This little smokies recipe made in the slow cooker is a fan favorite and perfect for game days and parties. It’s a simple dump-and-go recipe that requires not even 5 minutes of hands-on prep!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Love the flavor of this recipe! I did add cornstarch in the end just to thicken the sauce and it was perfect!” -Lisa, FoodieCrush reader
Zero Effort, 5-Ingredient Little Smokies Everyone Adores
I always feel like a star when I put little effort into a recipe and people go crazy.
These drunken little smokies are a great example of this. They’re the ideal party magnet and are perfect for game day or holiday parties, right up there with pigs in a blanket, French bread pizza, and my shrimp cocktail.
Everyone loves these slow cooker cocktail weenies because they’re sweet, savory, saucy, and easy to serve to a crowd. I like to make them because they’re easy to prep, flip the switch, and pretty much ignore until it’s time to serve.
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
- Brown sugar is best. I don’t recommend using granulated sugar in place of brown sugar, as brown sugar’s caramel-y flavor pairs better with the bbq sauce.
- Sweeten to your personal tastes. I add ½ cup brown sugar to the little smokies sauce to amp up its sweet flavor. If you don’t like your little smokies to be too sweet, scale back the amount of sugar you use.
- Don’t forget the serving utensils. Be sure to have a serving spoon in the slow cooker so that guests can easily serve themselves. A stash of clean toothpicks to eat these cocktail weenies with also makes for less cutlery to clean after the big game.
You’ll Need Just 5 Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Cocktail sausages — There’s a variety of cocktail weiners out there. Turkey. Beef. Sausage. And combos of them all. I chose traditional pork sausages but also threw in a package of cheddar-stuffed weiners for a little once-in-a-few-bites surprise.
- BBQ sauce — A basic store-bought barbecue sauce is the base for this sauce, so I choose a quality, honey-sweetened version to lend the smoky, sweet flavor.
- Brown sugar — Adds sweetness to the BBQ sauce (you could use maple syrup instead if you wanted).
- White vinegar — Adds tang and a puckery punch. I don’t use apple cider vinegar because it comes off a little too strong.
- Beer — I like using a lager for this. Choose something lighter in flavor.
Heidi’s Tip: The alcohol from the beer cooks out of the cocktail sausages, but if you’d rather not add the beer, add the same amount of water or sparkling cider in its place.
How to Make Little Smokies in a Slow Cooker
- Let your slow cooker do all the work. This game day appetizer couldn’t be simpler! Just add everything to your slow cooker, pop the lid on, and let the mini cocktail weenies cook on high for 2 to 3 hours until warmed through.
- Keep them warm and party on. Once cooked, turn the heat to “warm” to keep the little smokies warm all afternoon.
Heidi’s Tip: I used my 7-quart CrockPot® to make this appetizer. I like it for its locking lid so I can transport the whole dish to potlucks or parties without spills.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Slow Cooker Little Smokies Recipe
Ingredients
- 56 ounces mini cocktail sausages (four 14-ounce packages)
- 16- to 18- ounces honey-flavored barbecue sauce
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 12 ounces beer (I recommend using a lager)
Instructions
- Place the sausages in the bowl of a slow cooker. Add the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and beer and stir to combine.
- Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or until the sausages are warmed through.
- Lower heat and keep warm to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Slow Cooker Appetizers You’ll Love
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip
- Slow Cooker Sriracha Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork (perfect for making sliders!)
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Fix Your Skin
Love the smell wow amazing cooking well done. Made it for a get together and everyone loved it. Would not change a thing. Thank you for posting.
Cecelia
These were the hit of our National Champsionship Work Tailgate! Love these.
Gwen
I never thought about using this combination but since jelly and chili sauce combine well (and I didn’t believe that either) I’m game! Thanks for the idea :)
Sydney
Might I edit the recipe and say that it calls for ONE bottle of 16 OR 18 ounces of BBQ sauce. Not 16 18 ounce bottleS….. I may have made that mistake as a rookie chef and I may have purchased seven 40oz bottles of BBQ sauce… yup.
Merry Christmas!
cara mengatsi telat datang bulan
Would bud light be ok to use in this recipe?
Yes, Bud Light would work great.
obat darah rendah di apotik
I’ve always made lil smokies using a jar of chili sauce and a jar of grape jelly. Sooooo good. Sounds like an odd combination but delicious!!
Ellie
Could you use this sauce recipe for meatballs as well??
Ana
Yummy recipe! Made these yesterday for a cookie decorating party and it was a great way to offset all of the sweets we were consuming. :-)
Gazelle David
I’m sorry for sounding stupid but 16 bottles of BBQ sauce sound a lot. It’s not a typo right?
Ashlea
It says 16-18 ounce bottle….a single bottle of sauce
Sydney
I made that mistake and purchased 16 bottles… never again.
Sally Van Brunt
I’ve always made lil smokies using a jar of chili sauce and a jar of grape jelly. Sooooo good. Sounds like an odd combination but delicious!!
Mill
Used the same its sooo good!
Cindy
What beer did you use in this please. I am not familiar with lagers
Hi Cindy, you can use a regular Bud Light or something of that style. A lighter beer, nothing too heavy.
Jackie Fawcett
how long do you cook these in your instant pot? and slow release??
Thanks
Tasha
I would also like to know this! Or do you just use the slow cooker setting on your instant pot?
Sara
Instant pot for 1 minute on manual and natural release for 5 minutes.
Susan Yakus
How many people does this serve? It looks amazing!
Ruby P. Love
Better capturing these photography . Like these so much .
robin
how many people wud one batch serve? i’m using for a wedding for an appetizer. 200 people.
Km Koesler
Target’s Little Smokies 14 oz pk says it serves 7 people at 5 links each. 4 pks x7 = 28 people per recipe as a generous appetizer serving per this recipe. For 200 people you’d have to increase this recipe by 7.5 or 8 times. I’d go 8 or 9 times since there always seems to be more eaten than one would expect.
That’s a lot of smokies! Awesome.
Mary
Would bud light be ok to use in this recipe?
Jeff
Bud Lite is already mentioned as a beer to use.Read the whole thing instead of skimming
Dawn
I made these for a party last weekend. I used root beer instead of regular beer and they were delicious!
Thanks for the comment Dawn, and glad the root beer worked just fine.
obat turun berok ( hernia )
A basic store-bought barbecue sauce is the base for this sauce so I choose a quality, honey sweetened version to lend the smoky, sweet flavor.
White vinegar adds tang and a puckery punch. I don’t use apple cider vinegar because it comes off a little too strong.
write-my-case-study
By the way I have cooked by that recipe and it appeared to be the best meal I have ever cooked.
Linda Leisure
Looks good and I have all ingredients in hand, so I will try it today. Thanks for the recipe.
Karen
I love seeing this! My mom has always made little smokies for every holiday “for the kids” and everyone gobbles them up. I’m thinking these little smokers would be a delicious on next weekend!
Danae @ Recipe Runner
Little smokies are my husband’s favorite! I swear he’s always talking about them every Sunday when a football game is on. I’m thinking I might have to surprise him with these next Sunday, I’m pretty sure he could eat that whole slow cooker full of them himself! :-)
Linda
This is the perfect recipe for the office Super Bowl Potluck! I can fix it at home and take to the office to cook! Thanks for sharing.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Jody
Hi! Making these tonight. Can you share the instant pot instructions?
Kari
Lil smokies are one of my favorite appetizer. I normally have them in pigs in a blanket but these look good on their own.
Kari
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Beverly
I do these also as pigs in s blanket. A lil messy but good
Cecile@My Yellow Farmhouse
Love this recipe! I recently did something like this but I like your recipe better.- pinning this immediately!