Air fryer bacon wrapped little smokies are sticky, smoky and crisp in just 11 minutes. No oven necessary and perfect for game day!
Why this recipe works
I mean, who doesn’t love bacon wrapped smokies? We’ve been making them in the oven for years. We use our air fryer a lot more now, so it only made sense to try it out. Antoine’s trick of placing the bacon slice into the sugar instead of sprinkling it on was genius. These were really good and didn’t last long! I can see them being a popular little finger food to put out for football parties and game nights.
You don’t need toothpicks for these and it also frees up space in the oven, which is nice if you’re hosting. They turn sticky and caramelized with a good bit of crispness. The savory sweet factor is amazing!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
LITTLE SMOKIES – We used a 12 ounce package of beef little smokies, which gave us right around 30 sausages. Little smokies also come in a 14 ounce pork package with closer to 40 sausages, so if you buy pork you’ll need about 13 to 14 slices of bacon instead of 10 and you’ll need to cook a second batch. Look for them in the refrigerated case near the hot dogs. Beef, pork, turkey and cheddar versions all work!
CENTER CUT BACON – Center cut is cut closer to the center of the pork belly, so the slices come out straight and even instead of tapering off into a fatty end. Center cut is best because it’s easier to slice into even thirds. Don’t use thick cut bacon, it won’t crisp in 11 minutes. If you try to cook them longer for crispiness, the sausages will dry out. Even with center cut, a slice with a fatty streak can curl up and come undone as the fat renders. It’s the bacon doing that, not you. You can use toothpicks it if it bothers you.
BROWN SUGAR – You only need 1/3 cup, mixed with the garlic salt and pepper and spread out on a small plate. Lay the bacon down onto it and lift it right back up. Don’t press, or you’ll pick up far too much sugar and it’ll pool in the basket instead of glazing the bacon. Light or dark brown sugar both work. Dark will give you a slightly deeper molasses flavor.
GARLIC SALT – A teaspoon of garlic salt mixed into the brown sugar makes it savory-sweet, so it doesn’t taste like a sausage dessert. Sea salt works if preferred.
How to Make Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Combine the brown sugar, garlic salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Spread onto a small plate.
- Cut bacon into thirds. Lay a piece of bacon (do not press down) onto the brown sugar mixture. The sugar will adhere to the bacon. Pressing down will give you too much.
- Lay bacon, sugar side down, place a sausage at one end, then roll it up. Repeat for all sausages.
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 F for 5 minutes.
- Once preheated, place wrapped sausages seam side down into the air fryer basket. Leave a little space between each one so air can circulate.
- Air fry for 11 minutes at 380F.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Nope! We didn’t use a single one. As long as you set them in the basket seam side down, the bacon holds itself in place while it cooks. Toothpicks are still an option if you want the insurance, especially with a fatty piece of bacon. Just know that we didn’t test soaking the toothpicks first, or using them in general since it wasn’t necessary, so you’ll have to try it for yourself.
It depends how fatty that particular slice was. As the fat renders out, a fattier piece of bacon shrinks and pulls back, and sometimes it curls away from the sausage. Center cut bacon doesn’t do it as often as regular sliced, but it still happens here and there in a batch. Set them seam side down, leave a little space between each one, and use a toothpick on any piece that looks especially streaky.
Not the way we do it here! When you sprinkle brown sugar over the top of wrapped smokies, most of it slides off and lands on the bottom of the basket, where it has nothing to do but scorch and smoke. Laying the bacon into the sugar instead puts a thin coat against the meat, sealed inside the wrap. It melts into a glaze as it should this way.
Yes. Preheat to 380 F for 5 minutes before the smokies go in. Starting them in a hot basket sets the bacon quickly so the seam stays closed. Otherwise, you’ll likely have to add time at the end.
There’s no need. The sugar is wrapped inside the bacon instead of sitting on top, so there’s nothing to redistribute, and the circulating air crisps all the way around.
That depends on your air fryer, cook them in batches if needed. If you crowd the smokies in the basket you won’t get crisp bacon. Leave about an inch between each one so the air can move. A second batch will usually cook a touch faster, since the air fryer is already hot. If you’re feeding a crowd, hold the finished ones in a 200 F oven while the rest cook.
Absolutely. We used the 12 ounce beef package, but the 14 ounce pork package tastes just as good. Check the count before you start cutting bacon: the pork package has closer to 40 sausages, so you’ll want about 13 to 14 slices of bacon and a little more of the sugar mixture.
There’ll be some rendered bacon fat in the bottom of the basket, which is true of anything you cook with bacon. Because the sugar stays wrapped inside the bacon, you shouldn’t get melted sugar baked onto the basket. Let it cool a bit, then wash the basket as usual. A perforated parchment liner cuts the cleanup, though it does block some airflow from underneath, so give them a minute or two longer if you use one.
You can, which is ideal for a large crowd so you don’t have to do multiple batches. Use my bacon wrapped little smokies recipe if you’d prefer to do it in the oven. The times and temperatures are not interchangeable between the air fryer and oven.
Storage and Freezing Information
- To store: Let them cool, then keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: Back into the air fryer at 350 F for 3-4 minutes, until they’re heated through and the bacon crisps back up. The microwave will heat them fine but the bacon turns soft and the glaze gets overly sticky.
- To make ahead: Wrap the smokies in the sugar coated bacon, arrange them in a single layer in a covered container, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before cooking. You can place them directly into the preheated air fryer from the fridge, though you might need to add an extra minute or two. Don’t stack them while they wait, or the sugar will glue them together.
- To freeze cooked: These are small and sticky, so I wouldn’t individually wrap them. Cool them completely on a wire rack, flash freeze in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet for 2 hours, then move them straight into a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in the air fryer at 350 F for 6-8 minutes.
- To freeze uncooked: Because the bacon is raw, these have to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, never on the counter. Wrap them, flash freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet for 2 hours, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and air fry as directed, adding a minute or two.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your air fryer bacon wrapped smokies hot, within 10 or 15 minutes of coming out of the basket, while the bacon is still crisp and the glaze is tacky. Pile them on a small platter with a sprinkle of chopped parsley over the top and a cup of toothpicks on the side so people can grab and go.
A dip isn’t necessary, but a little bowl of barbecue sauce or grainy honey mustard never hurts if you want a little extra flavor. They’re perfect for game day, New Year’s Eve, a holiday open house, or an afternoon when you just want something salty and sweet. Enjoy!
More Game Day Appetizers
My bacon twists use the same brown sugar and bacon combination in a completely different shape. Pigs in a blanket are the closest cousin to these little smokies and always the first tray emptied at our house!
For a full football spread, build a football party tray around a couple of hot appetizers and let the air fryer handle the rest. Air fryer jalapeno poppers are the other thing I make in the basket for a parties, they can go in right after the smokies come out while everything is still hot.
Here’s a few more ideas!
- Air Fryer Fried Pickles
- Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
- Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Twists
- Air Fryer Onion Rings
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Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate ItIngredients
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 10 slices center cut bacon
- 12 ounces little smokies
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Buy center cut bacon, not thick cut. Center cut slices are straight and even, so each third wraps a sausage neatly. Thick cut won’t crisp in 11 minutes.
- We used a 12 ounce package of beef little smokies, about 30 sausages, with 10 slices of bacon cut into thirds. The 14 ounce pork package has closer to 40 sausages, so buy about 13 to 14 slices of bacon and expect a second batch.
- Lay the bacon down onto the sugar and lift it straight back up. Don’t press down, or the bacon picks up too much sugar and it ends up in the bottom of the basket instead of glazing the bacon.
- The bacon goes sugar side in. Lay the strip sugar side down, set a sausage at one end, and roll it up.
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 F for 5 minutes. Starting them in a cold basket means the seam can open and 11 minutes won’t be enough.
- Don’t crowd the basket. Work in batches if you need to, and hold the finished ones in a 200 F oven.
Instructions
- Combine the brown sugar, garlic salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Spread onto a small plate.1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Cut bacon into thirds. Lay a piece of bacon (do not press down) onto the brown sugar mixture. The sugar will adhere to the bacon. Pressing down will give you too much.10 slices center cut bacon
- Lay bacon, sugar side down, place a sausage at one end, then roll it up. Repeat for all sausages.12 ounces little smokies
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 F for 5 minutes.
- Once preheated, place wrapped sausages seam side down into the air fryer basket. Leave a little space between each one so air can circulate.
- Air fry for 11 minutes at 380F.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Serve them within 10 to 15 minutes while the bacon is still crisp. They hold on a party table for a couple of hours, but the bacon softens as they cool.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat in the air fryer at 350 F for 3-4 minutes. Skip the microwave, which softens the bacon.
- Make ahead: wrap them and refrigerate in a single layer, uncovered pieces not stacked, for up to 24 hours. Cook straight from the refrigerator and add about a minute.
- Freeze cooked: cool completely on a wire rack, flash freeze in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet for 2 hours, then move straight to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. No individual wrapping needed. Reheat from frozen at 350 F for 6-8 minutes.
- Freeze uncooked: flash freeze wrapped and unbaked for 2 hours, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Because the bacon is raw, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, never at room temperature, then air fry as directed plus a minute or two.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
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