Crockpot little smokies recipe without bbq sauce is the best appetizer for Christmas or any potluck. With a sweet savory sauce complete with pineapple chunks, they are bite size bits of heaven oven served alongside slow cooker hot dogs for Super Bowl. Best finger foods to serve at a party.
Ok so it’s the holidays and you need a killer, cheap appetizer to serve your guests. This Crockpot little smokies recipe is it! You can throw it together in 5 minutes and it’s warmed in a few hours. NO work for you in between which means it’s a fave on our list of easy Crockpot recipes. (affiliate links present)
Crockpot Little Smokies without BBQ Sauce
You can buy these babies packaged in the store. There are usually a few choices. There are darker versions that have more of a smoky flavor to them similar to a kielbasa. Others are just smaller hot dogs labeled little weiners that are a bit more “plain” by themselves.
First we made a batch of air fryer smokies wrapped in bacon and those were the most amazing finger foods we had ever tasted. You can only make a few at a time with that method though so if you are cooking for a large crowd for the Super Bowl or a party this is the way to go.
Table of contents
Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….
- This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
- I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.
Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉
Hillshire Farm is my favorite brand to use for this and our brown sugar bacon smokies. You’ll want two packages of them to make this. It could be easily doubled too if you had a large group coming over. The beauty of this is you can cook, and then set to warm for another few hours of snacking.
How Long to Cook Little Smokies in Crockpot
Now there are several different sauces you can use with this, they all just take about 4 hours to warm together. If you want the easiest version, just pour 1-2 bottles of your favorite barbecue sauce and stir together. Done. Want to add some heat, do 1 bottle of bbq and 1 bottle of chili sauce. That will add a bit of heat but not overboard.
If you want grape jelly smokies you can follow the sauce recipe from our Instant pot frozen meatballs. That is a great snack too. This is what was added this time for a sweet and savory mixture.
Drunken Little Smokies Ingredients
- 2 packages of smokies
- Dijon mustard
- Catalina salad dressing or you can use bbq sauce instead
- Brown sugar
- Cranberry sauce
- Pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained
You can dice fresh parsley and even add whole cranberries at the end for “prettiness”. Keep them in the Crock for serving or add to a cheap charcuterie board with other fun finger foods. You can use this same sauce to make our air fryer bbq chicken wings too. Both are great served together as snacks when company comes over.
Questions you might have and I have received over the years that I want to answer ahead of time:
Nope. You just want to warm them up but they are precooked in the package, similar to hot dogs just smaller. Since they are in fact fully-cooked you don’t have to worry because essentially you’re just warming these babies up in the sauce you choose.
How many little smokies in a pack?
You will get about 40 pieces in 14 ounces. This calls for 28 so you will want to buy two of them, of the same type preferably, to feed about 20 people as an appetizer or snack. It’s the best football food ever y’all.
You can really use any sort of sauce you like, and any of your favorite add ins. Experiment if you like. Just whisk together your favorite ingredients and just as long as you have enough to coat your weiners you will be good. Thin it out with a little broth if necessary, add sweetness with brown sugar or honey, heat with Sriracha…..
There is a complete printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here I will show you how quick and easy this cocktail weenie recipe is to make for game day or just because. We have several other appetizer recipes on our site but I will say this is the most popular in our slow cooker.
How to Cook Hillshire BBQ Little Smokies in Slow Cooker
- This is super easy. You just empty your bags of wieners into the slow cooker. In a bowl whisk together all other ingredients listed to make a sauce, stir until smooth.
- Pour this on top and stir so they are all nicely coated and wet.
- Cover with your lid and cook on low for 4 hours.
- You can garnish with some fresh pineapple chunks and chopped parsley if you want when it’s time to serve. Set to warm if it will be sitting for day long snacking.
Since smokies are already cooked you are just warming them up. They are actually pretty yummy at room temperature too when they cool off but hot is best. It is pretty hard to overcook them but I would definitely turn your pot off or on warm once your 4 hours is up.
If you wanted to cook smokies with a bottle of bbq sauce in your slow cooker instead of our Catalina salad dressing, brown sugar and cranberry sauce instead that would be another option. I love Mambo sauce. It comes in mild and spicy so you can do one or the other, or mix the two for a bit of heat.
You can in fact eat smokies out of the package because as their name suggests, they have already been smoked. It will state on the outside that the meat is pre-cooked making them okay to eat without cooking beforehand (similar to hot dogs), but typically are preferred hot.
How to save leftovers
If you do have left they save well. Just allow them to cool to room temperature and then transfer to an airtight container. Spoon in as much liquid as possible to keep them moist. Refrigerate for up to a few days and rewarm them in the microwave as a snack the next day.
More Easy Appetizer Recipes You’lll Love
- We have made Crockpot appetizer meatballs similar to this.
- you can use fresh or frozen meatballs
- If you want to make this easy recipe even faster, you can follow our Instant Pot smokies recipe here or toss sauce on your hot dogs in pressure cooker when done.
- Or make it as a Traeger appetizer.
I like to use all my small kitchen appliances when it comes to the holidays. I can line my island with butcher paper, unplug each machine and just set them right down with a spoon next to each one. Use a marker or crayon to write what each one is and you’re set to serve!
Crockpot Little Smokies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 28 oz smokies, or little weiners
- 1 c Catalina salad dressing, or can use bottled bbq sauce instead
- 1 c cranberry sauce
- 1 c pineapple, chunks or tidbits, drained
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Put smokies into slow cooker. In a bowl whisk together all other ingredients listed until smooth.
- Pour this on top of your weiners and stir so they are all coated.
- Cover with lid and cook on low for 4 hours. Can garnish with some fresh pineapple chunks and chopped parsley on top when done. Set to warm if it will be sitting for day long snacking.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
