Smoked Little Smokies With Raspberry Preserve

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 these 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.

We used a raspberry preserve instead of the classic grape jelly as the extra tartness perfectly balances the sweetness of the BBQ sauce. If you were wondering how to make BBQ weenies even better, try this recipe in your smoker or any grill equipped with a smoking box.

🌭 Ingredients

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

🛒BBQ Sauce | There’s a lot of room for creativity when it comes to the BBQ sauce used for little smokies. I used this homemade beer BBQ sauce which works fabulous with most grilled meats and sausages.

When I’m short on time, I usually go with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce as it’s one of my favorites but you can use any other store-bought option you like. 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 or Disposable Aluminum Pan | 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.

If you don’t want to spend time cleaning up the skillet, or if you are taking this to a friend’s house, 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 Chips Or Chunks | I used hickory for this recipe, as I wanted a robust smoke flavor. There are milder fruit woods like apple, cherry, and peach, that can give you a lighter smoke aroma.

🔥 Instructions

👉Step 1 | Preheat your smoker and get it ready. It needs to be 250°F. 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 2 | Place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss them well.

👉Step 3 | 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 4 | Place the skillet in your smoker and let it smoke for 2½ hours stirring every 30-45 minutes.

👉Step 5 | Allow the smoked little smokies to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

❗ Expert Tips

📌Smoking Wood Options | I used hickory wood for this recipe, but there are plenty of options. Milder varieties like apple or cherry will provide a less robust flavor. If you aren’t sure which types of wood will suit your taste, check out my free printable smoking wood chart.

📌Don’t Forget To Stir | 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.

📌Make It Portable | 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.

👩‍🍳 Cooking Options

Little smokies are a versatile dish that can be cooked in various ways. If you won’t be using the smoker, you can add a small amount of liquid smoke or even a liquid smoke substitute to the sauce.

🔸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 250°F. Or you could speed things up by increasing the heat a little bit.

🔸Slow Cooker | If you prefer, throw the mixture in a crockpot and let it cook for 2-3 hours on low.

🔸Stovetop | Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan and cook for 20-25 minutes on medium heat.

🔪 Meal Prep

Make the sauce and keep it in the fridge in an airtight container. The next day, just mix it with the smokies and cook it.

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.

🍱 Storage & Reheating

❄️Storage | Cool the little smokies to room temperature before storing. Place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.

♨️Reheating | To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Warm them in a saucepan over medium heat until heated through, or microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until warm. If using an oven, spread them on a baking sheet and heat at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until hot.

🔄 Additions & Substitutions

👍Little Smokies Substitutes | 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!

👍Add Some Heat | If you want your little smokies to be spicy, add some hot sauce or some crushed red pepper flakes to the mix before cooking.

👍Raspberry Preserve Alternatives | 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.

👍Explore Different BBQ Sauces | I used a homemade beer BBQ sauce. A more tangy, robust flavored BBQ sauce like this cherry Bourbon BBQ sauce will work well too as it will offset the sweeter preserves. From my experience, thicker sauces work best for this recipe.

I tend to find that thicker sauces do better though, as far as flavor goes.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

These tiny sticky sausages are a wonderful party appetizer and you can serve them alongside other apps, sides, or snacks. Here are some of our favorites!

Serve the smoked little smokies as the protein of choice accompanied by a traditional BBQ side such as grilled mac and cheese, smoked potato salad, or grilled baked beans.

Coleslaw and grilled corn on the cob are also great pairings that will lighten up your meal and offer a delightful texture contrast.

All that sauce needs to be wiped clean, and bread will help you not let it go to waste. You can buy a fancy Artisan bread or keep things simple with an easy no-knead Dutch oven bread. Neither will last long!

Or, make some soft pretzel bites as they are another excellent finger food and perfect for dipping.

❓ Recipe FAQ

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