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BBQ Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies
Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies are a crowd favorite appetizer that are simple to make! Wrap little sausages in smoky bacon, roll in brown sugar and spices, then bake in the oven until caramelized and crispy. Brush them with your favorite BBQ sauce for an extra tasty snack.
These BBQ Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies are a party appetizer that is perfect for game day, holiday parties, and more. Not only are they easy to make, but they are a fun-to-eat finger food. For another delicious bite-sized appetizer, we love making these BBQ Meatballs and serving with toothpicks for easy snacking.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Them
- 5 Ingredients – Only a few simple, easy to find ingredients needed.
- Finger food – Serve this appetizer on toothpicks for easy to eat, finger food.
- Salty and sweet – The combination of the bbq sauce and brown sugar with the sausages and bacon is the perfect salty/sweet pairing.
Ingredients for Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies
- Little Smokies – You can find these at most grocery stores near the hot dogs, sausage, and packaged deli meat.
- Bacon – You might want to get a low sodium variety; these can be quite salty depending on the sausages. I usually just buy whatever brand it on sale, though I am partial to Farmer John.
- Light Brown Sugar
- Cayenne Pepper – This helps offset the sweetness from the bbq sauce and brown sugar but you can adjust the amount to your tastes.
- BBQ Sauce – Use your favorite store bought bbq sauce or you can make your own from scratch.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies
- Prep – Start by getting the oven preheating and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then coat with nonstick cooking spray so nothing sticks.
- Mix Sugar Topping – On a shallow plate mix together the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and black paper then set aside.
- Wrap Sausages – Pat dry the sausage with a paper towel and cut the bacon slices into thirds. Wrap one piece of bacon around one sausage and use a toothpick to secure it.
- Roll Sausages – Roll the wrapped sausage in the brown sugar mixture. You can gently press the sugar so it sticks to the bacon. Place on the lined baking sheet and finally brush lightly with the bbq sauce.
- Bake – Bake the bacon wrapped smokies for about 30 minutes. The bacon should be crispy. After baking, I like to brush with a little extra bbq sauce and stick under the broiler for a minute or two so it gets nice and caramelized. Make sure to watch them carefully so they don’t burn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies be prepped in advance?
These little smokies are a great make-ahead appetizer! You can assemble them up to a day in advance and store in the fridge until ready to bake. For best results, I prefer to wait to roll in the brown sugar until right before baking.
Do little smokies need to be cooked?
The little smokies you buy at the store are already pre-cooked. So baking them for this appetizer is more about warming the little smokies and cooking the bacon wrapped around them.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve these soon after baking while they are still warm, but they are still fantastic closer to room temperature.
If you want to keep them warm longer, try using your slow cooker! You can transfer the them to a crockpot on the WARM setting during the party.
Storage and Reheating
Storage – Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating – I recommend reheating in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed and the bacon is slightly crispy again – about 15 minutes.
Expert Tips
- Greased Foil – Lining your pan with foil will make clean up so much easier and even with the bacon fat, I still recommend spraying with cooking spray so the little smokies don’t stick.
- Type of Sausages – Some stores have multiple types of little sausages – classic, beef, turkey, etc. I like to use the classic original little smokies, but you can use your favorite.
More Easy Appetizers to Discover
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BBQ Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies
Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies are a crowd favorite! Mini sausages wrapped in bacon, rolled in brown sugar and spices and brushed with BBQ sauce.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 16 ounce package little smokies
- 1 pound bacon
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper more or less, according to your taste
- pinch black pepper optional
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grab a large rimmed baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a shallow plate, combine the brown sugar, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Set aside.
- Remove the sausages from their packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the bacon strips into three even sized pieces and wrap one piece around each individual slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick.
- Roll the wrapped sausages in the brown sugar mixture and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with bbq sauce.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy. Lightly brush the tops with bbq sauce, then broil for 1-2 minutes, just long enough to caramelize but not burn.
Notes
Storage – Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating – I recommend reheating in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed and the bacon is slightly crispy again – about 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 529kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 5gFat: 48gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 690mgPotassium: 135mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 88IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
