When it comes to Super Bowl, It’s the snacks or appetizers that make or break game day! We want something quick and easy yet filling too. No one wants to get up in the middle of a game and have to cook dinner!
Forget the chips and dips and the lame pretzels! Step it up a notch with two of our family’s favorite Game Day Appetizers. Each is a winner and so tasty! Which will you choose?
Introducing Team BBQ pork sliders vs Team bacon wrapped Lit’l smokies! Both are strong appetizers and easy to make. Let’s break it down!
Game day appetizers: Team BBQ Pork Sliders
The BBQ Pork sliders are an excellent choice for an appetizer turned meal while watching the Big game. You can make ahead or start the pork roast early in the day. We started our pork roast in the Crock Pot and let it cook till soft and tender.
Cooking with BBQ sauce.
Tip: If you add the BBQ sauce too early then you risk the sugars in the sauce beginning to caramelize and then burning your pork. It’s not so easy to make a nice pork slider if the outside is all burnt to a crisp!
We used Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce as our choice because it has a really nice not too sweet flavor. Get it here: https://amzn.to/3oT0Hun.
Once the pork roast is cooked, then shred the meat up well and add in your favorite BBQ sauce. Mix well.
Choosing out the buns or rolls
Next, we used King’s Hawaiian Original Sweet Rolls. The light sweetness of the rolls compliment the sweet and tangy BBQ flavored pork!
Need King’s Hawaiian Original Sweet Rolls? Get it here: https://amzn.to/3rrrVde.
We take the whole package of rolls out and slice the entire package of rolls in half. Don’t bother with separating them as we want the BBQ pork sliders to be pull apart.
There are a couple of reasons we like the pull apart aspect of these appetizers. One, it keeps the meat from drying out so fast compared to single rolls. Two, it’s much funner this way!
Slice the rolls 
BBQ pork and cheese to the rolls 
game day appetizers BBQ pork sliders
Ok, back at it. Once the rolls are cut in half, peel back the tops and then evenly spread the BBQ pork across the bottom rolls. We added shredded cheese to ours but that is up to you and your preferences.
After that, carefully place the top rolls back on and your game day appetizers are nearly ready. We placed ours into the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes to keep warm and let all the cheese melt.
When it is time to serve, simply place your BBQ pork sliders onto a plate and let everyone pull off their own sliders.
Game day appetizers: Team Bacon Wrapped Lit’l Smokies
These bacon wrapped lit’l smokies are so easy to make! We use the 13oz Cheddar Lit’l smokies and thick cut bacon. We cut the bacon strips into thirds then wrapped the bacon around each sausage before pinning it down with a toothpick.
Repeat the process and place on a cookie sheet. we like to place a strip of tin foil down to cut down on the mess factor. After that, we generously sprinkled the top of them with brown sugar. Lastly, we baked for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. We kept the toothpicks in for easier serving.
These little bacon wrapped smokies make the best game day appetizer ever. We served with ranch and bleu cheese dips.
Check out Hillshire Farms for more tips and ideas: https://www.hillshirefarm.com/
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Wrap up of our Game day appetizers
We have a lot of family that are really into football although, to be honest, we really aren’t. We live far enough out of town that it is a pain to even get internet! So we watch movies or OPB on our little TV but that is about it.
That doesn’t mean we don’t have a game day though. We have a 6 year old running around the house so everything is game on! We have to be pretty creative to stay ahead of her. Sometimes there is that Hail Mary moment where we are scrabbling to have a game and snack time and just have to go for it and pray!
We actually made both of the sliders and the bacon wrapped smokies the other day and they sure made for a meal! Not only could we still play and had snacks, we got fed and didn’t have to cook dinner!
Do you like appetizers? check out our Holiday Cheese Board which is awesome to have any time of year, or our Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board that is a great deal of fun and perfect for game day or movie night.
Have fun and be safe out there! May your favorite team win!
Love
The Morgan Sisters
Game Day Appetizers
Course: appetizers, RecipesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings25
minutes4
hours40
minutes5
hours5
minutesGame Day Appetizers include our easy to make yet filling BBQ pork sliders and our bacon wrapped Lit’l Smokies with brown sugar
Ingredients
For Shredded Pork Sliders
Pork Shoulder Roast 2-4 lbs
Garlic powder to taste
1/2 cup water
Your favorite BBQ sauce, 1-2 bottles depending on how big the roast is.
King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls ( dinner roll size, 24 ct. )
Shredded or sliced cheese, optional
For the Bacon Wrapped Lit’l Smokies
13 oz package of Little Smokies ( or more, depending on number of guests )
1/2 to 1 lb thick cut bacon, cut into 3rds
Brown sugar
Toothpicks
Directions
- For the Shredded Pork Sliders :
Place roast and water into crock pot. Season generously with garlic powder. Cook on high for about 4 hrs. Check meat, it should be pretty shreddable at this point. You can shred meat right in the crock pot, or in a large bowl, whichever is easiest. Reduce heat to warm, and coat the meat with the BBQ sauce, making sure that every morsel is coated. At this point, the shredded pork can soak in the sauce until you are ready to make the sliders. - When ready to make the sliders, preheat oven to 350 F. Have a sheet pan on standby. Cut the rolls in half across, and fold the top back. Lay the shredded pork across, as thick as you like, and add cheese if desired. Lay the top of the buns back on, and put in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese.
- For serving, place the sliders on a platter, add napkins, have a dish of pickles and some coleslaw on the side, and let people serve themselves!!
- For the Bacon Wrapped Lit’l Smokies
- Heat oven to 450 F
Take each sausage and wrap it in a piece of bacon, secure with a toothpick. Place seam side down onto a baking sheet, covered in foil. Repeat with all of the bacon and sausages you plan on using.
When the tray(s) is full, sprinkle each one with brown sugar, we didn’t measure, just a generous sprinkle. Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until bacon is done, and brown sugar is gorgeously caramelized. - To serve, simply make rows on a platter, let everyone use the toothpicks to serve themselves. We served with Ranch and Bleu Cheese for dipping. Enjoy both of these goodies!!
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Tanya Morgan 
