Slow Cooker Cocktail Smokies
These addictive little appetizers are so easy to make and great for potlucks.
These addictive little appetizers are so easy to make and great for potlucks.
- Carbohydrate 33.0372173513514 g
- Cholesterol 57.15234 mg
- Fat 24.77055 g
- Fiber 0.2268 g
- Protein 11.283052 g
- Saturated Fat 8.5104824 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (147g)
- Sodium 1187.04322 mg
- Sugar 32.8104173513514 g
- Trans Fat 1.7894126 g
- Calories 399 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine grape jelly and barbeque sauce in a slow cooker.
- Stir in the miniature smoked sausage links.
- Cook on High, until heated through, 2 to 3 hours.
Glossy, lacquered miniature sausages emerge from the slow cooker coated in a sticky, sweet-and-savory glaze that clings persistently to each link. Culinary historians often trace the pairing of bottled condiments and mass-produced protein back to the mid-century processed food boom, when convenience products permanently reshaped party hosting and casual entertaining. Achieving the ideal consistency for this sauce requires careful management of the heat and sugar content. Without proper attention, the high sugar load in the jelly and barbecue sauce can easily scorch along the ceramic walls of the cooker. Careful adherence to a few specific parameters ensures the glaze reduces properly without burning.
- Whisk the grape jelly and barbecue sauce together thoroughly before adding the sausage links to prevent pockets of pure sugar from resting directly against the heating element.
- Set the slow cooker to the High setting and monitor the temperature to ensure it reaches an internal threshold of 165 degrees Fahrenheit after the two-to-three-hour window.
- Stir the mixture every 45 minutes to redistribute the thickening glaze and prevent the edges from crystallizing.
- Keep leftover sausages refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days, reheating them gently on the stovetop with a splash of water to loosen the thickened sauce.
- Adjust the sweetness by substituting up to twenty-five percent of the grape jelly with a tart apple jelly if a sharper fruit profile is desired.
Proper temperature control prevents the sugars from caramelizing past the point of palatability. Careful monitoring yields a glossy, uniform coating every single time.
