SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Good Things Utah) — Executive Producer, Jill Hodson, joined us on the show for Appetizer week with two tasty recipes to snack on during the big game. Lil smokies wrapped in bacon is a family recipe with Jill’s special addition, brown sugar.
Ingredient and Recipe Notes:
- Lit’l Smokies – AKA cocktail sausages. You will find these in a couple of varieties. All beef will taste like tiny hot dogs. Traditional will be a mix of pork and chicken. Either variety works well. Just like Hot dogs, quality and flavor can vary depending on brand. I prefer name brands that I’m familiar with (like Hillshire Farms) or ones I’ve at least tried before.
- Bacon – Use whatever your favorite regular bacon is, as long as it’s not turkey bacon. Use the real stuff here, original thickness, not thick cut, or it won’t get crispy in the oven. With good old standard bacon, you can wrap 3 little smokies per piece. Center cut will probably only wrap 2 per piece.
- Brown sugar – Light or dark, doesn’t matter, either one will work!
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Cocktail Sausages
- Preheat your oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut the slab of bacon into thirds.
- Wrap 1/3 of each slice of bacon around each sausage and secure with a toothpick and place on the baking sheet.
- Sprinkle brown sugar over sausages
- Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes or until bacon has cooked and is starting to brown.
If you’re serving these at a party, they taste even better after a little time in the slow cooker on low heat. And that bacon grease that has co-mingled with the brown sugar? That salty-sweetness is a perfect glaze for these little suckers.
Black Bean and Mango Salsa
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium mango, peeled and dived (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup diced red onion (about ½ medium onion)
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sale
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium avocado, diced
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine the black beans, mango, red onion, and cilantro.
- In a small bowl, combine lime juice, vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to dissolve the sugar and then pour over black bean mixture. Cove and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- When ready to serve, gently fold in the diced avocado. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
