Everyone loves this easy, 4-ingredient Bacon Wrapped Smokies appetizer! Cocktail wieners are wrapped in smoky bacon and slathered with sweet maple syrup and spicy chili garlic sauce. Perfect party food for groups, holidays or game day!
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Is it really a party without Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies?
This tried and true party food recipe is hugely popular - with good reason. It's super easy to make, it feeds a crowd, and everyone loves the salty, sweet and spicy flavor combination.
But if you've ever made versions of these bacon wrapped smokies with brown sugar, you know how they can be a bit finicky. If you cook the weenies too long to make sure your bacon is crispy, the brown sugar starts to burn. If you don't cook the cocktail wieners long enough, you have soggy bacon.
This new and improved, 4-ingredient Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies recipe is just as easy and delicious as any you've had before, but with a few twists to ensure crispy bacon and a finger-licking sweet & spicy sauce every single time.
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Why you'll love this recipe
✔︎ This popular party food recipe has flavor for everyone - sweet, spicy and savory. A real family favorite made with only 4 ingredients!
✔︎ It's an easy appetizer for a crowd. Great for groups, holidays and game day parties.
✔︎ The bacon stays crispy! The secret? Par-baking the bacon before wrapping around smokies. This quick extra step makes all the difference.
✔︎ A maple syrup and chili garlic sauce takes the flavor of these bacon wrapped smokies to the next level. The syrup caramelizes in the oven and the chili garlic sauce gives a hint of heat for appetizer bites that always disappear.
Ingredients
You only need four ingredients to make these bacon wrapped beauties.
A few ingredient notes:
Bacon - I recommend using center cut bacon for this recipe. It is meatier, has less fat, and is the perfect size to cut in half and wrap around the smokies.
Smokies - I used little smokies to test this recipe, but any variety of cocktail weenies will work well, too.
Maple syrup - Skip the pancake syrup blends and use 100% real maple syrup for best flavor.
Chili garlic sauce - This is a relatively inexpensive ingredient that you can find in the Asian sections of most grocery stores. It's great for stir-fry, too, but if you prefer, you can substitute Sriracha or another hot sauce. Just know you many need to adjust the amount needed for more or less spice.
Instructions
Yes, these smokies take a little extra effort than many other recipes. But trust me when I say that a few extra minutes of prep makes a difference. You'll have crispy bacon and perfectly caramelized sausage bites every time!
Par-bake the bacon: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with two layers of parchment paper. Add bacon to pan.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Lower oven temperature to 350°F.
Make the smokies: Layer two pieces of parchment paper on another sheet pan. When bacon is cool enough to handle, wrap a slice around a smokie and secure with a toothpick. Repeat until all bacon is used (you may have a few smokies leftover).
Bake for 20-22 minutes.
Make the sauce: While the smokies are baking, whisk together maple syrup and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl.
When smokies are done baking, remove pan from oven and brush each smokie with the spicy syrup mixture. Return pan to oven and bake for another 3-4 minutes. Serve immediately.
FAQs
Yes! These smoked sausages are ready to heat and enjoy out of the package. The bake time for this recipe comes from cooking the bacon.
Absolutely! You can parbake the bacon and wrap it around the smokies up to two days ahead of time. Do not continue baking at this point. Cover tightly and refrigerate. When ready to serve, preheat oven, add bacon wrapped smokies to prepared pan and bake for 22-24 minutes. Add sauce and bake again for another 3-4 minutes.
The best way to reheat these cocktail weenies is to pop them in a 350°F for 8-10 minutes or until warmed through. Keep an eye on the edges of the smokies so they don't start to brown too quickly.
Shortcuts and Substitutions
➤ Chili garlic sauce is my first choice, but you can also use sriracha or your favorite hot sauce. Adjust the amount based on your desired level of heat/spice. Want a completely different flavor? Use bottled BBQ sauce instead of the maple syrup mixture. Or keep it family friendly and skip the hot sauce entirely. Simply brush the bacon wrapped smokies with just maple syrup instead.
➤ Make ahead: Parbake the bacon, wrap around the smokies and bake as directed but don't brush with sauce. Allow smokies to cool completely, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When ready to serve, heat in oven for 5 minutes, brush with spicy syrup and bake for another 5 minutes or until warmed through.
➤ Keep warm for a party by putting them in a crock pot. The bacon will not stay as crispy but they will still taste delicious.
Expert Tips for making Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies
✘ Center cut bacon (cut in half) is the perfect size to easily wrap around the smokies without having too little or too much extra bacon.
✘ Line your sheet pans with two layers of parchment paper instead of foil. I can't explain the physics behind it, but the oil released from the cooked bacon seems to "absorb" more into the parchment rather than pool like on foil. This works for cooking full bacon strips in the oven, too. Try it and see!
✘ Par-bake the bacon for just 10 minutes to ensure the bacon cooks through when wrapped around the smokies.
✘ Leftovers keep well for up to three days. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to reheat in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes or until heated through.
More bacon appetizer recipes
Bacon makes everything better!
You can find more easy appetizer recipes in our archives.
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Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Smokies
Ingredients
- 12 oz center cut bacon
- 12 oz little smokies sausages (or other cocktail wiener)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1-2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (start with 1 teaspoon and add more if you want more spice)
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Place a double layer of parchment on a large sheet pan.
- Cut bacon in half and place pieces on prepared pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Lower oven temperature to 350°F.12 oz center cut bacon
- Prepare another sheet pan with two layers of parchment paper. When bacon is cool enough to handle, wrap a slice around a sausage and secure with a toothpick. Repeat until all bacon is used (you may have a few smokies leftover). Bake for 20-22 minutes.12 oz little smokies sausages (or other cocktail wiener)
- While bacon wrapped smokies are baking, whisk together maple syrup and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl.¼ cup pure maple syrup, 1-2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- When smokies are done baking, remove pan from oven and brush each smokie with the spicy syrup mixture. Return pan to oven and bake for another 3-4 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly and serve.
Notes
- Center cut bacon is meatier, has less fat and is the perfect size to wrap around the smokies.
- I used little smokies but you can use any cocktail wiener you prefer.
- Pure maple syrup will give you the best flavor.
- Chili garlic sauce is my preferred spice for this recipe but you can also substitute Sriracha or another hot sauce if you like. You may have to adjust the amount of another hot sauce for balanced flavor.
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Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
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