2-Ingredient Barbecue Little Smokies

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Sharpen your toothpicks. 2-Ingredient Barbecue Little Smokies are the easiest, most festive appetizer you’ll ever make. Two ingredients, zero prep, and 100% addictive, exactly the way all good party food should be.

2 ingredient barbecue little smokies in a white bowl.


 

Game days, birthday parties, movie night, sleepovers, and cocktail gatherings all have one thing in common: people who love little smokies simmered in barbecue sauce.

So instead of toiling in the kitchen for hours on end, I suggest giving them what they want – especially if it makes things easy for you! This recipe is so simple, it’s barely even a recipe. It’s just two ingredients that make one insanely delicious snack.

Recipe ingredients

Labeled ingredients for 2-ingredient barbecue smokies.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

  • Little smokies: Famous things usually go by many names. You may know them as cocktail wieners, cocktail weenies, cocktail franks, lil smokies, or as my grandma says “baby wursts.” They’re small smoked sausages sold in 12- to 14-ounce packages at the store, in the deli section. (I’ve even heard that Costco sells them in 3-pound bags, and Trader Joe’s carries them sometimes on a seasonal basis.)
  • Barbecue sauce: Sweet Baby Rays is my personal fave, so much so that I even made a copycat Sweet Baby Rays recipe, made with a ketchup base and sweetened with molasses (or honey) and brown sugar. But you can use any tomato-based BBQ sauce for these BBQ little smokies, as long as it isn’t a vinegary, Carolina-style sauce.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. To make on the stove: Heat the barbecue sauce and the smokies in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove top, stirring occasionally, until hot throughout, about 10 minutes.
Barbecue little smokies being cooked in a skillet.
  1. To make in a slow cooker: Add the barbecue sauce and the smokies and stir them up. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 to 2 hours, until hot. Once hot, they can be turned down for serving.
Barbecue little smokies being cooked in a crockpot.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: 1 pound of cocktail wieners has about 40 sausages. With 5 sausages per serving, you can get about 8 servings per pound (assuming you are serving this at a party as part of a buffet with other choices).
  • Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Microwave leftovers, if desired.
  • Serve with toothpicks: Forks might be too easy; toothpicks slow things down a bit. Everyone can jab what they want, and you don’t have to worry about running low.
  • Make it sweeter or spicier: The brand of sauce you choose will determine the flavor profile of the appetizer. You can also try the classic Cocktail Sauce (or Chili Sauce) and Grape Jelly combination that is so popular on Crockpot Meatballs.
  • Or use the big ones: You can cook the larger-sized sausages, too. Slice them up into rounds before cooking and heat as directed on the stove top or crock pot.
  • Bangers and Mash: Serve these over mashed potatoes and call it dinner!
2 ingredient barbecue little smokies in a white bowl.
Serving bowl filled with 2-Ingredient Barbecue Little Smokies with homemade Barbecue Sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of meat are little smokies?

Typically these little cocktail sausages are made of a combination of beef and pork, although you can also find beef-only, chicken, and turkey smokies sometimes.

Who made the original little smokies?

Hillshire Farms is the company behind “Lit’l Smokies.”

Easy appetizer recipes

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Barbecue little smokies in a white bowl.

2-Ingredient Barbecue Little Smokies

Sharpen your toothpicks. Barbecue Little Smokies are the easiest, most festive appetizer you'll ever make. Two ingredients, zero prep, and 100% addictive, exactly the way all good party food should be.
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 16 servings (5 smokies each)
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Calories 169
5 from 137 votes

Ingredients 

Instructions 

To make on the stove:

  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, add little smokies and barbecue sauce and cook until hot, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

To make in a slow cooker:

  • In a slow cooker, add little smokies and barbecue sauce and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 to 2 hours, until sausages are hot.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Little smokies: Famous things usually go by many names. You may know them as cocktail wieners, cocktail franks, lil smokies, or as my grandma says “baby wursts.” They’re small smoked sausages sold in 12- to 14-ounce packages at the store, in the deli section. (I’ve even heard that Costco sells them in 3-pound bags, and Trader Joe’s carries them sometimes on a seasonal basis.)
  2. Barbecue sauce: Sweet Baby Rays is my personal fave, so much so that I even made a copycat Sweet Baby Rays recipe. But you can use any tomato-based BBQ sauce, as long as it isn’t a vinegary, Carolina-style sauce.
  3. Yield: 1 pound of cocktail wieners has about 40 sausages. With 5 sausages per serving, you can get about 8 servings per pound (assuming you are serving this at a party as part of a buffet with other choices). 
  4. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 5 smokiesCalories: 169kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 7gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 576mgPotassium: 97mgSugar: 1gCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

  1. Made the Bangers & Mash variation, added some hot sauce to the bbq, put the smokies aside & made the potatoes in the residue sauce in the same pan. Delicious.5 stars

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