Smoked Pulled Pork or Chicken Stuff Pasta Shells

Marc - a.k.a the Primeggister1

Ingredients

1.5 lbs of minced  Smoked Pulled Pork or Chicken (if using chicken 3/4 dark meat to 1/4 white meat is best).  Refrain from use the bark from the Pulled Pork, the rub may alter the flavour you are trying to achieve.

1 Roasted or Grilled until fully blackened Sweet Red "Sheppard" Pepper skinned than seeded and minced

1/2 of a large Red Onion minced and sauteed with 1 small crushed garlic clove, add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to sautee' or whatever is needed. Do not brown! Let cool and mince again.

1 1/2 tablespoons of Capers (rinced well) and mince fine

1 cup fine grated Fontina cheese (grate this cheese frozen - very creamy, hard to grate fine if soft, try to buy the sharper flavoured one, I use Prestigio fontina cheese)

3/4 cup mozzarella grated fine (I prefer Saputo Special or a fine imported brand)

3 tablespoons soft fresh goat cheese (vacuum packed usually in tube shape)

Optional Hot Chilli pepper paste - I always add this flavour demention, it mixes well with the Capers and sharp Fontina at least a 1/2 teaspoon will not be spicy at all.  Experiment for your own spicy desire but start with this or add an oil drizzle over pasta to finish (dilute chilli paste in olive oil until it losens for the drizzle method).

Very thin slices of Pancetta (Italian cured bacon) reserve for the finish

50/50 Mixture of Fontina and Mozzarella (amount depends on amount being baked) reserve for the finish.

Salt and Pepper (see below)

 

 

 

 

Instructions

In a bowl add the Hot Chill Pepper paste, minced Capers, sauteed minced Onions and Garlic and minced Roasted Sweet Red Sheppard Pepper and lightly season with sea salt and fine fresh ground black pepper and mix well.  Add the soft Goat Cheese and mash and mix into ingredients well.  Add minced Smoked Pull Pork or Chicken and mix very well until consistantly spread throughout the mixture.  Now to finish off the stuffing add the Fontina and Mozzarella in segments until mixed throughout.  Put the mixture into the fridge for 2 - 3 hours or until cold (this will allow the flavours to come together and will be easier to stuff if not using a Jerky Gun).

Boil the pasta shells until 3/4 cooked or al dente (they will finish cooking in the sauce when they bake).

I prefer a light fluid tomato sauce to bake the pasta shells in. A thick tomato sauce will turn into a ketcup like texture.  Place Stuffed Shells in a low baking dish and just enough sauce to keep just above the sauce, cover the baking dish with foil. Set up the Big Green Egg at 250 degrees indirect and bake for 1/2 hour if sauce is at room temperature, adjust if sauce is cold from fridge(45 min).  Uncover pasta and increase temperature to 325 degrees and continue baking for 10 minutes.  At this point make a 50/50 mixture of Fontina and Mozzarella cheese just enough to top the pasta shells lightly.  You may want to remove the pasta from the Big Green Egg and add your cheese then the pancetta (roughly rip the thin pancetta for a rustic appeal and do not press into cheese let it lay scattered) and remove the plate setter and add a small amount of Sugar Maple chips or another light smoke flavour of your choice (yield 1/4 cup).  Return pasta to the BGE and finish baking for 10 minutes.  The flavour wood step can be omitted if desired, but does add a smoked cheese and smoked bacon element to the dish. Enjoy!

Notes

Number of Servings: 4-6

Time to Prepare: 1 - 1 1/2