• by Danielle Oster , October 23, 2023

Hillshire Farms’ Litl’ Smokies brand of smoked cocktail sausages is commemorating its 40th anniversary with a celebratory campaign.

The Tyson Foods-owned subsidiary partnered with “Top Chef” winner Kelsey Barnard Clark for a recipe contest inviting consumers to share creative recipes featuring the diminutive links.

The brand is also going small in celebration of the compact charcuterie, throwing a Lit’l Smokies Lit’l Cocktail Lounge party in the Big Apple.

Living up to its name, the branded lounge measures a mere 60 square feet. And this lounge isn’t serving up mixed drinks, but instead supplanting the usual cocktails with, what else, cocktail sausage links. It’s the “lit’lest lounge in America’s largest city,” according to the brand, and features just one table.There will be 40 reservations available for the pop-up event’s two day opening on Nov. 7 and 8 at 221 W.29th Street

Interested home cooks can enter the Lit’l Smokies contest through Oct. 29 by sharing photos of their Lit’l Smokies-centered creations on Instagram. Hillshire Farm brand representatives will evaluate entries based on recipe creativity, presentation, “perceived taste appeal,” and to what degree the recipe prominently centers the small sausage celebrating its big anniversary. The brand will select three winners, who will each receive $3,000 and a chance to have their recipe featured on the menu for the upcoming Lit'l Smokies Lit'l Cocktail Lounge event.

"Growing up, Lit'l Smokies cocktail links were always a staple at holiday parties or celebrations, but they're typically prepared in the same few ways," Clark said in a statement. "This contest challenges home chefs to unleash the versatility of Lit'l Smokies cocktail links.”