BBQ Little Smokies (Slow Cooker and Instant Pot)

BBQ Little Smokies are everything you could possibly want for your game day spread! Savory cocktail wieners in a sweet and smoky sauce with almost no work on your part. These are the perfect dump-and-go appetizer!

This recipe is part of my Dump it 'til it's hot series of dump recipes. It's all about making delicious food with minimal prep, no pre-cooking, the ability to freeze for a good make-ahead meal. And trust me when I say, easy never tasted so good!

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BBQ Little Smokies

Is it even a party without Lil’ Smokies? Also known as cocktail weenies, they’re a mainstay at every get-together we have around here, especially game day parties! And what’s not to like? I mean they’re basically mini hot dogs in a sweet and smoky barbecue sauce! I could eat a whole bowl of them with no regrets.

I especially love that this is a dump-and-go recipe, because I really wanted to add options that work well for entertaining. I've read plenty of little smokies recipes that use things like grape jelly and while I'm sure they're good, this one is a more straightforward BBQ sauce.

Tips for making this Little Smokies Crockpot recipe

• I like to mince my onions pretty small for this.
• After you add the Lil’ Smokies stir until everything is evenly coated.
• Switch the slow cooker to warm and serve them from the pot if you want to keep them warm (or place them in a prettier bowl if serving right away).
• If you aren’t into the smoky flavor, you can substitute the same amount of soy sauce for the liquid smoke for an Asian-inspired flavored sauce.

Frequently asked questions about making this Lil' Smokies Crockpot recipe

• How long do little smokies last? These will last up 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator and up to 2 hours at room temperature.
• Are little smokies fully cooked? Yes- since the sausages are fully cooked, they require only simple reheating, so all you have to do is prep the sauce.
• How do you warm up little smokies? For the slow cooker, I cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 3 hours.
• These can also be cooked in the instant pot for 5 minutes on manual high pressure with a natural release for 10-15 minutes. If the sauce isn’t thick enough for you, remove the Lil’ Smokies and reduce the sauce on the saute function until it reaches your desired level of thickness.
• Can you freeze little smokies? Yes- I recommend freezing before cooking.
• Can you cook frozen little smokies? I encourage you to thaw these before cooking if freezing in advance.

BBQ Little Smokies Recipe Upgrades

Although this recipe is designed to be a dump-and-go recipe, here are a few "upgrades" you can make if you have a little extra time on your hands and don't mind doing a small amount of extra work. You don't have to do them to have a delicious meal, But they will make the recipe come out even more delicious:

• Top with chopped scallions.
• Use extra-pretty tooth picks with the fancy colors at the ends of them!

Make it a meal!

A few great recipes to round out and complete this meal would be:

• Easy Instant Pot Chili
• Garbage Plate
• BLT Ranch Flatbread Pizza
• No Bake Peanut Butter Pie

Helpful tools:

1. Gallon freezer zipper bags
2. Measuring spoons
3. Measuring cups
4. Chef's knife
5. Cutting board
6. Whisk
7. Slow cooker
8. Instant pot

BBQ Little Smokies

Jessy Freimann

BBQ Little Smokies are everything you could possibly want  for your game day spread! Savory cocktail wieners in a sweet and smoky sauce with almost no work on your part. These are the perfect dump-and-go appetizer!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups tomato ketchup (1 20 ounce container)
• 2 Tablespoons liquid smoke (or you can substitute soy sauce for an Asian-inspired sauce)
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar
• ½ cup onion, minced
• 2 13 ounce packages Little Smokies
• Green onions for garnish, chopped (optional)

Instructions

 

Slow cooker instructions

• Place ketchup, liquid smoke, brown sugar and onion into the crockpot. Stir to combine.
• Add Little Smokies and stir until everything is well coated.
• Cover the crockpot and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 3 hours. Set crockpot to warm and serve immediately with chopped green onions to garnish.
  

Instant Pot instructions

• Place ketchup, liquid smoke, brown sugar and onion into the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
• Add Little Smokies and stir until everything is well coated.
• Cover the instant pot and set it for 5 minutes on manual high pressure with a natural release for 10-15 minutes. If the sauce isn’t thick enough for you, remove the Lil’ Smokies and reduce the sauce on the saute function until it reaches your desired level of thickness.
• Serve immediately with chopped green onions to garnish.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Check out other Dump It ‘Til It’s Hot posts:

• Dump recipes main page
• My introduction post
• Best tools for prepping dump recipes
• Tips for making dump dinners

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