Lil’ smokies are always a hit at parties, and we took our version to a whole new level. We’ve got you making a quick homemade barbecue sauce with hot honey, garlic, and a lot of flavor. These little bite-sized snacks will be the life of the party and have everyone reaching for seconds. Toss it in the slow cooker, set it, and forget it!
If you really want to impress, try making our Nacho Dust Carne Asada Fries. They don’t just sound amazing, they wow!
Why Our Recipe
- Up your lil’ smokies game with a flavorful sauce of hot honey and garlic.
- Super easy to put in the crockpot and be ready to serve 4 to 6 hours later.
- Perfect for parties, game days, or any snacky gathering.
This recipe only requires a handful of ingredients and a few minutes of prep to get everything going in the slow cooker. Serve these hot honey garlic lil’ smokies straight from the pot or transfer them to a platter. You can even pop some toothpicks in there for serving. They’ll disappear fast!
Ingredient Notes
- Lit’l Smokies Sausages: These are pre-cooked mini sausages that are sold in the refrigerated section near the hot dogs.
- Ketchup: Regular ketchup works great here. In our blind taste test, we found that store brands (generic) of ketchup are generally great for this application.
- Hot Honey: You can use store-bought hot honey which can be found in many U.S. grocery stores, or you can make your own using our recipe.
- Minced Garlic: Freshly minced always gives the best flavor, but the jarred kind can work here too since it cooks down. Jarred garlic has a more bitter flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Packs a ton of flavor.
- Hickory Liquid Smoke: You can find this in the same aisle at the grocery store as barbecue sauces. They are sold in small bottles similar to an extract.
- Ground Mustard or Yellow Mustard: Ground mustard is the powdered kind sold in the spice section. You can also use prepared yellow mustard, which is just that regular old yellow bottle.
All About Hot Honey
If you haven’t fallen in love with hot honey yet, allow us to introduce you. It’s sweet and spicy and everything nice-y! Adding them to lil smokies is just pure genius.
Where to Find It: Most large grocery stores carry hot honey nowadays alongside the regular honey. Look for popular brands like Mike’s Hot Honey, or check stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.
Make Your Own: If you can’t find hot honey in stores, it’s super easy to make at home and we find that we always have a jar hanging around for drizzling on just about everything. It’s especially good on pizza!
Serving Options
Straight from the Crockpot: Keep it simple and casual and just set out the slow cooker on the “warm” setting, give them a spoon, and let people help themselves!
Grab-and-Go: Lay your lil’ smokies out on platters and insert toothpicks in each. If you really want to be fancy, use decorative cocktail sticks or skewers.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating in the microwave by placing the sausages in a microwave-safe dish. Cover with a microwave-safe lid or plastic wrap, and heat in 30-second increments, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
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