Bacon Wrapped Sausages Recipe

[VaporTrail]

I've done this as well... but my favorite bit is to up it to full-sized smoked sausages. Which makes it more of a meal item, rather than an appetizer.

Around here (Norfolk VA.) I can get packs of something close to 20 "full bun" sized smoked sausages. I get a pack of those, and a disposable cookie sheet (easiest cleanup in the world... toss a few paper towels on it, wait for it to cool and chuck the whole thing) and a pack of bacon.

At home I put about half a cup of lt. brown sugar in a sealable container (ziploc bowl ~3 cups) and drop in two (whole) strips of bacon. Give it a shake for about 20 seconds or so. Pull out the bacon and wrap a whole sausage. Done right you really only have to toothpick it once. Top up your brown sugar (if needed) and repeat for however many you're gonna make. About 8 will easily fit on a standard size cookie sheet, and should be enough for 4 people (unless you're like me and love the things so much you'll eat three or four). Toss the sheet in a 350*F oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove from sheet and serve. I keep trying to figure out what would go well with these, so far I've settled on mashed potatoes... but suggestions would be welcome.

These are the thermonuclear device of the Fat-bomb world.

 

[mudbug]

Did anyone say put them on a cooling rack on the baking sheet? Grease drips away, flavor remains.

 

[VaporTrail]

I've actually settled on making the little version for a potluck type meal. I'm looking for a way to keep them warm during transport (about an hour) without them swimming in (too much) grease or drying out.

Current plan is to stick my crockpot on "warm" (possibly "low" a couple minutes before I unplug it) while the first batch cooks and toss them in there as the batches get done. I'm planning on doing 3 batches (three disposable cookie sheets full) so I really should only have to keep the ones that stay in the longest about two hours. Once the last batch is done (timed so I can pull the plug on the 'pot and dash...) I'm gonna wrap the (covered) ceramic portion of the crockpot in a towel (or two) and transport. Once I've arrived, going to set up the crockpot again and set to "warm". Shouldn't be more than fifteen minutes before serving starts.

Anyone have a better plan or reasons that this is a bad idea (beyond having to hand-carry a hot 20lb sausage filled towel wrapped ceramic pot)?

 

[csalt]

How about putting your crockpot inside a thermal picnic box..you know that keeps things warm or cool.

 

[JoAnn L.]

Wrapping it with layers of newspapers may also help keep it warm.

 

[ella/TO]

LOL....the thought of all that fat!.....

 

[Caine]

LOL....the thought of all that fat!.....

I know. I wouldn't know whether to eat it, or take it down to Jiffy Lube to have the oil changed!

 

[CasperImproved]

I have found that this appetizer is always a hit.

Bacon Wrapped Sausages

2 pkgs. bacon (I usually buy the cheapest bacon, it seems to wrap better around the sausages and brown better in the oven)
2 pkg. Little smokies
Light Brown sugar
Toothpicks

Preheat oven to 350. Cut bacon into thirds. Wrap each smokie in a piece of bacon, secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle with as much or as little light brown sugar as you like. Bake for about 30 minutes or until bacon crisps.

JCook - I've done something similar for a number of parties. The couple of experience points that I have gained is the different grades (brands) of bacon cause different amounts of grease leakage and shrinkage. If you stick with a particular brand of bacon you should get a somewhat similar shrinkage and grease release for each batch of the sausage/bacon snacks.

I normally buy two lbs of a good brand of bacon (and I do switch depending on price points) per package of the Little Smokies, and if it is a good bacon, you can normally have the bacon sliced in 3rds, and each third with a toothpick support one sausage. I also cook them on a sheet pan (with 1/3rd inch lip) over a chrome cooling rack (normally used for cooling bread) that fits the sheet with a covering of PAM (cooking spray). I would normally have the oven at 350F for as long as it takes for the bacon to brown up a bit.

If it is a remote party, I will normally after they cook/cool, pile them into an electric skillet to re-warm once we get there. I will also put the electric skillet into a cardboard box lined with news paper or paper grocery bags so that I don't have to worry about leakage. I will say the use of Brown sugar for these is new to me as I think of sausage/bacon as a savory.

FYI, I also use the same cooking method for chicken wings if I take those to a party. I usually do a marinade of either a sweet & sour sauce, BBQ sauce that I make from in house stuff, or in a true buffalo sauce with hot sauce and butter combo basting while being cooked.

In either type dish, I have never had leftovers to take home which meets my personal satisfaction points.

The benefits of cooking that way? You get rid of a large amount of the fat, and when you load them all into the electric skillet(s), they do not usually create a new pile of grease. Also... you only have the skillets to take home ;-)

Casper