Bourbon BBQ CrockPot Little Smokies
The BEST game day snack! This Little Smokies CrockPot recipe is swimming in a sweet and savory Bourbon BBQ sauce that’s simple to whip up in minutes. Bourbon BBQ CrockPot Smokies are quick and easy to make for a flavorful last minute appetizer.
This is the time of year where sports fans are silently (or not so silently) daydreaming about their favorite team being crowned the champion. You know they’re planning their big Bowl Party in their heads and creating a menu that’s worthy of such an event. Or is that just me.
I don’t know. I’m not much of a football fan but I’m always there for the food. This is the time of year that I’m dreaming of a hometown hero when our beloved Eagles get to show the world that they are #1….yet again. And I get to invite my friends over to feed them all the things I love about football season.
Gooey cheese dips, crunchy nachos on giant sheet pans, festive cupcakes and a slow cooker filled with Bourbon BBQ Little Smokies. If there’s one thing that hasn’t changed about my childhood palate it would be my love for little smokies. They’re the bite size appetizer I just can’t get enough of.
Aside from the fact that these Bourbon BBQ CrockPot Little Smokies are super easy to make, they’re strangely addicting. The salty, smokiness of the little smokies drenched in the sweet and savory sauce is seriously epic in every way. It’s like mini weiners on steroids. I’m not even kidding.
While I love a great Pigs in a Blanket recipe, my little smokies recipe is quick and easy to make because you just dump everything into the slow cooker, cover and go about your party planning. So much easier than rolling every little weiner in a blanket of dough. (But, I do find that rather therapeutic….so, there’s that.)
Crockpot Little Smokies
Bourbon BBQ Lil Smokies appetizer is the ultimate party addition because you can totally make as large or as small a batch as you like! The recipe written below is to feed a medium size crowd but you can adjust the serving size by using the toggle slider thingy to adjust the serving size to fit your needs. It will automatically adjust the ingredient list so your recipe turns out perfectly.
What are little smokies?
Little Smokies are just teeny, weeny little smoked sausages! You can find them in just about any grocery store and sometimes they’re available in both beef and pork sausages. Any brand of little smokie will work for this recipe.
You may also find them labeled as cocktail weiners or cocktail sausages. Cocktail weiners come in a variety of flavors and I usually use them for Pigs in a Blanket recipes. You can substitute your Lil Smokies with regular cocktail weiners if you have trouble locating the smoked sausage variety.
How To Make Them
Little Smokies come fully cooked already so all you need to do is heat them up. You can heat them in the microwave on their own and serve with a dipping sauce or heat them in a saucepan with a bottle of barbecue sauce but we love cooking them in a slow cooker.
- Place all the little smokies in the crock pot or slow cooker.
- Add the brown sugar, barbecue sauce and bourbon to the slow cooker and stir. (No need for salt and pepper, there’s plenty of sodium in there already.)
- Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 3 hours.
- Serve right from the slow cooker with toothpicks.
That’s it! How easy is that?
Ingredients You Will Need
When you’re hosting a party, it’s great to have a recipe up your sleeve that’s no fuss. This Little Smokie recipe is just that. Simple, quick and easy.
Here’s what you need:
- Little Smokies
- Brown Sugar
- Your FAVORITE BBQ Sauce
- Bourbon, totally optional here….but we love it.
When I was little, my aunt used to make something called Drunken Dogs and my guess that it was something very similar to this recipe here. The kids were not allowed to eat them and my hot dog loving self has held a big grudge ever since. Take that, Aunt Tina….I can make my own now. 🙂
I’ve also seen them made with a Grape Jelly concoction that’s really pretty satisfying, too!
What To Serve With Them
Just about anything goes with Little Smokies but here are some of our favorites:
- Easy Creamy Coleslaw recipe
- Potato Salad with Egg and Dill
- Easy Macaroni Salad
- A nice pile of Boston Baked Beans isn’t too shabby, either.
More Easy Appetizer Ideas
- Easy Italian Antipasto Skewers…no cooking required!
- HOMEMADE Pigs in a Blanket are simple and amazing.
- Crab Stuffed Mushrooms are super easy!
- Our FAVORITE Sweet and Spicy Candied Bacon
- Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs
Get the Recipe: Bourbon BBQ CrockPot Little Smokies Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 packages cocktail sausages, 16 ounce package
- 18 ounces your favorite barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup bourbon
Equipment
- slow cooker
- crockpot
Instructions
- Place the cocktail sausages (Little Smokies) in the bottom of a crockpot or slow cooker.
- Add the barbecue sauce, brown sugar and bourbon. Stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.
- Serve the Little Smokies directly from the crockpot with toothpicks for serving.