Beef Little Smokies

My beef little smokies are super saucy with surprise pops of sassy south Louisiana flavors, y'all!! Fully cooked lil cocktail weiners, stirred into an easy homemade sauce featuring ketchup, bbq sauce, cane vinegar, brown sugar, Creole mustard, and diced pineapple in juice. Then slow-cooked in an electric cast iron Dutch oven until sweet and spicy, can't-stop-eating-them deliciousness. Yep and yay...

Jump to:

• Now I Finally Want to Slow Cook Some Little Smokies, Y'all...
• Beef Little Smokies Ingredient Essentials & Substitutions
• How to Make Beef Little Smokies
• Other Amazing South Louisiana-Inspired Appetizers
• Beef Little Smokies

Now I Finally Want to Slow Cook Some Little Smokies, Y'all...

I'm a bit late to the party. But, I FINALLY got an Instant Precision 6-quart electric Dutch oven!! It's the absolute only type of slow cooker I will own because it's actually a REAL cast iron Dutch oven set into a slow cooker base.

It's sooo beautiful, y'all!! And it's a slow-cooking beast of a machine that also doubles as some serious kitchen eye candy. I'm totally in love with this thing. 

So, now I FINALLY want to slow cook. And, the very first thing that I craved was beef little smokies. 

I adapted my very own Cajun BBQ sauce to create a fresh new sauce that would make this unique beef little smokies recipe a true standout. So, it has all of my favorite Louisiana-style dried spices and pantry condiments slow-cooked into each can't-stop-won't-stop bite. For sure!!

Beef Little Smokies Ingredient Essentials & Substitutions

• I can't do pork so I used beef little smokies. They're bigger than the ones made with pork. And, I also find them leaner, too. That said, you can use any lil smokies that you want, just make sure that it's the same, 24-ounce amount that's called for in the recipe to yield the best results. 
• Ketchup and the prepared barbecue sauce form the base of the beef cocktail smokie sauce. I used store-bought bbq sauce for this recipe. But, next time I will likely use my homemade Cajun BBQ sauce recipe. It's all on you if you want to use homemade or already prepared. You can also change it up whenever you would like, as well. 
• I love and use Zatarain's Creole mustard. But, you can substitute any coarse brown mustard you have on hand. It will still work to darken the overall beef little smokies flavor profile. However, it won't have that little south Louisiana twang at the end like it would with Creole mustard. 
• You don't have to spend much money to get great dried spices, y'all. I use the Great Value brand of spices almost exclusively in my recipes. The quality is great and so are the little bitty prices, too. Yep. 
• I use Steen's cane vinegar in this beef little smokies recipe. I absolutely love it and use it in many recipes to add just the right amount of acidity with just a hint of sweetness. But, you can also use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. The recipe also calls for brown sugar so the flavors will balance beautifully throughout the slow-cooking process. 
• I like to buy pineapple slices in juice and dice them myself. I like their firm, uniform texture in the prepared beef little smokies. But, this is purely a personal preference, y'all. So, go ahead and use pineapple chunks or even crushed pineapple if that's what you have on hand. It'll be okay, too. 

How to Make Beef Little Smokies

To start the recipe, dice the pineapple slices and set aside.

Then, pour all of the ingredients, except for the cocktail weiners and the pineapple, into the bottom of your electric Dutch oven or slow cooker.  

Stir until very well incorporated. 

Then, add the diced pineapple with juice and the little smokies. Stir to combine, then cover and slow-cook for 2 to 3 hours. 

And that's it, y'all!!

These beef little smokies are the belle of the snacking buffet ball!! So sweet, rich, and saucy, with a wave of spicy Creole mustard that rides from the back of your tongue to the front, creating an explosion of sassy yumminess that makes you straight reach for another one. Indeed.

Share with those who love your sweet side just as much as they adore your occasional sauciness, too. And see y'all on the yum side...

Other Amazing South Louisiana-Inspired Appetizers

If you like these beef little smokies, you'll likely want to put these other tantalizing appetizers on your must-try list, too.