These smoked pig shots are a guaranteed hit for your next tailgate or party.

Bacon wrapped Kielbasa shots filled with cheese and diced jalapeños. How could you not like that? 

I guarantee you’ll want to double or quadruple the amount because these get devoured in record time.

Each bite is loaded with flavor and goes with just about anything! We are talking about

Smoked Pig Shots Recipe

This recipe does require a little time to prep the ingredients and assemble, but you can get that out of the way and then smoke these just before you want to eat.

They only take 45 minutes in the smoker at 350°F or you could even do them in the oven or airfryer if you don’t have a smoker.

I will show you step by step how to make these and the only thing you’ll wish is that you made double! 

What you need to make Smoked Pig Shots

You don’t need too many ingredients to make these. The one crucial element is getting the right type of bacon. If it’s too thin everything can fall apart.

• Thick cut bacon – the bacon needs to be thick enough to hold upright in the shape of a shot glass so you can fill it with the cheese mixture. You can cut long strips of bacon in half and use both pieces.
• Kielbasa – any smoked sausage will do.
• Cream Cheese – softened.
• Cheddar Cheese – cheddar or colby jack
• Jalapeños – you can use fresh or pickled, or leave them out if you don’t want the heat.
• BBQ Rub – I used our Pit Master’s Pick all-purpose rub but any sweet rub like our Barbeque Pork Rub will work as it helps balance the spice coming from the jalapeños.
• Toothpicks – to secure the bacon onto the Kielbasa. This will hold everything tightly together without having it fall apart and make a huge cheesy mess on your grill. 
• Piping bag – or a sandwich bag with the corner cut off for adding the cream cheese mixture.

What type of wood to use for pig shots?

When smoking these I use apple or pecan wood. The sweetness you get from these two kinds of wood works so well with the cheese and bacon. 

Check out our guide to the best wood for smoking for more ideas.

How to make smoked pig shots

Because you want the bacon to go nice and crisp the first step is to get your smoker up to nice high temperature, around 350°F.

1. Make your sausage and bacon ‘shots’

While your smoker is heating up, cut the Kielbasa into one-inch slices. If your bacon is narrow, you can make thinner slices.

These will form the base of your pig shots, so make sure the sausage slices are smaller than the width of the bacon so you have plenty of room to pipe the filling.

Make sure to cut them nice and straight as well so they stand up properly.

Next, cut each slice of bacon in half. Take one half and wrap it around the Kielbasa slice and then thread a toothpick to secure the bacon and Kielbasa together. It should look like a little shotglass. 

2. Make the cream cheese filling

To make the cheese filling, put the softened cream cheese into a bowl and mix in the shredded cheddar, diced jalapeños, and BBQ rub. Mix that all together until it’s well incorporated. 

Spoon the cheese mixture into your piping or sandwich bag.

3. Fill each shot with the cream cheese filling

Gently fill each shot with the cheese mixture until it’s just below the top of the bacon. Be careful not to overfill because the cheese will rise during the cooking process. If you add too much, it will overflow and cause a mess. 

4. Smoke for 45 minutes to an hour

After each shot is filled, place them on the smoker and smoke them for 45 minutes to an hour.

The main thing here is to make sure the bacon is cooked thoroughly and the cheesy filling looks nice, puffy, and golden.

If the bacon cooks too fast, spritz it with water to slow the cooking process. 

5. Serve

When the bacon looks cooked and is nice and crispy, pull the pig shots off your smoker and let them rest for a few minutes so they cool down.

Sometimes I like to drizzle some maple syrup right at the end of cooking.

When they are safe to touch, you can pull out the toothpicks. Since the bacon has cooked through it will retain its shape and will not fall apart. 

Now the only thing left to do is enjoy your delicious pig shots. I’m telling you, they are packed with flavor and always a crowd-pleaser. 

If you are looking for other great appetizer ideas check out our bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers, smoked shotgun shells, or our smoked buffalo chicken dip.

Print

Smoked Pig Shots

Shot glass sized bacon cups, filled with Kielbasa sausage, cheese and more cheese then smoked to crispy porky perfection.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 536kcal

Author Jordan Hanger

Equipment

• Pitmaster's Pick

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese softened
• ¼ cup cheddar cheese shredded
• ¼ cup jalapeños diced
• 2 tbsp Pitmaster's Pick All-Purpose Rub or your favorite sweet bbq rub
• 12 oz Kielbasa sausage or 1 packet
• 10 oz thick-cut bacon

Instructions

• Setup your smoker to 350°F.
• Cut the Kielbasa into 1 inch pieces. Cut your bacon in half lengthways. Wrap your cut bacon around the Kielbasa so it forms a shot glass. Take a toothpick and skewer at the bottom, securing the bacon join and the sausage.
• Take the softened cream cheese, cheddar, diced jalapeños and the bbq rub and mix together in a bowl until well combine.
• Place the mixture into a piping bag or a sandwich bag (snip the corner off), pipe the mixture into the pig shot until it is just belwo the top of the bacon.
• Place the shots onto your smoker for about an 45 minutes to an hour until the bacon is fully cooked and the cheese filling is puffed and golden.
• Remove the pig shots from the smoker and let them cool for a few minutes before removing the toothpicks.
• Enjoy these shots with friends!

Nutrition

Calories: 536kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 981mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 607IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2mg