Who doesn’t love Little Smokies? Smother them in a thick, rich, and flavorful sauce and give them a kiss of smoke and you’ve got Sweet & Spicy Smoked Little Smokies, a tasty snack and appetizer that no one will be able to resist! Fire up that Traeger and let’s get smokin’!
Get some toothpicks ready because these Smoked Little Smokies won’t last long! So meaty and with an extra kiss of smoke, they’re wrapped in a thick sweet and spicy sauce that’s finger-licking good!
What You Need to Make Sweet & SPicy Smoked Little Smokies
- Traeger Pellet Smoker
- Pellets – I like hickory pellets for this recipe
- Cast-iron pan – 8 inch works best
- Little Smokies – see my notes below
- Your favorite THICK barbecue sauce
- Raspberry jelly or jam – grape jelly will also work but it’ll be sweeter
- Worcestershire sauce
- Cocktail toothpicks
Little Smokies
You’ll find these small, smoked cocktail sausages made by several brands. Any brand will work fine in this recipe, but you want to look for unflavored ones – don’t get any that are already jazzed up with extra flavors. Plain and simple Lit’l Smokies is what you’re after for this recipe.
You can easily double this recipe if you’ve got a larger group to feed. Get a bit more than you think you might need because they’re just that dang good!
How To Make Traeger Little Smokies
For the full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Preheat your Traeger pellet smoker or another smoker to 250-F.
- Combine the lil smokies sausage with the BBQ sauce, raspberry jam, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Toss everything together well and pop it into a cast iron pan.
- Try to keep the lil smokies in a single layer, or plan on stirring them often because the ones on top will dry out if you don’t stir them.
- Smoke them at a low heat uncovered for 2-2.5 hours, stirring them every 30-40 minutes.
- Remove them from the pan, set out a stack of napkins and cocktail toothpicks, and have at ’em!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Skip the slow cooker and make this little smokies recipe in your Traeger for an extra burst of flavor!
- While these little smokies are the perfect finger food, they are messy so I’d advise putting out cute cocktail toothpicks.
- Raspberry jelly/jam has the perfect combination of sweet/tart flavor that really makes these delicious, but you can use grape jelly if you’re looking for a sweeter flavor.
- Thicker barbecue sauce works better in this recipe – pick something that’s got a bit of spice to it for the perfect sweet-spicy cocktail sausages.
- No cast iron? You can use a disposable aluminum pan for this recipe.
- Don’t add any brown sugar! You’ll find that the jam adds plenty of sweetness.
- What about crockpot little smokies? Bah, a crockpot won’t give you the sweet flavor of smoke – try these instead!
How To Serve Smoked Little Smokies in Sweet Spicy BBQ Sauce
- I love putting a pan of these out whenever we’ve got company. They don’t take up much room on the Traeger, so pop a pan of these on while your main course is smoking.
- This tasty smoked appetizer will reheat really well, making them a great choice for pot lucks or taking to events. Tailgating anyone? Just pop them into an airtight container and off you go. You can also pop these little smokies into a crockpot to keep warm.
Can I Freeze Leftovers?
Yes! Once cooked, Traeger Little Smokies will freeze just fine. The barbecue sauce will keep these smoked sausages protected in the freezer. Simply chill them and put them in an airtight container or a zipper top plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
This full-color ebook cookbook features more than 50 of Chef Jenn’s tried, tested, and favorite smoker recipes! Enjoy:
- Smoked Beef Kabobs
- Smoked Chicken Thighs
- Smoked Bacon-Wrapped Pork Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
- Smoked Spaghetti Squash with Herbs
and so much more!
Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer hickory pellets for this recipe but you can use your favorite blend.
Including preheating, give yourself about 3 hours from start to finish for this tasty and easy Traeger recipe.
I like the sweet-spicy flavor of this little smokies recipe, and the sweet comes from the jam so the spicy needs to come from your BBQ sauce. Pick a nice, thick sauce with a bit of heat to it.
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Step By Step Process
Sweet & Spicy Smoked Little Smokies
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds Lit'l Smokies
- 3/4 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam or jelly
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your Traeger pellet smoker or another smoker to 250-F.
- Combine the lil smokies with the BBQ sauce, raspberry jam, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Toss everything together well and pop it into a cast iron pan.
- Try to keep the lil smokies in a single layer, or plan on stirring them often because the ones on top will dry out if you don't stir them.
- Smoke them at a low heat uncovered for 2-2.5 hours, stirring them every 30-40 minutes.
- Remove them from the pan, set out a stack of napkins and cocktail toothpicks, and have at 'em!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Skip the slow cooker and make this little smokies recipe in your Traeger for an extra burst of flavor!
- While these little smokies are the perfect finger food, they are messy so I’d advise putting out cute cocktail toothpicks.
- Raspberry jelly/jam has the perfect combination of sweet/tart flavor that really makes these delicious, but you can use grape jelly if you’re looking for a sweeter flavor.
- Thicker barbecue sauce works better in this recipe – pick something that’s got a bit of spice to it for the perfect sweet-spicy cocktail sausages.
- No cast iron? You can use a disposable aluminum pan for this recipe.
- Don’t add any brown sugar! You’ll find that the jam adds plenty of sweetness.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.