Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies

Ingredients

1 pound Li'l Smokies
12 ounces, weight Center-cut Bacon
FOR THE GLAZE:
⅓ cups Brown Sugar
¼ cups Maple Syrup (the Real Stuff)
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
A Small Pinch Of Cayenne (optional)
Toothpicks

Empty the little smokies onto a paper towel and pat them dry. 

Place the little smokies on a cookie sheet, single layer, and put in the freezer for 30 minutes. 

Lay the bacon out on a cookie sheet in a single row and place in the refrigerator.  This will help the smokies and bacon roll up.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a rimmed cookie sheet pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Make the glaze by whisking together the brown sugar, maple syrup, mustard, and cayenne (if using). Whisk the mixture well to ensure that the larger pieces of brown sugar have broken up.

Wrap a piece of bacon around each smokey, pressing firmly on the final edge of the bacon to better ensure it does not spring open during baking. Try not to stretch the bacon when wrapping the sausages. Place the bacon-wrapped smokies onto the foil-lined sheet pan, seam side down. Continue with the rest of the bacon and smokies.

Using a spoon, put a little bit of the thick glaze on top of each bacon-wrapped smokey, trying to coat each one evenly. You should have just enough glaze to do the entire batch.

Bake the smokies for about 35 minutes or until they are lightly brown on top. Immediately transfer the smokies to a serving plate or a slow cooker set on low to keep warm.

Recipe courtesy of Cooking Ventures at http://cookingventures.blogspot.com.  The picture is from Tasty Kitchen.