If meat candy is a thing, these Bacon Wrapped Smokies are it. Little smokies get wrapped in bacon, rolled in brown sugar, and baked until the coating turns dark and glossy and the bacon crisps at the edges. They are the first plate emptied at any party, and they come together with just three core ingredients.
If you love a bacon-wrapped appetizer, try our Bacon Wrapped Pickles and Dutch Oven Jalapeno Poppers next. For the cookout table, our Skillet Baked Beans with Bacon is a natural partner.
Quick Look at this Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- 🕒 Ready In: 40 minutes (10 min prep, 30 min bake)
- 👪 Serves: 8 to 10 as an appetizer (about 40 pieces)
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: little smokies, bacon, brown sugar, cayenne (optional)
- 📖 Dietary Info: gluten-free as written (check your smokies and bacon labels)
- ⭐ Why You’ll Love It: sweet, smoky, salty meat candy that disappears first
Summarize and Save the Recipe
Jump to:
- Quick Look at this Recipe
- Why You’ll Love These Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- What Makes These Bacon Wrapped Smokies Different
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- Flavor Variations
- Expert Tips
- What to Serve With Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- Bacon Wrapped Smokies FAQs
- Other Related Appetizer Recipes
- Get the Recipe
Why You’ll Love These Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- Five-minute assembly. Cut, wrap, stick, coat, bake. No special skills required.
- Make-ahead friendly. Wrap them a day ahead and coat in brown sugar right before they go in the oven.
- Crispier on cast iron. Baking on a grate lets the grease render off so the bacon crisps all the way around.
- A guaranteed crowd magnet. Three core ingredients turn into the first empty plate on the table.
What Makes These Bacon Wrapped Smokies Different
Almost every version of this recipe bakes on a foil-lined sheet pan, where the smokies sit in their own rendered grease and the brown sugar scorches onto the foil. We bake ours on a seasoned cast iron grill grate instead.
The grate is the whole trick. The bacon fat drips down and away, so the underside crisps instead of going soft, and the brown sugar caramelizes on the smokie rather than welding to the pan. You get crisp bacon on every side and a glossy candy coat, with far less mess to clean up.
That is the cast iron way: a practical tool that gives you better results, not a gadget you have to fuss over.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Mini smoked sausages (little smokies): we use all-beef Hillshire Farm Lit’l Smokies. Any cocktail wiener works. A 14 oz package is roughly 40 pieces.
- Bacon: regular or thin-cut, not thick-cut. Thin bacon wraps tighter, secures easier, and crisps in the bake time. Thick-cut is the number one reason bacon turns out soggy.
- Brown sugar: dark brown sugar gives a deeper molasses flavor, but light brown works too.
- Cayenne pepper (optional): for a little heat. Chipotle, chili powder, or crushed red pepper all sub in.
- Toothpicks: to secure each wrap.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- Step 1: Cut the bacon. Slice each strip into thirds, about 3 to 4 inches, so it wraps a little more than once around.
- Step 2: Mix the coating. Stir the brown sugar and cayenne (if using) together in a small bowl.
- Step 3: Wrap the smokies. Roll a piece of bacon around each little smokie.
- Step 4: Secure with a toothpick. Pin the seam so the bacon stays put as it bakes.
- Step 5: Coat in brown sugar. Roll each wrapped smokie in the sugar mixture until covered.
- Step 6: Bake on the grate. Arrange on a cast iron grill grate and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until the bacon is crispy.
Flavor Variations
- Sweet: swap the brown sugar for maple syrup or honey.
- Savory: add garlic powder, onion powder, or black pepper to the sugar.
- Spicy: use cayenne, chipotle, chili powder, or crushed red pepper.
- Add a glaze: brush on BBQ sauce or a splash of bourbon in the last 5 minutes of baking.
Expert Tips
- Start with cold bacon. Cold fat holds its shape and wraps tighter. Room-temperature bacon splits and will not hold the toothpick.
- Go low and steady, not hot and fast. 350°F renders the fat and caramelizes the sugar without scorching it. Hotter ovens burn the sugar before the bacon crisps.
- Use the cast iron grate so the fat drips off. This is the real fix for soggy bottoms.
- Pat the bacon dry first. Drawing out surface moisture gives a thicker candy coat and crispier bacon.
- Catch the drips. Set the grate over a rimmed pan so cleanup is not a caramelized chore.
What to Serve With Bacon Wrapped Smokies
These are made for dipping, so set out a few sauces and let people go to town. Then build the rest of the appetizer spread around them.
- Dipping sauces: ranch, sriracha mayo, BBQ sauce, ketchup, or grainy mustard.
- Pair with our Skillet Baked Beans with Bacon for a cookout plate.
- Round out the appetizer table with Dutch Oven Jalapeno Poppers.
- Serving a cocktail-sausage crowd? Our Beanie Weenies are another easy win.
- Add a bowl of caramelized onion dip with chips or crackers to round out the spread.
Bacon Wrapped Smokies FAQs
Bake them at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until the bacon is crispy and the brown sugar has caramelized. Avoid going hotter than that. At 400 to 425°F the sugar tends to scorch before the bacon finishes rendering. Low and steady gives you crisp bacon and a glossy candy coat without the burnt edges.
Yes. Arrange the wrapped, sugar-coated smokies in a single layer in the basket and air fry at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway, until the bacon is crisp. Work in batches so they are not crowded.
Yes, just add up to 10 additional minutes of cooking time.
Sure thing. Wrap the bacon around the smokie, insert the toothpick, and set aside. Hold off on the brown sugar until you are ready to bake. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to two months.
Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes. You can also pop them in the air fryer at 390°F for 3 to 5 minutes.
Similar, but not quite. All hot dogs are sausages, but not all sausages are hot dogs. Bratwurst, kielbasa, and Italian sausage are all different. Smokies are a smoked, fully cooked, miniature sausage.
Other Related Appetizer Recipes
If you tried these Bacon Wrapped Smokies or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Get the Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Smokies
Equipment
- Cast Iron grill pan or baking sheet OR
- 2 12-inch cast iron skillets
Ingredients
- 24 oz beef little smokies
- 16 oz bacon sliced in ⅓ pieces
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper Optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut the bacon into thirds or even fourths if possible.
- Add the brown sugar to a small bowl and stir in the cayenne if using.
- Lay out several pieces of cut bacon on a cutting board then place a little smokie on a piece of bacon and wrap it around. Secure the bacon with a toothpick.
- Coat each wrapped smokie in the brown sugar mixture.
- Place each bacon wrapped smokie on a cast iron grated grill pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the bacon is crispy. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Start with cold bacon. Cold bacon wraps tighter and holds the toothpick. As it warms it softens and pulls apart.
- Bake low and steady at 350°F. Hotter ovens scorch the brown sugar before the bacon has a chance to crisp and render.
- Use a cast iron grate. Baking on a grate lets the rendered fat drip away so the bacon crisps all the way around instead of sitting in grease.
- Catch the drips. Set the grate over a rimmed pan, or line underneath, so the caramelized sugar does not weld to your pan.
- Make ahead. Wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days; coat in brown sugar right before baking.
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Carrie Robinson says
These would be the perfect addition to our game day spread! 🙂 They look absolutely delicious.
Andrea says
My family are going to go wild for these amazing bacon wrapped smokies! They are a perfect game day appetizer.
DK says
Love this recipe - it has all of my favorites smokies, bacon, brown sugar! It's a hit every time I make it in our house!
Nikki says
I've never had these delicious bites from heaven. They are an amazing appetizer for a party or game day.
Nabeela says
OMG! These skillet bacon wrapped smokies look absolutely delicious, I definitely have to give them a try.
Kimberly says
This is one of those appetizers that can't possibly ever go out of fashion - they're just so darn good and that sweet and spicy flavor combo is perfect! They're dangerous though....it's hard to stop at just a few of them! 🙂
Caroline says
We always used to have something similar to this at Christmas but that brown sugar takes these over the top - yum!
Gianne says
The combination of crispy bacon and juicy smokies is a match made in heaven. The flavor is out of this world and they make the perfect appetizer for any occasion. Delicious!
TAYLER ROSS says
I made these smokies for Christmas and they were fantastic! I'm making them again for the super Bowl this weekend!
Elisa says
Love this Skillet Bacon Wrapped Smokies recipe, looks delicious and easy to make. Great for gatherings. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Beth says
These were absolutely amazing. I made them for movie night last night. Just because they looked so good. I dipped them in BBQ sauce. YUMMO!
Kathleen says
Count me and my gang IN for this "meat candy"! These will be the first to go when I serve them on game day. Can't wait to see the look on my families face when I put these out.
Nicole says
These were super tasty! I made them for Christmas and will be making them again for the Super Bowl this weekend. The brown sugar makes them sooo delicious. Love anything sweet and salty!
Cami says
Looks amazing!