Bacon-Wrapped Smokies Without Brown Sugar

These little smokies wrapped in a bacon and drizzled with honey are my favorite snack since I was a kid. There is nothing like a mix of smoked sausages and crispy bacon smothered in honey….a perfect combo of flavors and texture with each bite. 

The smokies are probably the most addictive snack I have ever tried. Once you try these you will know why.

At first glance, you may think this is just a simple recipe, but it is beyond simple and on the gourmet side. Although it uses simple ingredients, the flavor of these smokies is out of this world!

You will only need three ingredients to make these – smokies, bacon, and honey. Although some recipes call for brown sugar, I find that they work best with honey.

While the brown sugar gives the same sweetness, it tends to caramelize quite a lot and even burn. Honey, on the other hand, will give a nice counterbalance to salty bacon and pair wonderfully with the flavor of smoked sausage.

If you look at some of the old-fashioned recipes, you will see the honey way commonly used with pork, and believe me – some of the old-fashioned tips and recipes still rule even today.

The proper way to use honey in this recipe is in the last 10 minutes of baking where the natural flavor of the honey will be preserved and will create a nice and subtle crust over the smokies. 

Tips For Making Bacon-Wrapped Smokies

The smokies are very easy to make. The most “difficult” step is to wrap them. It is a bit time consuming, but nothing we can’t handle. Once you make these for the first time, you’ll notice you become an expert bacon wrapper in no time.

Speaking about the bacon, you can use thin or thick cut. For this recipe, I chose thin-cut bacon as it is a bit more pliable and you will not have to secure it.

The thick-cut bacon will provide a bit more grease and therefore flavor, but you will have to secure it with a toothpick. 

If you’re working with thin cut bacon, make sure it is refrigerated before use. Believe it not, our hands are quite warm, and when working with bacon that is at room temperature, it will become slippery and slide around the smokies.

So, keep the bacon in the fridge at least 30 minutes before use. 

Once the smokies are wrapped, place them seam side down on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.

Make sure you are using parchment paper. The bacon grease and honey can make a big sticky mess. This will ease your cleaning process.

Bake for 35 minutes, and in the last 10 minutes of baking, drizzle the smokies with honey (this makes the baking time 45 minutes total). Continue baking and serve warm.

What can be used instead of honey?

As mentioned above, if you have brown sugar, you can use it. I have also tried with the white sugar but was not the happiest with the results.

A mix of molasses and white sugar was pretty okay, but I find honey as the best substitute for brown sugar. 

Variations of Bacon-Wrapped Smokies

This recipe can be adjusted to your personal taste. Here are some ideas:

• BBQ – You can mix honey and some BBQ sauce and brush over smokies.
• Spicy – Sprinkle the smokies with cayenne pepper or spicy paprika. You can also combine honey and Sriracha sauce and brush it all over the smokies. Pickled jalapeno slices wrapped with smokies would be great as well. 

How To Make Bacon-Wrapped Smokies Without Brown Sugar

Step 1

Gather your ingredients. Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut bacon in half and wrap each smokie with a piece of bacon and place in a baking dish, lined with parchment paper.

Make sure the seam side is down. 

Step 2

Bake smokies for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. 

Continue baking for 10 minutes more.

Step 3

Serve smokies warm, drizzled with any sauce from the pan.

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