The easiest sweet and smoky 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 or weiners, or 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 night. 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. These are so insanely easy and tasty that you'll start finding excuses to make them.
Here we just say 'how about some smokies?' and boom! ten minutes later they're on the table. 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. 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.
- Everyday 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.
How to make this recipe
It's so ridiculously easy! Simpy 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.
Related recipes you might like:
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Easy Little Smokies Recipe
- Prep Time: 2
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: International
Description
The easiest sweet and smoky appetizer ever! There's hardly any prep work (4-ingredients!) and less than 5 minutes on the stove are needed for you to enjoy these addictive cocktail sausages or weiners, or 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 night. Any excuse is a good one to enjoy these!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340g) Lit'l smokies or mini weiners/cocktail sausages, preferably smoked (see Notes below for alternative)
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (see variations in the Notes, below)
Instructions
- Put the smokies or sausages in a saucepan or skillet. See Notes below about pre-cooking them.
- Add brown sugar, mustard, soy sauce and mix.
- Heat on medium and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently so they don't stick.
- When a syrup is formed, they are ready to eat.
- Transfer to a bowl and serve.
Notes
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.
Smoked sausages: if you don't use Lit'l Smokies sausages or another one that is smoked you can add a few drops of liquid smoke, which will give it a great flavor. You can buy it online, like Colgin Mesquite Liquid smoke.
Whole sausages: if you can't find mini ones, simply cut large ones into medium pieces. For this recipe you can use about 4 ones.
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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼
- Calories: 305
- Sugar: 6.8 g
- Sodium: 982.1 mg
- Fat: 24.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.2 g
- Protein: 10.5 g
- Cholesterol: 49.3 mg
Keywords: little smokies, cocktail sausages
They look GOOD! And I love the easy and quick preparation. Definitely a winner!