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Mississippi Lil Smokies are your favorite cocktail sausages slow cooked in the ever popular “Mississippi mix” of ranch seasoning, beef gravy, and pepperoncini peppers! These are a new go-to appetizer for us and they will be for you too!
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It’s no secret that I love recipes with Mississippi seasoning. If you’re unsure what that is I’m happy to explain! It’s an odd sounding but delicious and flavorful mix of ranch seasoning and Au Jus gravy mix with pepperoncini peppers.
That all gets slow cooked with meat like my classic Mississippi Pot Roast (the best dang roast!), or this Mississippi Chicken!
In this case we’re using Lil Smokies cocktail sausages and they’re going to taste amazing with all these flavors.
If you enjoy this recipe be sure to also try my Crockpot Mississippi Beef and Noodles and this Mississippi Pork Roast recipe! As you can see, we’re on a mission to Mississippi alllllll the foods! We’re not kidding when we say we’re obsessed with this combo of flavors and how easy it is to whip up.
Ingredient Notes:
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Cocktail Sausages – These irresistible little cocktail sausages actually come in a few varieties including beef, pork, and chicken, and sometimes a mix of any of those. Feel free to use whatever kind you like! We’ve even sliced polish sausage into 1 inch rounds and used that here.
Beef Gravy – We’re using the jarred beef gravy you can buy in the store. It’s really simple, no extra work involved. You could always make your own if you’re feeling extra.
Ranch Seasoning Mix – Look for ranch seasoning and NOT ranch dip mix. The dip is much saltier and you’ll notice it in the finished product.
Pepperoncini Peppers – If you’ll eat the peppers, use sliced pepperoncini peppers. If you just want the flavor of them added to the sauce, you can use whole peppers. I’m also adding about a 1/4 cup of juice from the jar. It’s going to add incredible flavor – a touch of heat with a lot of zip and tang.
What We Love About This LIL SMOKIES Recipe:
- Flavor: The beef gravy, ranch seasoning, and pepperoncini add so much flavor to this recipe and are all great for slow cooking. The gravy coating the sausages is rich, zippy, and hard to resist.
- Party Food: These are perfect as appetizers for your next party or gathering and are great for sporting events too. Lil Smokies are budget friendly and this recipe feeds a crowd.
- Easy: With just 4 ingredients, this recipe couldn’t be simpler. Whisk the sauce, dump in the crockpot with the sausages, and let it cook!
How To Make Mississippi Lil Smokies:
Gravy: In a bowl whisk together the beef gravy, packet of ranch seasoning, and juice from the jar of pepperoncini.
Combine: Add the sausages to a crockpot, pour the gravy mix and peppers over the top and give it all a good stir to coat.
Note: I’m only using a 2 quart slow cooker here. You really don’t need a full sized 5 or 6 quart crockpot to make this recipe but you can use that if it’s all you’ve got!
Slow Cook: Cover the crockpot and slow cook on low for 4 hours! Once hot, you can serve these with toothpicks as an appetizer!
What To Serve With Lil Smokies:
These Mississippi Lil Smokies make an excellent appetizer but you can also make them into a meal and serve them with the gravy over something starchy like mashed potatoes or rice.
Our Amish egg noodles make a great base for these too.
If you’d like, use a full-sized smoked sausage in place of the lil smokies and cut it into 1 inch rounds before adding to the crockpot. This makes it feel more like a dinner than an appetizer, in my opinion!
FAQ’s:
Lil Smokies are another name for cocktail sausages, or cocktail weenies. There are a few different brands you can commonly find, like Hillshire or Eckrich. There are also beef, pork, and chicken varieties.
If you’ve got leftovers you can keep them stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days. They’ll reheat quickly in the microwave.
The pepperoncini juice and peppers do add a little kick to the recipe, but it’s more of a peppery background spice than what we’d really consider a spicy hot dish. I’ve never heard anyone complain that these are too spicy for them.
MORE LIL SMOKIES RECIPES!
- Grape Jelly Lil Smokies
- Bacon Wrapped Lil Smokies
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Lil Smokies
- Lil Smokies Pigs in a Blanket
- Keto Lil Smokies
Mississippi Lil Smokies
Ingredients
- 28 ounces Lil Smokies cocktail sausages
- 12 ounces beef gravy from a jar
- 1 packet ranch seasoning mix
- ½ cup pepperoncini peppers plus ¼ cup juice from jar
Instructions
- Add the sausage to the slow cooker.
- Whisk together the gravy, ranch seasoning, and juice from the pepperoncini. Pour over the sausages and top with the peppers.
- Stir to combine and then cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
- Serve with toothpicks as an appetizer.
Joy says
I love these smokies and I am excited to try your recipe. When you send me the recipes there is no print button??? Thank You
Karly Campbell says
Hi Joy! You’ll have to print directly from the website. There isn’t an option to print from the emails we send.