Bacon Wrapped Smokies

Bacon Wrapped Smokies with a touch of brown sugar sweetness are a perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer for game days, holidays, and gatherings. Just 3 Ingredients and 20 minutes of prep for this super simple recipe.

At your next party, you just have to have these delicious little smoked sausages with brown sugar. Everyone loves bacon! And these little sausages deliver bacon in every bite.

Jump to:

• Why We Love Bacon Wrapped Smokies
• How to Scale This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Make Bacon Wrapped Smokies
• When to Serve Bacon Wrapped Smokies
• My Top Tips
• Substitutions and Variations
• Recipe FAQs
• More Great Appetizer Recipes
• 📖 Recipe

Perfect as appetizers for any occasion, these little smokies are wrapped in bacon and rolled in brown sugar. Then they are baked in the oven until they are sticky and just slightly sweet. Best of all when you overlap the bacon around the smokie you don't need toothpicks to hold the bacon in place!

How to Scale This Recipe

Most recipes for bacon wrapped smokies say to use one pound of smoked cocktail sausages and one pound of bacon. However, not all brands of little sausages are sold in one-pound packages. These days I often see packages that are 14 ounces. Which begs the question how much bacon do I really need?

One slice of center-cut bacon will cover 3 cocktail sausages and one slice of bacon is approximately 1 ounce. So, all you need to do is open the sausages and count them, divide by three and that is how many slices of bacon you will need.

So, let's cook!

Ingredients

Here's what you need to make Bacon Wrapped Smokies:

• Smoked Cocktail Sausages - The major name brand is Li'l Smokies, but you can make these with any brand. Some packages are a full 16 ounces and some are less. So you might need a little less bacon for the smaller packages
• Bacon - Use regular-cut bacon. The thick cut is too thick to wrap around the smokies. You can use center cut or regular and it can be smoked, maple, or plain.
• Dark Brown Sugar - Dark brown sugar gives just a touch of sweetness to the smokies. I like the richness of dark brown sugar. But you can use light brown sugar also.

Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Make Bacon Wrapped Smokies

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with aluminum foil.

Cut the slices of bacon in thirds. Wrap the bacon around each sausage. It should overlap at least 1 inch.

Roll each bacon-wrapped sausage in dark brown sugar and place in the prepared pan seam side down.

Bake for 20 minutes. Turn or stir the smokies and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes or until the bacon is browned and the sausage is heated through.

You can then serve them warm from the oven piled on a plate or in a bowl. Offer a bowl of dipping sauce like simple ketchup or your favorite barbecue sauce for the guests who like them saucy. I guarantee they will disappear fast. They are absolutely irresistible!

My Top Tips

♡ Cut the bacon you need all at once. Cut the bacon slab in thirds and don't cut the slices individually. If you accidentally have too much, just bake off the leftover pieces to make bacon crumbles.

♡ It is easier to handle the bacon if your hands are slightly damp and the bacon will grab the brown sugar easily.

Substitutions and Variations

• Spicy - Mix ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and ½ teaspoon of onion or garlic powder into the brown sugar.
• Keto or Low Carb - Omit the brown sugar for a keto-low carb version. Alternatively, you can substitute a sugar-free, low-carb brown sugar substitute.
• Use Maple Bacon - This is my favorite way to get a boost of maple flavor. Simply wrap the smokies in maple bacon instead of smoked or regular.

More Great Appetizer Recipes

• Neiman Marcus Million Dollar Dip
• Italian Marinated Shrimp
• Ultimate Party Snack Mix
• Easy 3 Ingredient Chili Cheese Dip

📖 Recipe