These bacon wrapped little smokies are an easy appetizer will disappear as soon as you put them down! The smokies are wrapped in bacon coated with brown sugar, then brushed with maple syrup and baked until caramelized and crispy!
They're sweet, salty, and ridiculously easy to make with just 4 ingredients. These bacon wrapped smokies are perfect for holidays, football parties, potlucks, or pretty much any time you need an easy appetizer.
1. Prepare the smokies. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the little smokies from their packages and pat them dry with paper towels. If they have too much moisture on them, the bacon won't crisp up as well.
2. Cut the bacon. Cut each slice of bacon into three equal pieces. You want each piece to be just long enough to wrap around one little smokie. This is a lot easier to do before separating the slices and just making 2 big cuts.
3. Add the brown sugar. Separate the bacon pieces and place them in a large zip-top bag. Add the brown sugar, seal the bag, and shake everything together until the bacon is coated.
4. Wrap the smokies. Wrap one piece of brown sugar-coated bacon around each little smokie and secure it with a toothpick. Place them on your parchment-lined baking sheet. I know in the photo, I used aluminum foil, however after testing each, parchment paper works so much better to prevent sticking. (Do as I say, not as I do...right?!)
5. Bake. These will bake for 25 minutes. Then carefully remove the pan from the oven and brush the bacon wrapped smokies with maple syrup. I like to gently shake the pan a little to roll them around in all that maple syrup and brown sugar. They don't need to stand up perfectly.
7. Finish baking. Return the smokies to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked and the brown sugar and maple syrup is starting to caramelize. Keep a close eye on them toward the end because the sugar can burn quickly.
Tips for the Best Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies
- Use regular-cut bacon. Thick-cut bacon takes longer to crisp.
- Use parchment paper. The brown sugar gets very sticky as it cools and caramelizes.
- Pat the smokies dry. This helps the bacon stick and get crispier.
- Watch them closely at the end. The brown sugar and maple syrup can go from caramelized to burnt pretty quickly.
- Give them time to cool. About 10 minutes lets the sticky coating set up a little.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make bacon wrapped Little Smokies ahead of time?
Yes! Assemble them, cover, and refrigerate until you're ready to bake.
Can I use thick-cut bacon?
Regular-cut bacon works best because it cooks and crisps faster.
Can I use light brown sugar instead of dark?
Yes! Either light or dark brown sugar works perfectly.
Do I have to use maple syrup?
No, but it adds extra sweetness and helps create that sticky, caramelized coating.
Bacon wrapped little smokies
Equipment
- sheet pan
- Parchment Paper
- Toothpicks
Ingredients
- 2 (12 ounce) packages of little smokies
- 1 package bacon (you'll need about 12 slices)
- ¾ cup dark or light brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment. (Don't be like me and attempt aluminum foil...they will stick!)
- Remove the smokies from the package and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Remove the bacon from the package and cut the slices into 3 equal parts (see photos above)
- Separate the bacon slices and add them to a large zip-top bag. Add in the brown sugar, seal the bag, and shake it around to coat the bacon in the brown sugar.
- Take one smokie at a time and wrap 1 piece of sugared bacon around it and secure the end with a toothpick. Repeat with all of the smokies/bacon and place them on your lined sheet pan.
- Place the pan in the oven and cook the bacon wrapped smokies for 25 minutes.
- After the 25 minutes, carefully remove them from the oven and brush with maple syrup. I like to shake the pan around just a little bit to roll the smokies around and coat them.
- Place the pan back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or unti your bacon has started to caramelize. Keep a close eye on them towards the end so they don't burn. A little char on the bottom is fine though.
- Remove from the oven, allow them to cool for about 10 minutes and serve warm.
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