Smoked Little Smokies

You might think that since “smoke” is in their name, Little Smokies are already perfectly seasoned with smokey flavor. In fact, Smoked Little Smokies are a clear improvement on this classic appetizer dish.

Serve smoked little sausages at your next party or event and they will be an instant hit. Everyone will be asking for your recipe because they will taste the difference. If you’ve been wanting to make BBQ Weenies better, try this recipe in your smoker.

🍽️ Why This Works

Just four ingredients. It’s easy to find what you need for this little smoked sausages recipe. If you want to have these for the big game or holiday, make sure to shop ahead of time since these often sell out.

Nothing complicated. You literally just stir it all together, throw it in the smoker, and walk away, coming back to stir it every so often. This recipe could not get any easier.

Hugely Popular. Everyone loves little smokies, and with our slight tweaks to the recipe and the addition of smoke we’ve taken them to a whole new level.

🌭 Ingredients

Little Smokies. You can buy the beef version or the turkey version, whichever suits your preference.

BBQ Sauce. I used Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce because it’s one of my favorites. If you have a favorite, definitely use that. I tend to find that thicker sauces do better though, as far as flavor goes.

Raspberry Preserves. The original recipe always calls for grape jelly but I find it just a bit too sweet and love the tartness that raspberry brings to the table.

Worcestershire Sauce. A bit of this adds balance to the sweetness and depth of flavor.

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

Cast Iron Skillet | This is a must for anyone who uses their smoker regularly. Whenever you want to smoke something with a sauce, this will be your cooking vessel of choice.

Disposable Aluminum Pan | If you don’t want to spent the time cleaning up the skillet, or if you are taking this to a friend’s house, then use a disposable aluminum pan and save yourself the cleanup worries. It just makes life a bit easier!

Smoker | Any smoker that will hold a cast-iron skillet will work, from a gas grill with a smoking box to a Traeger or a ceramic Kamado style.

Wood Pellets | I used hickory pellets for this recipe, but any wood pellet will do.

🔥 Instructions

Step One | Preheat your smoker and get it ready. It needs to be 250º. If you are using a Kamado style grill, add the plate setter. For gas grills, turn off the center burners and use a smoking box for the wood chips.

Step Two | Place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss them well.

Step Three | Pour this mixture into a cast-iron skillet and spread everything around evenly with your spoon. Scrape every last drop of that sauce mixture into the skillet!

Step Four | Place the skillet in your smoker and let it smoke for 2½ hours stirring every 30-45 minutes.

Step Five | Allow the Smoked Little Smokies to rest for about ten minutes before serving.

❗ Expert Tips

I used hickory pellets for this recipe, but any wood pellet will do. More mild varieties like apple or cherry will provide a less robust flavor. If you aren’t sure which varieties will work, check out my free Wood Smoking Cheat Sheet.

It’s important that these are stirred consistently throughout the smoking process to allow all of them to be smoked evenly. Without stirring, the ones on the top may dry out and become chewy.

Use a disposable aluminum pan as a substitute for the cast iron skillet if you are taking this dish to a football party. Then, you don’t have to worry about cleaning, or bringing it home. 

You don’t have to use raspberry preserves. Use grape jelly, which is a common recipe, or any other flavor of jam or preserves. I like the slight tartness the raspberry option gives to the smoked little sausages and it further adds to the flavor of the dish. 

If you want to add some spice to your little smokies, you can add some hot sauce or some crushed red pepper flakes to the mix before cooking.

I used Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. A more tangy, robust flavored BBQ sauce will work well too as it will offset the sweeter preserves. I tend to find that thicker sauces do better though, as far as flavor goes.

👩‍🍳 Cooking Options

Smoker – Adding a stronger smoke flavor to the Little Smokies we all know and love is the perfect finishing touch you’ve been missing in this classic recipe. This is our preferred method. If you don’t have a smoker yet, try one of these other options.

Oven – Without a smoker, you can bake them in an oven for 2½ hours at 250º. Or you could speed things up by increasing the heat a little bit.

Crock Pot – If you prefer, throw the mixture in a crockpot and let them cook for 2 – 3 hours on low.

Cook Top – Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan and cook for 20-25 minutes on medium heat.

Meal Prep

Planning a big party? Smoke these the day before and then reheat them in a saucepan and keep them warm in your crockpot at the appetizer table. Set the crockpot on low.

Substitutions

If you waited too long and can’t find Little Smokies at the store, you have a few options. You could buy bun-sized smoked sausages, halve them, and cut them up into one-inch pieces. This would also work with a large smoked sausage, sliced into thin rounds. You could even make this recipe with halved hot dogs cut into small pieces if you had to!

If you want to add some spice to your smoked little smokies, you can add some hot sauce or some crushed red peppers to the mix before cooking.

Serving Suggestions

This recipe is a favorite party appetizer for all ages and complements a cheese tray and vegetables perfectly as the protein of choice. It also works well with a variety of appetizers. Here are some of our favorites.

Smoked Trail Mix

Smoked Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Grilled Beer Brat Chili

Honey Mustard Beer Brat Bites

Grilled Cranberry Chili Sauce Beer Brats

❓ Recipe FAQ

Related Game Day Recipes

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