Bacon-Wrapped Smokies Appetizer (Print version)

Crispy bacon-wrapped cocktail sausages with sweet caramelized brown sugar glaze. Perfect party appetizer.

# What you’ll need:

→ Meats

01 - 24 mini cocktail sausages (12 ounces)
02 - 12 slices bacon (8 ounces), halved crosswise

→ Glaze

03 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
04 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
05 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey, optional

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
02 - Cut each bacon slice in half crosswise to create 24 pieces.
03 - Wrap each cocktail sausage with one half-slice of bacon, securing with a toothpick.
04 - Place bacon-wrapped smokies seam-side down on prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
05 - Combine brown sugar and cayenne pepper in a small bowl, mixing thoroughly.
06 - Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over smokies. Drizzle with maple syrup or honey if desired for enhanced caramelization.
07 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until bacon is crisp and glaze is bubbling. For extra crispness, broil for 1 to 2 minutes at the end, monitoring closely.
08 - Allow to cool slightly before serving. Arrange on platter with toothpicks for easy grabbing.

# Cooking tips:

01 -
  • They taste like the best parts of breakfast and happy hour rolled into one bite.
  • You can prep them ahead and pop them in the oven when guests arrive, leaving you free to actually enjoy the party.
  • The caramelized glaze gets sticky and crackling at the edges, which is exactly the kind of texture everyone fights over.
  • Even picky eaters who claim they don't like appetizers will reach for seconds.
02 -
  • Don't skip lining the pan, because that caramelized sugar will bond to bare metal like epoxy, and even soaking won't save you.
  • If your bacon isn't crisping by the 30-minute mark, your slices might be too thick, so next time look for regular-cut instead of thick-cut, or just add 5 more minutes to the bake time.
  • Let them cool for at least 3 minutes before serving, because molten sugar glaze will absolutely burn the roof of someone's mouth, and you'll feel terrible even though they were warned.
03 -
  • Use a light hand with the cayenne the first time, because you can always add more heat next round, but you can't take it back once it's baked in.
  • If you want perfectly even crisping, flip the smokies halfway through baking, but honestly, I rarely bother, and they still turn out great.
  • Invest in a box of frilled toothpicks, they make the smokies look a little more festive and give you something colorful to spot across a crowded table.
Go back