Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies Appetizer Recipe

These are great for watching the game, holiday parties, or any Tuesday night that needs snacks. They are super easy to make, and I promise they are always the first to disappear! They take a total of 40 minutes including bake time, and have 3 ingredients, and the effort ON YOU is < 10 minutes!

A shiny coating, which is made up of brown sugar and bacon fat, clings to the individual smokies. This is an amazing combination of sweet, salty, and smokey flavors.

Why These Are Always the First Thing Gone

You aren’t imagining things – people really can’t stop eating these. Perhaps it has to do with their size (easy to grab) but most of it has to do with the glaze. Brown sugar baked into the fat of the bacon makes something hard to describe but impossible to stop eating.

Party patrons enjoy these little snacks mess-free. Just spear it with a toothpick, throw the whole bite in your mouth, and go. Also, there is no need for plates, which is a bigger deal than you’d think at a party.

The Ingredients (All Three of Them)

Little Smokies

You will need one 16 oz. pack of smoked sausage. Make sure this is a cocktail size pack and not full size link sausages. A good option is Hillshire Farm. There are on average 40 to 50 sausages per pack, but this can vary by batch.

Bacon

To do this, you’ll need half a pound of regular sliced bacon, which is about half of a standard one-pound package. Pay attention to the type of bacon here. Thick cut bacon will take a long time to cook and will still be chewy while the smokies will be overcooked. Each strip is cut into quarters or thirds.

Brown Sugar

One cup is more than enough. Using light brown sugar keeps it sweet and simple while using dark will add a depth of flavor from the molasses that pairs nicely with the smoke of the sausage. Either will caramelize and create that oh so good sticky glaze. Believe it or not that is pretty much the entire ingredient list.

The One Prep Detail That Actually Matters

It is easier to cut the bacon strips before you pull apart the individual strips. Take three or four strips, stack them on top of each other, and cut the whole stack into thirds or quarters at the same time. If you pull apart the individual strips first, they can become kind of slippery and sticky, and it gets pretty annoying to make clean cuts.

Each piece needs to be about two inches, which is enough to wrap around a smokie, leaving a little overlap at the bottom. The overlap is secured with a toothpick, and then seam-side down in the pan, it holds everything in place while baking.

How to Make Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies

Step 1: Preheat and Line the Pan

Set your oven to 400 °F. Grab your baking sheet and put foil on top. If you don’t line your pan, get ready to scrub a thick layer of brown sugar that will bond with your unlined pan. While with foil you can just peel it off once everything cools.

Step 2: Cut the Bacon

Before wrapping, we need to cut the bacon. Each strip of bacon should be cut into around three or four pieces. It’s better to do all the cutting before starting wrapping to avoid stopping in the middle and making your hands all sticky with bacon.

Step 3: Wrap and Secure

Take one slice of bacon and wrap it around each smokie with the ends crossing on the bottom. Use a toothpick to secure the ends of the bacon to the smokie. Be sure to place them seam-side down on the foil lined pan, and be sure to place them in a single layer with some room in between each one.

Spacing matters when cooking bacon. If the bacon pieces are touching each other, they will steam instead of fry. My daughter has been the official toothpick person since she was about six, and she takes her job very seriously – she really does speed things up when there are two people.

Step 4: Add the Brown Sugar

Do not hold back when it comes to brown sugar. Each smokie should be coated in a good, thick layer. Any sugar that drops onto the pan will be included in the glaze that caramelizes below.

Step 5: Bake

Once you complete meal prep, put it in the oven and set the timer for 25 minutes. At this point, the bacon should be sufficiently cooked and just beginning to crisp. The brown sugar will have melted all the way and will be bubbling around the smokies. A thin sticky glaze will have gathered on the bottom of the pan.

If the tops are still pale, you can broil for an additional one to two minutes, but be sure to open the oven door and monitor the situation. Burnt sugar can turn from golden to black much more quickly than you’d think.

Step 6: Rest and Serve

Prior to serving, let them cool for several minutes. The sugar can burn, and you don’t want to take the chance of getting burned. You can either transfer them to a serving platter with toothpicks already inserted, or place them in a small slow cooker set to warm in order to keep them at serving temperature for the duration of the party.

Four Ways to Take These in a Different Direction

Add Heat

Before you sprinkle the mixture, add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or chili powder to the brown sugar and stir it in. The sweetness of the sugar and heat of the peppers are balanced, and the mixture will have a more complex flavor for adults. If you want it to be spicier, start small and next time you can increase the amount.

Add Mustard

Before wrapping each smokie in bacon, try adding a thin layer of Dijon mustard. It offers a nice contrast to the sweetness of the bacon, balancing the flavor nicely. While it may not be for everyone, those who do like it are very passionate.

Add Maple

If the recipe seems too sweet for you, you can go down to half a cup of brown sugar, and drizzling pure maple syrup on the smokies before baking. Brown sugar makes the dish more sweet, so the less brown sugar you use, the less sweet it will be, and the dish will be less sweet than if you were using regular brown sugar. The maple syrup lets the smoky flavor come through more.

Crockpot Method (Start to Finish)

First, you will want to prepare your slow cooker. Grab your smokies and wrap them in bacon. Once you have done this, pour some brown sugar on top and cook on a low setting for 3-4 hours, or on high for 1.5-2 hours. Keep in mind that the bacon will not be crispy, and will be soft. The smokies will become tender and a bit saucy. Some may say this sounds unappetizing, but people will gobble these down.

Getting These to a Party Warm

These party favors have very simple toothpick-style handles for easy grabbing. The real challenge that remains is how to keep them warm for the party. Here’s what actually works!

The Slow Cooker Trick

As soon as you take them out of the oven, put them in a 2-quart slow cooker set to warm, and drizzle any pan drippings over the top. They will stay warm and saucy for two to three hours, so you won’t need to worry about them drying out. This is the easiest way to keep them at a party so you won’t have to worry about reheating.

On a Platter With Other Things

They go great with deviled eggs, cheese cubes, and sticks of raw veggies. They also pair with pretty much anything you can eat with your fingers. The sweet and salty mix works great with everything else in an appetizer spread too.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

The bacon will become crispy again, and the glaze will soften when you put the leftovers in the oven or air fryer at 350°F for around 8 to 10 minutes.\ It’s best to keep the leftovers in an airtight container, where they will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Using the oven will take a little more time but will keep the bacon crispy, which is especially important if you are serving the bacon to guests. Microwaves soften bacon.

You can freeze these. First, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and once solid, move them to a freezing bag. From frozen, bake at 375°F for about 15 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies — Questions People Ask

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes. Wrap the smokies, place them on the pan, cover, and refrigerate for a day. If you put the brown sugar on the night before, it will absorb moisture from the fridge and won’t caramelize, so wait to put the sugar on right before baking.

Can I use turkey bacon?

Feel free to try it, but the result will likely be different. Because turkey bacon has less fat, the glazes will form differently, and it will be softer. If that’s the only option you have, it will still be fine, just don’t expect it to be very crisp.

What if I do not have toothpicks?

To prevent losing any smokies while cooking, put them seam-side down and pack them together so they hold each other in place. Most should stay wrapped. If any smokies come unwrapped while cooking, use a few toothpicks to keep them in place.

How many does this recipe make?

A 16 oz. package has about 40 to 50 smokies. You will need a half pound of bacon (cut into thirds or quarters) to have enough pieces to wrap every single one. For larger crowds, adjust the amounts to 1 pound of smokies, 1 pound of bacon, and 1.5 to 2 cups of brown sugar.

More Party Appetizers That Actually Get Eaten

• Bacon Wrapped Pickle Dip — Cream cheese, crispy bacon, and dill pickles in a scoop-it-with-a-chip dip. Same crowd as this one.
• Buffalo Chicken Dip — Bring a bag of chips and you are covered for the entire game.
• Seven Layer Dip — Feeds a big group without much effort. A party staple that never goes out of style.

Tell me in the comments which type of bacon-wrapped little smokies you tried — plain brown sugar, maple, or spicy!