Brown Sugar Bacon-Wrapped Little Smokies (Easy Sweet and Salty Party Appetizer)

Why you’ll love it

• Sweet, salty and smoky: crisp bacon and a sticky brown sugar glaze hug every little sausage.
• So easy: just wrap, roll and bake; no sauce, no frying and no special tools.
• Party-ready: wrap them the day before and bake them while guests arrive.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the smokies

• 1 package (14 oz / 397 g) little smokies cocktail sausages (about 48), patted dry
• 1 lb (450 g) regular-cut bacon (about 16 slices), not thick-cut
• 48 wooden toothpicks

For the brown sugar coating

• 3/4 cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste

For serving (optional)

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives or parsley
• Barbecue sauce, honey mustard or spicy ketchup, for dipping

Step-by-step method

1. Preheat and prepare the pan. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil, set an oven-safe wire rack on top and lightly coat the rack with nonstick spray.

2. Mix the coating. In a shallow bowl, stir together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, black pepper and cayenne, breaking up any lumps.

3. Cut the bacon. Stack the bacon slices and cut the stack crosswise into thirds, so you have about 48 short strips.

4. Wrap the smokies. Wrap one piece of bacon snugly around the middle of each sausage, slightly overlapping the ends, and secure it with a toothpick pushed all the way through.

5. Coat with sugar. Roll each wrapped smokie in the brown sugar mixture, pressing lightly so the sugar sticks on all sides. Arrange them on the rack in a single layer with a little space between them. Sprinkle any leftover sugar over the top.

6. Bake. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and browned and the sugar is melted, bubbling and caramelized. For extra crispness, broil 1 to 2 minutes at the end, watching closely so the sugar does not burn.

7. Rest and serve. Let the smokies cool on the rack 5 minutes so the glaze sets and is not scorching hot. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with chives and serve warm with dipping sauces if you like.

How to know it is done

The smokies are done when the bacon has shrunk snugly around the sausages and is deep golden brown and crisp at the edges, not pale or floppy, and the brown sugar has melted into a shiny, bubbling, amber glaze. The sausages will look plump and sizzling. If the sugar is darkening quickly but the bacon is still soft, lower the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake a few minutes longer.

Tips for the best result

• Use regular-cut bacon; thick-cut bacon takes too long to crisp before the sugar burns.
• Bake on a rack so the fat drips away and the bacon crisps on all sides.
• Line the pan with foil; the melted sugar turns into hard candy that is difficult to clean.
• Pat the sausages dry before wrapping so the bacon and sugar stick better.
• Wrap the bacon snugly but do not stretch it, or it will shrink and unwrap in the oven.

Variations and substitutions

• Maple glaze: drizzle with 1/4 cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup halfway through baking.
• Extra spicy: add 1/2 tsp chili powder to the sugar and serve with a hot honey drizzle.
• Turkey version: use turkey cocktail sausages and turkey bacon; bake 25 to 30 minutes.
• Slow cooker: bake them as directed, then keep them warm in a slow cooker on WARM for up to 2 hours.
• Beef smokies: use all-beef cocktail sausages for a pork-free filling with the bacon wrap.
• Air fryer: cook in batches in a single layer at 360°F (180°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, over a foil liner.

Make ahead

Wrap the smokies with bacon and toothpicks, cover tightly and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Roll them in the brown sugar mixture right before baking so the sugar does not turn syrupy, then bake as directed, adding 3 to 5 minutes. You can also bake them up to 2 hours ahead and rewarm them on the rack at 350°F (175°C) for 8 to 10 minutes.

Storage and reheating

Store leftover smokies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them on a foil-lined baking sheet at 350°F (175°C) for 8 to 10 minutes, or in the air fryer at 350°F (175°C) for 3 to 4 minutes, until hot and crisp again; the microwave makes the bacon soft. Baked smokies freeze up to 2 months; reheat from frozen at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes. Do not leave them at room temperature for more than 2 hours.