Slow Cooker BBQ Kielbasa Bites

Slow Cooker BBQ Kielbasa Bites are an easy, virtually foolproof, mouthwateringly good appetizer idea.

Made with just four ingredients, these smokey sausage bites are sweet and savory, making them perfect for serving at potlucks or gatherings of about any kind.

Why this slow cooker kielbasa recipe works

Slow cooker kielbasa bites are really the ultimate low-effort, high-reward appetizer idea. These bite-sized goodies are salty, sweet, and incredibly addictive.

Here is what else you will like about this recipe.

• This is basically a 'dump and cook' recipe. You simply place the ingredients into your slow cooker and let the slow cooker do the work.
• There is a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and slightly tangy flavors thanks to the sauces and grape jelly that are used to make this recipe.
• Serving these bites is as easy and placing a supply of toothpicks or small cocktail forks beside them
• Leftovers taste great the next day when served as is or as part of a meal and served over rice or noodles.

Have you tried my recipe for Crockpot Cranberry Chili Cocktail Sausages?

Made with cranberry sauce and chili sauce, those juicy bite-sized sausages have the perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors in every bite. Both this recipe for Kielbasa and that recipe for cocktail sausages are easy to make slow cooker appetizer recipes that are perfect for serving at gatherings.

Chili sauce is used in this recipe to give a nice balance to the barbecue sauce that is used. You can find a selection of chili sauces here.

What you need to make crock pot chili bbq kielbasa.

• Smoked Kielbasa. Use pre-cooked smoked kielbasa that is cut into 1-11/2" bite sized pieces.
• Barbecue Sauce. You can use the barbecue sauce of your choice. Sweet Baby Rays is a popular choice.
• Chili Sauce The chili sauce of your choice.
• Grape Jelly This is a 'secret ingredient' that perfectly balances out the other ingredients with a sweet taste.

How to Make Crockpot Kielbasa

• Prep Time 10 minutes .
• Slow Cook Time low for 4-6 hours or high for two to three hours.
• Servings 12 .
• How to serve : Serve as an appetizer in individual servings with toothpicks or cocktail forks.
• Notes: You will need a whisk and a bowl. This recipe is designed for a large slow cooker or CrockPot.

1. Prepare. If you have not done so, slice your kielbasa sausages in to bite sized pieces (about an in to an inch and a half). You can also prep your slow cooker with nonstick or use a slow cooker liner.
2. Sausages. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausages until browned. This should take just about four to five minutes with precooked sausage and about 10 minutes for uncooked sausage. Then place the browned sausages into your slow cooker.
3. Combine In a medium bowl, use a whisk to combine together the remaining ingredients (barbecue sauce, chili sauce, and grape jelly).
4. Pour Pour about half of the mixture from the bowl over the sausages, toss or stir the ingredients, and then repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.
5. Slow Cook Place the lid on the cooker and slow cook on low for four to six hours or high for two to three hours. I would stir the ingredients every half hour or so to check on them.

Tips for making the best Kielbasa

Using pre-cooked kielbasa makes this recipe even easier to make. It is a good idea to cook the sausage even if they are pre-cooked in order to create that Maillard reaction which adds a smoky crust and a "snap" to the casing that prevents the sausage from becoming mushy after hours in the sauce.

More helpful tips for you.

1. Make sure that you care slow cooking the sausage according to the indicated times (low or high) in the recipe. Overcooking the sausages will make them hard to chew and possibly break down.
2. If the sauce seems to be too thick during the last half hour of slow cooking, you can remove the lid to help thicken the sauce. To thin out the sauce you can try stirring in more barbecue sauce, beer, or even a bit of apple juice.
3. Once the sauce is thick and your sausage bites are cooked, you can set your slow cooker to the "Warm" setting. Along with occasionally stirring, this prevents the sugars in the sauce from burning to the bottom of the slow cooker.

FAQ

• How do I know when my sausages are done slow cooking. Since the sausages are already precooked, you are basically slow cooking them to meld with the flavors and textures from the sauce. Over-cooking the sausages however, can make them difficult to chew so I would stick to the cooking guidelines mentioned in the recipe.
• Can I use uncooked kielbasa? I would stick to the precooked as it makes things a lot easier in this recipe. If you do use uncooked sausage, cook it well (on the stove) and drain it well before adding it to this recipe.
• Do I have to use Grape Jelly? You can really use any flavor jelly, keeping mind that whatever flavor you choose, will affect the flavor of your sausages.

Variations.

• Make this into a 'sweet and sour' recipe by adding a can of crushed pineapple (with juice) and a tablespoon of soy sauce.
• Take this recipe up a notch by stirring in some red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
• Try this recipe with a different kind of kielbasa such as turkey kielbasa.

How to Store BBQ Kielbasa

Once the kielbasa has fully cooled it can be stored in an airtight container. When properly stored, it should keep for up to four days when refrigerated or frozen for up a few months.

You may also be interested in these slow cooker recipes.

• Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Chicken
• Slow Cooker Chorizo Queso Dip (Crockpot Recipe)
• Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken Recipe
• Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Mississippi Chicken
• Slow Cooker Velveeta Mac and Cheese
• 27 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes for Parties and Gatherings.