Preheat your oven to 400F.

Bring a pot of lightly-salted water to a boil. Split your mirlitons in half and boil mirlitons for 30 minutes, or until they’re easy to scoop out.

Use a small spoon to remove seeds and scoop out all of the meat of the shell. Reserve the meat and set aside.

Pierce the shells with a paring knife.

In a 12-inch Frying Pan, melt 6 tablespoons of butter on medium-high heat. Once melted, sauté your pork until golden brown. Stir until all juices have evaporated.

Add onions, celery, bell peppers, minced garlic, and thyme and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

Add in your chopped shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes, or until pink and curled.

Mix in your reserved mirliton meat and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring until flavors develop.

After most of your liquid has evaporated, remove the pan from the heat and  add your parsley, and season to taste with salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and hot sauce.

Sprinkle in 1 ½ cups of breadcrumbs to absorb any excess liquid and to hold the stuffing intact.

Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions and stuff into your hollowed-out mirlitons.

Place the stuffed mirlitons on a sheet pan and sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of breadcrumbs. Top each with ½ tablespoon of remaining butter and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Once done, sprinkle with cayenne pepper, to taste.