This recipe has every intention of being the undisputed champion of easy crock pot appetizers. Two ingredients, three steps. Dump it, set it, and forget it.
Let me start by saying that I’m a huge fan of using slow cooker recipes to make life simple, especially when it comes to parties. This recipe needs a 2.5 quart Crockpot, which is like $10 at Walmart and one of the smallest sizes they make. It’s easy to transport if you’re taking it somewhere, and they don’t take up much room on the table. So, pretty much keeping it simple.
Now when it comes to using slow cookers for party appetizers in particular I ask myself a couple of questions. One; would two-thirds of the people showing up relate to it? Mind you it doesn’t have to be the most popular among everyone but they need to know what it is. And two; is it easy to make? Don’t underestimate the power of simple when it comes to apps.
Spinach artichoke dip, queso taco dip, grape jelly meatballs… etc. They’re going to be a hit with a lot of guests even if you don’t partake. Even if you know you can make your own BBQ sauce from scratch, you’re probably better off just buying a tried-and-true restaurant industry standard, like Sweet Baby Ray’s, and make it easy on yourself.
Oh and since I’m talking about the sauce… for this recipe I chose Sweet Baby Ray’s “Kickin’ Bourbon Sauce & Marinade.” And it actually does contain bourbon in the ingredients, imagine that. If you haven’t tried it you should, and if you think you can make a better version of this BBQ sauce I say go ahead and try but it’s probably going to be more pride than a better tasting sauce. No offense in advance. Now this sauce may be hard to find also despite the large selection of Sweet Baby Ray’s sauces at most stores. I can only find it at Food Lion grocery stores and it’s with the marinades, aside from the rest of the BBQ sauces.
For this recipe you’ll need a 2 quart slow cooker to get the ingredient to space ratio correct, and yes that’s a thing. Crockpots function best when they are about 2/3 full.
Now I prefer Carolina Pride brand of all beef cocktail smoked sausages, but I went with Hillshire Farms “Lit’l Smokies” in this video since that may be more available to the majority of households in America.
Oh and give this trick a try… Puncture a hole in the bottom corner of the packages with a knife over your kitchen disposal or trash bag, and drain the packages before dumping these sausages into the Crockpot. It helps eliminate unnecessary liquid in our sauce which will already have plenty of flavor.
Ingredients:
- 24oz Lit’l Smokies (two 12oz packages)
- 16oz Sweet Baby Ray’s Kickin’ Bourbon Sauce & Marinade.
Directions:
- Add Lit’l Smokies.
- Pour in sauce, no need to mix.
- Cover and set to LOW for 3 Hours.
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