When a craving hits for fair food that is smoky, cheesy, bacon-wrapped, pasta-stuffed and unapologetically over the top, there’s only one answer: make a Timber Twist copycat recipe at home.
This wild idea came from watching the Best Ever Food Review Show explore state fair food. One item jumped out: the Timber Twist from Giggle’s Campfire Grill at the Minnesota State Fair. It combined sausage, cream cheese, mozzarella, barbecue rub, manicotti shells, thick-cut smoked bacon and barbecue sauce — a combination impossible to forget. The moment it appeared on screen I knew I had to recreate it, even down in Florida with a chilly breeze that made comfort food a must.
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The concept is simple: meat and cheese stuffed into pasta, wrapped in bacon, smoked until the flavors meld. There were no official instructions from the fair stand, so the challenge was to capture the spirit of the original using the ingredients shown on camera. That freedom made the whole process part recipe testing, part experiment, and entirely fun.
Timber Twist Copycat Recipe
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Equipment
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Smoker
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Bowl
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Pot
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Colander
Ingredients
- 1 LB Italian sausage (plus 1/4 lb if desired)
- 8 Ounces cream cheese
- 2 Cups mozzarella cheese
- 4 tablespoon barbecue rub (estimate)
- 1 Box manicotti shells
- 1 LB thick-cut hickory smoked bacon
- 1 Cup barbecue sauce (use your favorite)
Dipping Sauce
- 4 Ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 Ounces sour cream
Instructions
Prep the Filling
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In a bowl, combine the Italian sausage (cooked and crumbled or raw, depending on preference), cream cheese, shredded mozzarella and barbecue rub. Mix thoroughly so there are no pockets of unmixed cream cheese or uneven seasoning.
Prepare the Pasta
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Raw manicotti are difficult to stuff. Par-cook the shells in boiling water for about six minutes so they are still firm but flexible enough to stuff. Drain and cool slightly, then fill each shell completely with the sausage and cheese mixture.
Wrap
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Wrap each stuffed shell with a slice of thick-cut bacon. Lightly dust with additional barbecue rub to season the outside.
Smoke
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Preheat your smoker or woodfire grill to 275°F (135°C) using a mild fruit or pecan pellet for a balanced smoke flavor. Place the bacon-wrapped shells on the grates.
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Smoke for about 45 minutes, then brush with barbecue sauce and continue smoking for an additional 45 minutes, or until the internal filling reaches 165°F (74°C) and the bacon is cooked through.
Finish
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Brush lightly with more barbecue sauce and a sprinkle of rub, if desired. Serve hot, either as-is or with the creamy dipping sauce made from softened cream cheese and sour cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?Mention @DadGotThis or tag #DadGotThis!The original appearance on the fair video offered no step-by-step instructions, so recreating it was part detective work and part trial-and-error. The ingredient list seen on camera — Italian sausage, cream cheese, mozzarella, barbecue rub, manicotti shells, bacon and sauce — became the entire plan. With a smoker, a bit of creativity and a playful attitude, everything fell into place.
Why This Timber Twist Copycat Recipe Is Such A Fun Idea
This recipe is memorable because it takes familiar comfort flavors and turns them into something adventurous. Fair food is known for pushing the envelope, and stuffing sausage-cheese filling into pasta and wrapping it in bacon does exactly that. Once the pasta hits the smoker and the bacon tightens and browns, you can practically taste the excitement. The contrast between creamy filling, chewy pasta and smoky bacon is irresistible.
A key lesson from the cook: raw manicotti are almost impossible to stuff neatly. After trying various tools and dropping one with a crunch, par-cooking the shells for about six minutes solved the problem. They became flexible enough to fill while staying firm enough to hold shape — a small but crucial step that highlights how hands-on fair-food recreations often are.
Using a woodfire or pellet smoker at 275°F for the smoking delivers the best results. Smoking for about an hour and a half total (with a sauce brush halfway through) gives the pasta, filling and bacon time to absorb smoke without becoming overly crisp. In testing, skipping any extra crisping step after smoking preserved the right texture: tender interior, cooked filling and bacon that isn’t brittle.
Sauce choice matters. A very salty or intensely flavored barbecue sauce can overpower the filling; a more traditional, balanced sauce complements the smoky sweetness without masking the cheese and sausage. Small adjustments like swapping sauce styles or adding a mild cream dip can make a big difference in the final bite.
What Makes This Timber Twist Copycat Recipe Different
It’s the combination of textures and flavors in a single bite: firm pasta, savory sausage, creamy cheeses and smoky bacon finished with a glossy sauce. The interplay of smoky, salty and creamy elements is what elevates the dish beyond its components. Each layer contributes an experience — smoke first, then a molten creamy center and finally the tang or sweetness of sauce.
During tasting, the filling stayed hot and required caution, which is part of the appeal. The sausage provides a robust savory backbone while the mozzarella melts into a stringy, satisfying texture. If the topping is too intense, try a lighter sauce or a dab of the cream cheese-sour cream dip to balance the flavors.
A quick experiment after the main tasting added a spoonful of softened cream cheese mixed with sour cream to a bite. The extra creaminess smoothed the finish and balanced the richness, proving that small tweaks can enhance the experience without changing the core idea.
Because there were no strict instructions from the fair stand, this recreation relied on feel and observation. Choices like par-cooking the shells, using thick-cut hickory bacon and adjusting smoke time shaped the outcome. That improvisational approach is part of what makes copying fair fare satisfying and fun.
Why This Copycat Is Worth Trying
This Timber Twist copycat captures the spirit of state-fair food: bold, messy and joyful. The original sells thousands at the Minnesota State Fair for a reason — the flavor combination is loud and irresistible. Recreating it at home gives you that same experience without the crowd and lets you tweak the elements to suit your taste.
Despite the challenges — stuffing pasta and wrapping bacon — the results are worth it. The smoke adds aroma and depth while the filling remains rich and creamy. The pasta holds everything together and the sauce adds shine and sweetness. One bite shows why the dish caught attention in the first place.
Fair food should be fun and a little unruly. This recipe embraces that: slightly messy, unapologetically indulgent and delicious. It brings the spirit of a state fair booth to the backyard for anyone looking for a bold, shareable appetizer.
Ingredient and Equipment Links:
Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect Outdoor Grill (affiliate):
https://ninjakitchen.pxf.io/k0JNLN
Ninja Woodfire Grill Griddle:
https://amzn.to/3S2Dpnd
Smokin Pecan Pellets:
https://amzn.to/3LiZx9i
Raised Grates for Ninja Woodfire:
https://amzn.to/3LjweU2
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