be squeezed into the pig shot) and pipe the mixture into each pig shot, leaving a little room at the top. The bacon will shrink as it cooks. Once all the pig shots are filled with the beef filling, season them again with some dry rub. Place the pig shots on a wire rack and place the rack on the grill.

5. Smoke the pig shots for 60-90 minutes or until the internal temperature of the beef is 160ºF (66ºC) and the bacon is cooked to your liking. In the last 10 minutes of the cooking time, brush the tops of the pig shots with the BBQ sauce and in the last five minutes of the cooking time, sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese on top of the pig shots and allow it to melt.

6. Remove the wire rack with the pig shots from the grill and let them cool for 5-10 minutes. Garnish each pig shot with ketchup, mustard, and a slice of dill pickle chip if desired, and serve.