Mini Hot Dog Appetizers is a fun and easy way to serve BBQ little smokies. Create a build-your-own hot dog bar with your favorite hot dog toppings and toasted Hawaiian rolls. Perfect appetizer for the big game, holidays, and family gatherings.
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Little Smokies with Grape Jelly & BBQ Sauce is everyone's favorite appetizer. I mean, is it even a party if there aren't cocktail weenies? (No.)
So, next time you're looking for a fun new way to serve them (besides toothpicks), try turning them into mini hot dog appetizers!
Build-Your-Own Mini Hot Dog Bar
Set up the appetizer table with a slow cooker of BBQ lil smokies and hot dog fixings for a make-your-own mini hot dog bar.
Not only are mini hotdogs waaaay more fun than regular hot dogs, but they're small so you'll have plenty of room to try a bunch of different flavor combos!
Toasted Hawaiian dinner rolls are delicious with sweet and tangy lil’ smokies. They're also the perfect size to hold 1-3 mini sausages with fixings like chili, cheese, coleslaw -- you name it.
These mini hot dog appetizers are a fun twist on a classic appetizer and a great appetizer for game day, holiday parties, and birthday parties.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Perfect party appetizer for football Sundays, super bowl, and parties
Fun appetizer to make out of classic BBQ cocktail weenies
Build-your-own mini hot dog bar is super fun and customizable
BBQ Little Smokies Ingredients
Lit'l Smokies. Little smokies are fully cooked small sausages, the perfect size for these mini hot dog appetizers.
Barbecue sauce. Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce makes a delicious sauce. Use any sweet, tangy bbq sauce you love.
Grape jelly. Grape jelly mixed with BBQ sauce is a simple recipe for a fan favorite dipping sauce for cocktail franks.
Mini Hot Dog Bar Ingredient Ideas
Hawaiian rolls. Toasted King's Hawaiian Original Sweet Rolls make tasty mini hot dog slider buns.
Butter. Soften the butter to room temperature for easy spreading before toasting the rolls.
Garlic powder. Just a little bit of garlic powder sprinkled over the buns adds a contrast of flavor to the sweet rolls.
Hot dog fixings. Chili, coleslaw, shredded cheese, diced onions, pickle relish, corn chips -- set out bowls of whatever you like to put on hot dogs!
Instructions
Make the Little Smokies with Grape Jelly & BBQ Sauce. Get the full recipe and detailed instructions here.
Mix BBQ sauce and grape jelly together in a 3-quart crock pot. Add the little smokies and stir. Heat on low for 2-3 hours. Turn setting to "warm."
Toast the buns.
Separate the buns and cut slits into the tops of them. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the buns and inside the slits with softened butter, then sprinkle garlic powder on top.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until the buns are light golden brown.
Set up the fixin's bar with little bowls of all your favorite things to put on mini BBQ hotdogs ... like:
- Chili
- Coleslaw
- Beans
- Salsa
- Shredded cheese
- Pickle relish
- Guacamole
- Grilled pineapple
- Diced onions
- Sliced scallions
- Bacon crumbles
- Diced tomatoes
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Ranch dressing
- Sriracha sauce
Don't forget to add classic hot dog side dishes like potato salad, tuna macaroni salad, and baked beans.
Tip: Cutting slits into the dinner rolls to create top-sliced hot dog buns makes it easier load up the bun with a few little smokies and lots of toppings.
FAQs
Yes, cocktail sausages are fully cooked, so all you need to do is heat them up!
Yes you can. If you don't have cocktail wieners, in a pinch you can cut up hot dogs to the same size as the buns.
Top mini hot dogs with all your favorite hot dog toppings like chili, cheese, onions, pickle relish, mustard, ketchup
Recipe Essentials
A 3-quart crock pot is the perfect size for making cocktail sausages, bbq meatballs, and other warm appetizers.
These mini pastry brushes are handy to have around the kitchen. They're too stiff for delicate pastry dough, but perfect for brushing soft butter on the Hawaiian rolls and other tasks like getting citrus zest off of a microplane.
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Mini Hotdog Appetizers
Ingredients
Mini Hot Dogs
- 28 ounces Lit'l smokies (2) 14 oz. packages
- 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce
- 1 cup grape jelly
- 24 Hawaiian dinner rolls
- 1 stick softened butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Hot Dog Fixings
- Chili
- Coleslaw
- Shredded cheese
- Pickle relish
- Diced onions
- Fritos
- ... and any other hot dog toppings and condiments you love
Instructions
- Make the Little Smokies with Grape Jelly and Barbecue Sauce. Mix BBQ sauce and grape jelly together in a 3-quart crock pot. Add the little smokies and stir. Heat on low for 2-3 hours. Turn setting to "warm."
- Toast the buns. Separate the buns, cut slits into the tops of them, and arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the buns and inside the slits with softened butter, then sprinkle garlic powder on top.Bake in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes or until the buns are light golden brown.
- Set up the build-your-own mini hot dog bar. Arrange little bowls with all of your favorite hot dog fixings and let everyone have fun building their creations!
This is a great idea, Cara! Can't waait to try it!!
Thanks, Julie :). I hope you enjoy it! Cara