Sugared Bacon Wrapped Smokies Recipes

BACON-WRAPPED SMOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, paprika and cayenne pepper and mix well. Set aside.
• Slice the bacon strips into thirds. Wrap each frank with a piece of bacon, secure with a toothpick and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining franks and bacon. Thoroughly coat each bacon-wrapped frank in the brown sugar mixture and place back on the baking sheet.
• Bake until the bacon is crispy, 12 to 15 minutes. The rub has a lot of sugar in it, so make sure to turn halfway through the cooking process so the bottoms do not burn.

BACON WRAPPED SMOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Refrigerate 2/3 of the bacon until needed. It is easier to wrap the wieners with cold bacon. Wrap each cocktail wiener with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle brown sugar generously over all.
• Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until the sugar is bubbly. To serve, place the wieners in a slow cooker and keep on the low setting.

BAKED BACON-WRAPPED BROWN SUGAR SMOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Open the packages of bacon and cut the whole slab into thirds across the bacon pieces. I usually cut them straight out of the refrigerator while they're cold, then allow them to warm a bit before wrapping the Smokies - the bacon is more pliable when not very cold, and makes it easier to work with awkwardly-shaped pieces.
• To make assembly even easier, line up pieces of bacon on your cutting board or a clean counter. Wrap each Lit'l Smokie in a 1/3-cut piece of bacon, then secure with a toothpick.
• Lay wrapped Smokies on a sheet pan. Tilting the toothpick downward makes lining them up a bit easier. (If you are making a double or triple batch with a Costco-sized 3-pound package of Smokies, continue wrapping until you run of room on your sheet pan, and then - just to make the overall assembly easier - can continue wrapping until you run out of the Smokies and simply put them in a bowl until you can lay them out on another sheet pan later or when your first one is out of the oven. If you run out of bacon before Smokies, you can cut some strips of bacon lengthwise to make additional slices so that you'll have enough.).
• Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar on each Smokie - I simply sprinkle by hand.
• Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes.
• Using tongs, transfer the treats to a platter or plate, arrange attractively, put them out for your guests, and stand back before you get trampled in the crowd's rush to get at them. :).
• Note: I usually make triple batches of these at a time, using the 3-pound Smokies packages from Costco and three packages of bacon. Although best if served immediately, I bake them all up, then freeze them and thaw and reheat in the oven (or even the microwave) to serve. The bacon and brown sugar doesn't stay as crispy that way, but since most parties will have a varying number of attendees we find it's easier to make large batches during the holidays. Before reheating, you can sprinkle a bit more brown sugar over them to make up for any that fell off. ;).
• Optional: before putting the brown sugar over, you can also sprinkle the Smokies with a small amount of cinnamon sugar, for even more flavor!

SUGARED BACON-WRAPPED SMOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 15x10x1 inch baking pan with foil; lightly coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
• 2. Wrap each sausage link with a bacon piece, overlapping the bacon piece at the end. Press the end of the bacon piece to seal or secure it with a wooden toothpick.
• 3. Place brown sugar in a large plastic storage bag. Add several bacon-wrapped sausages to bag and seal. Shake bag gently to coat sausages with brown sugar;place sausages in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining bacon-wrapped sausages and brown sugar.
• 4. Bake about 30 minutes or until the bacon is browned. Serve immediately. Makes about 45 appetizers.
• 5. Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare as directed through Step 3. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. To serve,uncover and bake as directed in Step 4.