Crock Pot BBQ Cocktail Sausage (Printer Version)

Mini smoked sausages in sweet tangy BBQ sauce with apricot jam. Perfect party appetizer for any game-day gathering.

# What You'll Need:

→ Sausages

01 - 2 pounds cocktail smoked sausages

→ Sauce

02 - 1 cup barbecue sauce
03 - 1 cup apricot jam or preserves
04 - 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
05 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
06 - 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
07 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

# How to Make It:

01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, apricot jam, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
02 - Place the cocktail sausages in the slow cooker.
03 - Pour the sauce mixture over the sausages and stir to coat evenly.
04 - Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours, stirring halfway through, until sausages are heated through and the sauce is bubbling.
05 - Serve warm with toothpicks directly from the slow cooker or transfer to a serving dish.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The slow cooker does all the work while you handle everything else, from setting up chairs to arguing about the halftime show.
  • That apricot jam creates a glaze so shiny and sticky, people actually lick their fingers without shame.
  • You can keep them warm for hours without drying out, which means latecomers still get the good stuff.
02 -
  • Stirring halfway through is not optional because the sausages on the bottom will hog all the sauce and the ones on top will sit there naked and sad.
  • Do not skip the vinegar, even if it seems like a tiny amount, because without it the sauce tastes flat and one dimensional, like a song missing its harmony.
03 -
  • Use a slow cooker liner if you want to skip scrubbing sticky sauce off the sides later, a trick I learned after one too many late night cleanups.
  • If you are cooking for a big crowd, double the recipe and use a larger slow cooker, because these disappear faster than you think and someone will always ask if there are more.
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