Nothing says Independence Day celebration like a good ol’ BBQ. Sparklers, drinks, food, good friends. With that said, nothing says BBQ with friends in the South more than Lit’l Smokies®. These tiny dogs are a match made in fireworks heaven when simmered in BBQ sauce. For the start to our 4th hurrah, we toss some BBQ-glazed smokies onto a cozy, crispy bacon bed and cover it all with melted cheese and crisp, homemade coleslaw. Perfect on-the-go handheld homemade slider buns bring everything together.
[Keep visiting throughout this week for our complete July 4th party mix of recipes!]
The slider buns are just a petit, baby-buns version of my go-to Best {burger} Buns in Town recipe that was posted a bit back. Such a simple recipe! Just follow that recipe, cut slider-sized portions and reduce the baking time a bit until they are golden and delicious.
Now… Get ready for this, y’all. Bacon. Beds. Yup. I said it. Imma say it again– BACON! BEDS! While I think the lil’ smokies would lay on the buns just fine without them, I can’t possibly think of any legitimate reason to not include bacon into a recipe. I cooked the bacon over rolls of foil in a 400 F oven to get a nice wavy shape to nestle the lil’ babes into.
After the BBQ smokies, add your favorite cheese (Swiss is what I prefer… but I wouldn’t tell anyone that on the 4th) to melt over the top to create a perfect shelf for the homemade coleslaw.
The smokey dogs covered in your favorite BBQ sauce, bacon, melted cheese and crisp coleslaw combine to make the perfect BBQ/party treats. This would be awesome to have for a Serve Yourself Little Smokies Sliders Bar ™®© at your 4th party. Setup all of the different elements and let enjoy. Good friends and good food. Happy 4th, y’all!
Lit’l Smokies are Registered Trademark of Hillshire Farms.
- 1 recipes of Best {burger} Buns in Town, slider sized
- 1 bottle favorite BBQ sauce (I recommend Sweet Baby Ray's)
- 1 package Lit'l Smokies
- 16 oz package bacon
- cheese of choice
- 16 oz coleslaw mix
- ¼ to ½ red onion, diced
- ⅔ cup Miracle Whip dressing (do not substitute mayo here!)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- fresh pepper, to taste
- Bake slider buns per Best {burger} Buns in Town recipe, slider sized. Cool.
- Make coleslaw at least 1-2 hours (up to a day before) to chill before serving.
- Mix coleslaw mix and onion in container.
- In separate bowl, combine other coleslaw ingredients (sugar, oil, dressing, salt, celery seed, pepper, vinegar).
- Mix cream base with coleslaw mix and refrigerate well for minimum of 1 hour before serving.
- Warm smokies in BBQ sauce over low heat in saucepan.
- Cut slider buns and butter/toast.
- Line baking sheet with foil. Roll additional foil into rolls to drape bacon over to create very close ridges.
- Place bacon on sheet pan into cold oven and set to bake at 400 F. Bake until crispy, about 20 minutes.
- Remove and cool. Remove bacon carefully from rack when cooled.
- Place ridged bacon on slider bun base, add warm smokies with BBQ sauce, top with cheese.
- Add coleslaw on top and finish with top bun layer.
- Enjoy with friends! Visit SouthernFATTY.com for more.
What are your favorite recipes to include in your 4th cookout? Let us know below.
ALSO– Stay tuned this entire week for the rest of our 4th lineup!
This looks SO good! I think I need bacon beds on all of my foods to help the ingredients stay in place. That sounds like a necessity to me 🙂
Thanks, B– It ended up being a perfect cookout pick!
As Leah from So, How’s It Taste? put it: “I would like to nestle on a crispy bacon bed!”.
I have a feeling everything I make will be on wavy bacon from now on… I’m ok with that.
Looks mouthwatering my friend! I would use Swiss cheese as well…
Thanks! I think that was the beat choice, too. Luckily it was hidden by everything else 🙂