Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Lightly salt the water. Par boil the manicotti noodles for 2 to 3 minutes. No longer. You want the noodles to still be firm. Immediately drain and rinse under cold water to completely cool noodles. Let noodles drain completely.

In a large mixing bowl combine the rest of the ingredients except the bacon and bbq sauce. Add 2 tbs of the bbq sauce to the mix. Reserve the rest. Mix well.

Bring bacon to room temperature

For this step, I found the easiest way to fill the noodles was to use a Jerky gun. They are kind of like a frosting decoration gun, but built heavier for use with ground meats. Or use a sausage stuffer if you have one. Fill each noodle gently. And set aside on a baking sheet. Next wrap each noodle with a strip of bacon. Try to stretch it and wrap as much of the noodle as you can.

The cooking part is where this can go 2 directions depending on what kind of smoker you have. Determine whether you have a hot or cold smoker and proceed as follows.

For a hot smoker, set smoker to 250 degrees F. Place shells on rack and smoke for 2 to 3 hours until bacon is starting to get crispy and internal temp reaches 160 degrees. Baste with bbq sauce the last 20 minutes of cook time. Remove to a baking sheet, baste again and let rest before serving.