Bacon Wrapped Smokies Recipe

🧺 Use a rack, I strongly suggest it

Set the bites on a rack over the baking sheet, never right on the foil. On a rack, the heat circulates all around and they cook evenly on every side. Right on the pan, the juices run, the glaze sticks to the bottom and the bacon doesn’t brown the same way. Spray the rack well so the glaze doesn’t stick to it.

🥓 The right bacon and the right sausages

Use regular-cut bacon, not thick: it cooks at the same pace as the sausage and gets nicely golden. Smoked cocktail sausages are basically mini hot dogs, already cooked, so they just need to heat through while the bacon cooks. Cut each bacon slice into three, it’s just the right length to wrap once around. And put the seam underneath, it holds better while baking.

🍁 Glaze in two coats

Simmer the glaze for 3 to 4 minutes, just enough for it to turn a little syrupy and cling to the bacon. Brush on a first coat before baking, then a second one after 20 minutes. That second coat is what gives them the glossy, lacquered look. With a basting brush, you get it everywhere without knocking the bites over.

🔥 A quick trip under the broiler

At the end, 2 to 3 minutes under the broiler brown the bacon even more. Stay in front of the oven, because the sugar in the glaze goes from golden to burnt in seconds. Pull the pan out as soon as the bacon is the color you want. The glaze keeps setting a little during the 5-minute rest.

🥃 Alcohol-free, with rum extract

If you’d rather skip the alcohol, replace the dark rum with rum extract, which you’ll find at the grocery store with the baking extracts. It gives the glaze the same aroma without the alcohol. Start with a little, taste, then adjust: extract is more concentrated than rum. Top it up with a bit of water to keep the same amount of liquid.

🎒 For a potluck or a party

No need to keep them warm: they get eaten so fast they don’t have time to cool down. And even cold, they’re delicious, so you can bring them along without stressing. Put them in a dish with a lid, keep the chives separate and sprinkle them on once you get there. Remind everybody there’s a toothpick in every bite!

📅 Make-ahead prep

The day before, wrap the bacon around the sausages, add the toothpicks and store the bites in the fridge in a labeled container. Make the glaze the day before too and keep it in the fridge in a closed jar. On the day, all you have to do is set the bites on the rack, warm up the glaze and bake. The chives get chopped at the last minute.

❄️ Storage

Leftovers keep for 3 to 5 days in the fridge in a closed container. Reheat them for a few minutes in the oven, or eat them cold, they’re just as good. I do not suggest freezing them: the bacon loses its crispness and the glaze turns tacky. Anyway, there are almost never any left.

✅ What to serve with my bacon wrapped smokies recipe

For a version without bacon, try my maple cocktail sausages. For a sweet and salty party spread, add my maple candied bacon or my candied bacon. And if you love maple and rum together, make my maple and rum pork ribs.