Easy Little Smokies Recipe

The easiest sweet and smoky most delicious appetizer ever! There's hardly any prep work and less than 5 minutes on the stove are needed for you to enjoy these addictive cocktail sausages, cocktail weenies, little smokies, or however you call them. It's a perfect recipe for any type of gathering, to munch on before a barbecue, for game day, movie night, or just because. Any excuse is a good one to enjoy these!

I've been wanting to share these with you for ages. As it happens with so many heritage recipes that I've been making for decades (hello best Strawberry Ice Cream ever!) it takes me a while to remember to post them.

But the wait is worth it. Trust me. This is such an insanely easy appetizer and tasty that you'll start finding excuses to make them.

Here we just say 'how about we make the little smokies recipe?' and boom! ten minutes later they're on the table. Almost as easy as heating them in some purchased bbq sauce mixed with grape jelly (which I know is a popular combination)but better. All households should have packages of Lil' Smokies or any other cocktail sausage in the fridge at all times, don't you agree?

Why this recipe works

• Super easy to make. Yes, I'm saying it again, in case you skimmed through the paragraphs above, this is an extremely easy recipe. Ready in minutes.
• Crowd-pleaser. This is the understatement of the year, at least in this house. We are huge fans. Huge. And have yet to meet a friend who disagrees.
• Simple ingredients. They are mostly pantry staples, because it's easy to substitute some of them. So there's no excuse.

Ingredients

They are so few, and this recipe is so delicious, you might want to be stocked at all times for spur-of-the-moment smokies cravings!

• Mustard: I use creamy Dijon which is strong. If using any other type, taste and adjust.
• Liquid: I love to use soy sauce or balsamic vinegar. The former is saltier, the latter is sweeter. Both are amazing.
• Brown sugar: it adds a caramel undertone that works better than white sugar.
• Sausages: depending on where in the world you are, the possibilities are endless. Use your favorite mini weiner. Or cut up some hot dogs in pieces if that's all you have available.

How to make this recipe

It's so ridiculously easy! Simply put the ingredients in a saucepan and cook until syrupy. That's it.

• Add the sugar and mustard to the smokies in the saucepan.

• Add the soy sauce or whatever liquid you're using. Give it a mix.

• Cook on medium heat until a syrup if formed. When it starts to boil make sure you stir it frequently so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. It will be quite watery at first, so give it a few minutes.

• Make sure the mini sausages don't break. So if you feel they're getting too soft but the syrup is not fully reduced, take them out and cook the syrup a little longer on it's own. It should be silky and thick.

My top tips

• Pre-cook the sausages: depending on the type of weiner you use, they might be already fully cooked or not. I like to boil them for 1-2 minutes before mixing them with the rest of the ingredients but it's not always necessary.
• Saucepan or skillet: the first one will take longer to reduce and in the latter the smokies will caramelize better individually and maybe char a little, which is a good thing.
• Variations: White wine can also be used instead of the soy sauce. If you like honey, you can use 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 of honey. Also, feel free to throw in a garlic (crushed or chopped depending if you want to take it out before serving or not) to the mix before heating in the stove.
• Slow cooker: for this particular recipe I don't see the need to use it, unless you don't have access to a stove top. Cleaning the cooker just to make these when they're ready in less than 10 minutes, doesn't sound like a great plan to me. BUT, you can make them in a slow cooker!
• Oven: you can also mix all the ingredients in a baking dish (not baking sheet) and bake them until golden brown and a little shriveled. But it would have to be a small container so that the syrup coats the cocktail weiners before it becomes too thick. It's not one of my favorite ways of making these.
• Other sausages: this recipe can also be used with pork sausages or turkey sausages, but I feel beef sausages are still the best option.

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Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it, and also if you had issues, so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here, it's much appreciated.
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