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.
Nancy says
There’s got to be a better way to coat the wrapped smokies than using toothpicks in a plastic bag because those toothpicks create holes (no matter how gently I tossed. I resorted to “swishing” them around in the seasoning in a bowl. Great results and tasty treat. Thanks!
Alexis says
This was a huge hit with our whole family and friends. We now make them often. Amazing and pretty easy to make!
Sue says
My oven at 350 isn’t hot enough, and I had to turn mine over to get the bottom crispy.
Regina says
Made them tonight, your recipe and tips are just perfect
Susan Yakus says
These are the best ever! Everywhere I take them, they are a hit. People always ask for the recipe. What a great party starter!
Janis says
Can you use regular hotdogs
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested this recipe using regular hot dogs, and I’m sure the baking time would need to be adjusted as they’re much larger.
Rosemary says
I bring them to all the parties and they are a huge success.
Marion Waller says
can I make these using cresant rolls?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested that, as it would be a whole other recipe. But if you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂
Lisa says
Hi. Love all your recipes. You are my go to chef for inspiration. Have you tried to cook these in a crockpot? Curious if they would brown as nicely.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Lisa, thank you for your kind words! I haven’t testing cooking these in a crockpot, but I don’t think they’d get nice and golden brown. You may be able to keep them on warm in one after cooking though 🙂
Laura says
Was really delicious. But I suggest maybe rubbing olive oil on the bacon so that the brown sugar mixture will stay on better.
Janet Lopez says
Hi Amanda! These look so yummy. I’m planning to make these for a party and will be doing the prep work the day before. I’m making two appetizers that are wrapped in bacon. Do you think pre-cooking the bacon a bit would work in this recipe?
I want to save time and get a little of the fat rendered out. I’m planning to cut my bacon and bake them just long enough to get the fat rendered but not long enough to get crisp.
The Chunky Chef says
Yes that will work well 🙂
Jenni Priest says
These are always a hit at parties! What would be a good dip to serve with them?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never served these with a dip, and my guests always gobble them up before anyone could even ask for a dip 🙂 So I can’t say for certain what dip would go well with these smokies.
Sandra Sparks says
Can these be made a day before and warmed up?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes 🙂
Maggie says
What would be the best way to reheat them?
The Chunky Chef says
The oven, at 350°F until hot 🙂
Courtney says
I made two packages of little smokies and before I knew it they were gone! Luckily 3 didn’t fit on the platter so I was able to snag them! I got 3 smokies wrapped with one piece of bacon and it was the perfect amount. I will 100 percent making these again. High recommend!
Jo Adamcik says
I made these for an appetizer party and they were gone in no time; everyone loved them! Once I had the bacon on with a toothpick, I dipped them in melted butter then coated them in the brown sugar with a shake of black pepper on top. I’ll make these again for sure!
Cait says
very tasty, but I’d really like to know who preps all the smokies in 10 minutes…..took closer to 30 minutes, so leave plenty of time. Also shaking in a bag, bad, they fell apart and had to be re-done and the toothpicks poked hole in the bags. better to use a pie plate
Dezzie says
This is a really easy and family approved recipe. It’s very flavorful. I agree with other comments on prep timing it does take about 30 minutes or so. I’d highly recommend this recipe.
Carey says
Can you cook these on black stone grill
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested cooking these on a blackstone grill or griddle, but I’m sure it could be done 🙂
Amanda says
It says 8 servings, but what is the actually serving? How many of these does this recipe make?
The Chunky Chef says
The servings are just an estimate/suggestion, but it just makes however many little smokies are in the package. I estimate this to be around 40-45.
Wendy says
Made for Super bowl party. They’re a favorite! I will definitely be making again. Cayenne pepper is a nice kick. I didn’t use a baggie to coat. I mixed ingredients in a bowl & coated bacon slices that are cut into thirds. Then rolled lil’ smokies. I didn’t use toothpicks this time but everything rolled fine & stayed wrapped. I was able to coat bacon enough for recipe. Didn’t make any changes to recipe. Easy & quick.
Thank you for the recipe. Winner!!!