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Home / Holidays and Events / Christmas / Appetizers

Crockpot BBQ Beer Little Smokies

5
/5
2 hours 5 minutes
10 Comments
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By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 12/16/2018

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Always a crowd-pleaser, these Crockpot Little Smokies are slow cooked in a sauce made with beer, garlic, honey, brown sugar and bbq sauce.  Perfect for game day, holidays, or any party! #littlesmokies #lilsmokies #partyfood #appetizer #recipe #easyrecipe #crockpot #slowcooker

Savory, boozy and sweet, these little smokies are perfect for game day or any party. Just mix everything together and cook a few hours… easy peasy!

This fun twist on crockpot little smokies is filled to the brim with bold, zesty flavors!  Beer, bbq sauce, brown sugar, garlic… hard to go wrong!

Always a crowd-pleaser, these Crockpot Little Smokies are slow cooked in a sauce made with beer, garlic, honey, brown sugar and bbq sauce.  Perfect for game day, holidays, or any party! #littlesmokies #lilsmokies #partyfood #appetizer #recipe #easyrecipe #crockpot #slowcooker

Can you believe Christmas is a mere 9 days away?!  I haven’t wrapped a single present, and am low-key freaking out about it.  But instead of actually working on it, I’m making delicious snacks like these Crockpot BBQ Beer Little Smokies… seems like a good plan right?

In all seriousness, creating this recipe was actually necessary, because in my family we all get together on Christmas Eve for appetizers, and I’m digging the concept of a crockpot appetizer since it’s so easy to transport.

Pouring beer into crockpot little smokies

ARE LITTLE SMOKIES FULLY COOKED?

All the brands I’ve used have all been smoked and fully cooked, but be sure to check your packaging to make sure.  If they are fully cooked, technically they don’t need any cooking, but they definitely taste best when heated through, which is all we’re doing here in this recipe.

HOW LONG DO YOU COOK LITTLE SMOKIES IN THE CROCKPOT?

This recipe, along with most others like it, call for the smokies to be cooked on HIGH for 2-3 hours, or 4 hours on LOW.  It’s great for a party, since it’s a set and forget kind of recipe!

Spoonful of bbq little smokies in the crockpot

DO YOU HAVE TO USE BEER?

I love the flavor, and for a game-day appetizer, it goes so well… but if you aren’t feeling it, just add an equal amount of water or even coca cola!  If you do choose to use pop/cola, you’ll probably want to reduce the brown sugar since the sauce will be pretty sweet with the pop in there.  For those worried about the alcohol content, most of it cooks off during the cook time, so no one is going to get a buzz off of these little smokies.

CAN YOU MAKE THESE LITTLE SMOKIES IN THE INSTANT POT?

You sure can!  Just add everything to the liner of your instant pot, stir well, and press the low pressure “pressure cook”, then set the timer for 1 minute.  When the timer goes off, let the pot naturally release for about 5 minutes, then quick release to release any remaining pressure.

Forkful of crockpot little smokies

PRO TIPS FOR MAKING CROCKPOT LITTLE SMOKIES:

  1. Use any brand of little smokies you like.  My personal favorite is Hillshire Farm.
  2. I normally use the smoked sausage variety, but the beef flavor is good as well!
  3. For a less spicy version, use a regular bbq sauce (like a hickory, honey, etc).
  4. Use a light beer that you normally drink.  No need to use anything fancy… even a bud light works beautifully.

OTHER CROCKPOT APPETIZERS:

  • Cheesy Sausage Rotel Dip
  • Buffalo Chicken Dip
  • Ultimate Taco Dip
  • Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Wings
  • Creamy Corn Dip
  • Cranberry BBQ Meatballs

SHOP THE RECIPE:

  • 4 quart Slow Cooker – this recipe fits perfectly in a 4 quart crockpot!
  • Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce – I’m sure this is way cheaper at your grocery store, I just wanted to show you the exact kind I use.

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

Always a crowd-pleaser, these Crockpot Little Smokies are slow cooked in a sauce made with beer, garlic, honey, brown sugar and bbq sauce.  Perfect for game day, holidays, or any party! #littlesmokies #lilsmokies #partyfood #appetizer #recipe #easyrecipe #crockpot #slowcooker

Crockpot BBQ Beer Little Smokies

5 from 9 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Calories: 102
Servings: 15 - 20 people
(hover over # to adjust)
Print Rate Pin
Savory, boozy and sweet, these little smokies are perfect for game day or any party.

Ingredients

  • 4 14 oz each packages little smokies cocktail sausages
  • 18 oz bottle sweet and spicy bbq sauce
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar , packed
  • 3 Tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 8 oz light beer
  • pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Add little smokies to the insert of a slow cooker.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine well.
  • Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours, or LOW for 4 hours.  Serve hot or keep on warm in the slow cooker.

Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Did You Make This?Tag @the_chunky_chef on Instagram and hashtag it #thechunkychef so I can see what you made!
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Always a crowd-pleaser, these Crockpot Little Smokies are slow cooked in a sauce made with beer, garlic, honey, brown sugar and bbq sauce.  Perfect for game day, holidays, or any party! #littlesmokies #lilsmokies #partyfood #appetizer #recipe #easyrecipe #crockpot #slowcooker

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Meet The Chunky Chef

Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

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Recipe Rating




  1. Nicole says

    Posted on 6/17 at 12:07 pm

    I have made this multi times. Sorry I never commented! It is one our party favorites. I also make it right to your recipe. Thank you for sharing 👍

    Reply
  2. Christina L says

    Posted on 2/5 at 11:51 am

    We prefer this recipe to our old grape jelly version. We are low carb so we can use low carb brown sugar, bbq sauce and syrup for the honey! Easy peasy recipe to convert! Thanks for sharing! We actually like this one better than the grape jelly version. Btw, have you ever seen sugar free grape jelly? A good version doesn’t exist so far as I can tell. Thanks again for helping us stay to our lifestyle tastefully!

    Reply
  3. Tim P. says

    Posted on 1/4 at 7:41 pm

    I cooked this last week. The recipe was good, but I had to use double the bbq sauce, because the sauce ended up a little too thin. With the added sauce, it was perfect, and delicioous.

    Reply
  4. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

    Posted on 12/19 at 3:25 am

    This looks delicious! This needs to happen at my house very soon!!

    Reply
  5. Amy says

    Posted on 12/18 at 11:23 am

    Love little smokies for Sundays! I have to try yours!

    Reply
  6. Taylor W. says

    Posted on 12/18 at 9:00 am

    Such a delicious party appetizer! Love that sauce!

    Reply
  7. Dee says

    Posted on 12/17 at 11:39 pm

    What a great flavor profile! I know that my husband will love these!

    Reply
  8. Chrissie Baker says

    Posted on 12/17 at 2:56 pm

    I’ve always made lil smokies using a jar of chili sauce and a jar of grape jelly. Sooooo good. Sounds like an odd combination but delicious!!

    Reply
  9. Demeter says

    Posted on 12/17 at 2:28 pm

    Game day food in a slow cooker is genius! Stays warm and the host doesn’t have to babysit it. 

    Reply
  10. Sabrina says

    Posted on 12/17 at 2:26 pm

    This could pretty much be my favorite party food of all time! So good!!

    Reply

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Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

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