These bacon wrapped smokies with brown sugar make a great appetizer! They are easy to make and can easily be made ahead of time & they freeze well!
These bacon wrapped smokies with brown sugar are so yummy! Adding a hint of cayenne pepper makes them extra amazing!
My mom made these for my kids one day while she was here babysitting… and they LOVED them! So being Grandma, she made a whole entire huge bag of them and froze them for us to just pop into the oven when they wanted a few! Don’t worry though, big kids love these too… perfect with a grainy mustard and a cold beer on game day!
Yep, you can make these bacon wrapped appetizers ahead of time and pop ’em in the freezer. Bake them right from frozen when guests show up at your door (just add an extra 5 minutes to the cook time)!
Things you’ll need for this recipe:
* Toothpicks * Smokies * Bacon * Foil *
Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Smokies
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon 1 package
- 14 ounces mini smokies 1 package
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking pan with foil.
- Cut Bacon into thirds. Wrap 1 piece of bacon around each mini smokie and secure with a toothpick.
- Combine cayenne pepper and brown sugar and roll each smokie in the mixture. (Note: They can be frozen at this point)
- Place on prepared pans and bake for 10 minutes.
- Flip smokies and cook an additional 10 minutes or until bacon is crispy. (Add an extra 5 minutes if baking from frozen).
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer
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Has anyone made these in an airfryer?
If yes, what temp & time?
I have not tried this recipe in the air fryer but I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
my family loves these, like I’m not allowed at family functions if I don’t bring them, loves these. but over the last few years since finding this recipe, I’ve made some tweaks to make it my own.
1st. I try to to get rid of as much moisture as possible prior to baking so the “candy coating” will stick, to do that I rub the spiced brown sugar mix into the bacon sections prior to wrapping. by the time I finish doing that, I’ve already drawn out a lot of the water from the bacon. then, I rub on a second coat before I wrap the smokies and arrange them on a rack over a sheet pan and place them into the fridge for at least an hour. right before they go in the oven I rub one last coat. because I’ve drawn out so much water prior to baking, the bacon crisps perfectly with less time and with little to no sugar smoking. there is also a much thicker candy coating on the smokies plus the drippings left in the pan can be scrapped out with a spatula and drizzled over the smokies in their serving dish. because I coat them so much I’ve given up measuring the brown sugar. I just use the whole bag if it’s just a regular pack of thick cut bacon and regular pack of smokies. having to make more brown sugar mix half way through was not a mistake I ever want to make again.
2nd. I’ve adjusted the spice element. I still use cayenne pepper but I also use ground clove, allspice, ginger, smoked paprika, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. my family likes them really spicy and I think the clove, allspice, and ginger really compliment the bacon and make the coating reminiscent of a spiced holiday ham.
Made this for a family get together and it was a hit! Everyone loved them.
Hi! I make these a lot! Always a big hit.
I have a question though please.
I’d like to make ahead of time and freeze for upcoming company.
When you freeze them, are you wrapping the sausage and freezing at that point, or are you actually making, baking, cooling and then freezing? I can’t seem to find clear direction other than they freeze nicely.
Thank you.
I would freeze them after wrapping the sausage, before baking. Then when baking you can bake right from frozen, but I would add about 5 minutes of time. I hope this helps Patti!
The best recipe
I’ve eatin these before & they’re delicious. My question is can these be made using a Keto brown sugar substitute like Swerve ? Thanks
Yes, swerve brown sugar will work just fine!
What type of lil smokies work best? I see there are beef ones too
Any lil smokies will work just fine in this recipe Katie. Enjoy!
when doubling this recipe, one pound of bacon should still be enough & don’t double the brown sugar mixture either! I have a ton of bacon left (probably a pound) and the sugar mixture is just for coating the lil smokies, so I ended up throwing most of that away! Maybe have a second pack of bacon on standby just in case, but don’t open and cut both packs like I did! I also am cooking mine at 375° to avoid burning of the sugar!
Can you make these ahead and reheat them in a crockpot?
This should work just fine Roni. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
These are amazing!!!
Sorry new cook. How do you turn the smokers with a toothpick in em or roll them in brown sugar with a toothpick?
Hi Pam, you can also use a spoon and scoop the mixture over the smokies instead of rolling them as well. As for flipping them, if you insert the toothpick through the center and then lay them on their side (so the toothpick is horizontal on the pan) you should be able to flip them over easily. I hope that makes sense.
I have not tried this but it looks delicious! However, looking over the recipe I seriously question the sodium listed. Seems to me the bacon and smokies would be a lot more than stated.
Hi Spike, we took a look at the nutrition information and updated it appropriately. The bacon and smokies definitely add a lot of sodium to the recipe. You can try and reduce it by using a low sodium alternative for the bacon or smokies.
These are great anytime, Like meat candy. But have to agree with a few other comments about burning. 425 oven was too much for my first batch. Low and slow worked better to avoid any burning. 325 to 350 was safe for my oven. carmelized deliciousness.
Glad you enjoyed them, Steve! We can’t seem to stop once we start
This is a great recipe but my family likes it with a little extra kick.
To the original recipe I add:
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground ginger
This makes them smokey, spicy, sweet, and tangy.
I also have better results by making letting then rest for at least an hour in the fridge, recoating them, and then transferring to clean foil before putting them in the oven. That way you end up with much more of the coating on the actual treats and less caramelized on the foil.
That sounds smack. Im doing that tonight
I added double cayenne,I put my oven on convection bake,did not have to turn!They where delicious and easy!