Classic cocktail smokies are wrapped in smoky bacon, coated with a spicy brown sugar rub, and baked until crispy and oh so addicting!
Party food recipes like these bacon wrapped little smokies are great for game days, holidays, and pretty much any gathering. Party guests love finger foods and dips! We LOVE easy, family-favorite recipes like my Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball and this Everything Bagel Pigs in a Blanket. This is one of my Appetizer recipes you’ll definitely want in your collection!
LITTLE SMOKIES RECIPE
No party would be complete without the deliciousness of bacon-wrapped little smokies… but I’ve taken that one step further with a spiced brown sugar rub that renders them absolutely mouthwatering! Bake them for game day, a cocktail party, or just a casual night in! Just 5 ingredients!
Game day foods are just the best aren’t they? They’re so comforting and fun! It’s really hard for me to pick a favorite, but one that ranks pretty high on the list are these little smokies!
Most people have had little smokies at some point in their lives.. whether they’ve been wrapped in bacon or simmered in bbq sauce in the slow cooker.
I decided that my love of all things sweet/spicy needed to extend to these! And of course, everything is better with bacon right?!
HOW TO MAKE LITTLE SMOKIES
- Prepare baking sheet by lining with 2 sheets of aluminum foil or 1 layer of heavy duty foil.
- Pat the smokies dry, then wrap in a piece of bacon. Secure with a toothpick.
- Add sugar and spices to a large plastic bag, then add smokies in batches, shaking gently to coat. Repeat with all smokies.
- Bake 30-35 minutes, and if desired, broil for extra crispness.
COOKING TIPS FOR COCKTAIL SMOKIES
- FOIL – make sure you line the baking sheet with 2 layers of regular foil (or one layer of heavy duty foil). When sugars caramelize, they can be a giant pain to clean off a baking sheet. Save yourself the time and trouble!
- SAUSAGE VARIETY – I like to use Hillshire Farms brand, but even within that brand, there are several types. Little Smokies, Beef Little Smokies, Turkey Little Smokies, Little Weiners, Cheddar Little Weiners, etc. My preferred type is the original little smokies, but feel free to try other varieties if you’d like.
- BACON VARIETY – I like to use center cut bacon for this recipe, so you get more “meat” and less fat, but go with whichever brand and type of bacon you like best. We’re using simple ingredients here, so you want to use the best.
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- BBQ – bake as directed, then baste with your favorite bbq sauce and broil for several minutes, until smokies are sticky and caramelized.
- SPICIER – feel free to use more cayenne pepper if you prefer. You could also slather the bacon wrapped smokies in sriracha or a spicy bbq sauce before coating them in the brown sugar mixture. A pickled jalapeno slice wrapped with the sausage would be amazing as well.
- MILDER – omit the cayenne and black pepper all together.
MAKING LIL SMOKIES AHEAD OF TIME
I like to assemble these smokies a day ahead of time (just drying the sausage, wrapping in bacon, and securing with toothpick), then keep them covered in the refrigerator. I also mix up the sugar and spices mixture in a bag, and keep it sealed on the counter.
When I want to serve them, I just coat them and bake!
** You can assemble these completely ahead of time (coating them in sugar and everything), keeping them covered and refrigerated, a day ahead of time. Several readers noticed that when using this method, the brown sugar had mixed with the natural juices of the sausage and bacon and looked “melted”. They bake up just fine, but if this bothers you, use the make ahead method I’ve detailed above.
STORAGE
Leftovers should be kept refrigerated and consumed within 3-4 days.
KEEPING WARM FOR A PARTY
Whenever I make these, they’re gone within the first 20 minutes of a party, but if you want them to stay warm for longer, several readers have mentioned they put the baked smokies in the crockpot on warm and it’s worked out well.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- Half Sheet Pan – this is my most used sheet pan, it holds up so well!
- Toothpicks – if you get lucky, the bacon can stick to itself and seal, but to be safe… I always use these.
LOOKING FOR MORE GREAT GAME DAY FOODS?
- Cheesy Bacon Jalapeno Popper Dip
- Bacon Cheeseburger Dip
- Beer Cheese Sauce
- Chicken Taco Mexican Pinwheels
- Baked Italian Beef Sliders
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 16 oz package of little smokies (or small cooked sausages) I use Hillshire Farm brand
- 15 slices bacon, each cut into 3 smaller sections
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper more or less, according to your tastes
- pinch of black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare a jelly roll pan (or large baking sheet with a rim), with a layer of aluminum foil, lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- Pat sausages dry with a paper towel and wrap each individual sausage with a piece of the cut bacon. Secure with a toothpick.
- Add brown sugar, cayenne and black pepper to a large resealable plastic bag. Use a spoon to combine the sugar with seasonings. Add several bacon wrapped sausages, seal bag and shake gently to coat. Repeat with all remaining sausages.
- Line sugar rubbed sausages on prepared baking sheet and bake 30 -35 minutes, until bacon is browned. For some extra crispness, broil for a couple of minutes after baking.
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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.
Pam says
This is one of our all time favorite appetizers. HINT: Line a cookie sheet with foil paper and if you have a metal cookie cooling rack spray it with Pam and place your sausage on top of it. This helps so your sausage is not sitting in the bacon grease as it bakes. This will also help these to crisp right up.
Becky Stalcup says
So yummy. For sure a game day fave!
Sheila says
These were the BOMB! I made these for a party and didn’t take even one home! I’m going to make a batch just for me, myself and I!
Andra says
Can these be cooked in a crock pot?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work, or what changes would need to be made. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Jacob M says
What tempt do I use to bake them?
Amanda says
350°F, as listed in step 1 🙂
CAROL Horne says
Can they be served cold?
Amanda says
I’ve always served them hot, but you can serve them cold or room temperature if you’d like.
Terry says
Love em. Thank you!!
Kassidy says
Came out amazing as always !
Claudea C DePalma says
Excellent. I thought my son was going to eat the entire batch!
Evelyn Setzer says
Great appetizers!!
Debbie McCurry says
You can also use a Tupperware bowl with lid easier yet!!
Debbie McCurry says
Excellent!!! Not just for appetizers,
I made these for lunch with a salad!!
So very good and different, two of us and no more lil smokies left..
My neighbors smelled them and asked me later what was I making!!
Thank You for the wicked awesome recipe!! SPEAKING of wicked, i doubled the brown sugar and cayenne pepper!! Sprinkled the rest over the smokies!!!😎🤪👹
Michele says
I have made this recipe a couple of times now and love it!!!! It is SO delicious! However, even with doubling up on the foil and making sure it goes up and over the rims of the baking sheet, I still end up with a gooey mess underneath the foil on the baking sheet.
Shelby Tipton says
Do you wrap each sausage with just 1/3 of a piece of bacon? Or cut the bacon into thirds and use all 3 pieces for 1 sausage?
Amanda says
Wrap each sausage with 1/3 of a piece of bacon 🙂
Deb says
These were a huge hit! So good, surprisingly delicious. And easy
Marilyn says
My husband really liked them and they were pretty easy to make! I took them to a snack/game party and everyone else liked them too. I
Sharon says
I love shaking the wrapped smokies in a bag! Wish I’d have thought of that! So much easier, less messy and less wasteful 😊
Sagar Sahay says
I really appreciate that the instructions were so easy to follow. I never expected to make it perfect in my first attempt but I am glad it turned out so well.
Tammy B. says
Tried this recipe today👍👍😊 Excellent and super easy!!! I added a tsp of onion powder and 1/2 tsp of garlic powder (no salt, just powder) to the brown sugar mixture and….WOW!! A total hit!! Soooo good!! I highly recommend this recipe!! Thanks!!😁👍
Regan says
Family requested now for every get together ❤