The Ultimate Easy Smoked Queso Dip brings all the things you love about a great appetizer into a zesty, delicious, smoky, and cheesy dip. If the words spicy, queso, Tex-Mex, bacon, corn chips, sausage, and melted cheese send you into sensory overload, this best-ever smoked queso dip recipe is calling your name.
Just the thing to begin a backyard cookout, potluck dinner, a game-day party, or even a fun Cinco de Mayo party, smoked queso on the grill or smoker will spice up any get-together. Cooked in a cast-iron skillet, it is brimming with not one but two kinds of cheese, creamy Velveeta cheese, and pepper-jack cheese, for an extra kick.
A can of Rotel ramps up the spice quotient, and a package of hot breakfast sausage rounds everything out and provides even more flavor with another touch of heat.
Like my other make-ahead cheesy dip recipes, Hot and Cheesy Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip, Easy Cheesy Hot Corn Dip with Rotel and Jalapenos, Easy Mardi Gras Hot Muffuletta Dip, and Easy Make-Ahead Buffalo Chicken Dip, I’ve included easy step-by-step instructions. For this smoked cheese dip recipe, I’ve also included a short “how-to” video.
Ingredients – here’s what you will need:
- Velveeta cheese – is a processed cheese product with a checkered past. Whether you are a fan or not, Velveeta, called “liquid gold” in some circles, is creamy and velvety when melted, making it the perfect base for this recipe. Cheddar cheese, on the other hand, tends to taste a little grainy when melted. Velveeta and Rotel came together in the ’70s to make the first queso dip and, as they say, it was and still is a “marriage made in heaven.”
- Pepper-Jack cheese – is made with Monterey Jack cheese, chilies, peppers, and spices. It adds more creamy, cheesy deliciousness, plus additional heat.
- Breakfast sausage – is a ground sausage, made with ground pork and heavily flavored with spices. I like to use “hot,” but if you want to tone down the heat, “regular” works just fine. Common substitutions include ground beef, Italian sausage, ground chicken or turkey, and chorizo sausage.
- Bacon – a relative newcomer to the queso party, adds a smoky flavor to this dip and is a “must-have” in this recipe.
- Diced tomatoes and green chilies – Velveeta’s original partner in the first queso dip recipes is another essential component and a zesty addition. The most common brand is Rotel, and it adds great flavor and color to this dip.
- Green chilies – just because I couldn’t leave well enough alone, I like to add even more green chilies to provide a bit more flavor and heat. I usually buy the “mild” flavor, but if you like a lot of heat, feel free to use “hot.”
- Jalapeno pepper – is used as a garnish to add a pop of color to a sea of orange cheese.
Directions – here’s how to make it:
- Prepare your grill for smoking following the manufacturer’s instructions and preheat it to 250 degrees. If you are using a Big Green Egg, add a layer of charcoal, then add a handful of wood chips or a chunk or two of wood. Add another layer of charcoal and light the fire. Preheat the Egg to 250 degrees F. Add the plate-setter legs up, then the cooking grid.
- While your grill is heating up, heat a large cast-iron skillet on the stove, over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the chopped bacon. Spread it out evenly and let it brown and render some of its fat. This should take about seven minutes. The bacon will not be fully cooked at this point.
- Add the sausage and partially break it up. Let it cook undisturbed for about five minutes. Use a spatula and flip it over and continue breaking it up into small pieces. Let it cook an additional five minutes undisturbed and repeat. Continue cooking until it is browned and thoroughly cooked.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and pour out the sausage and bacon onto a paper towel to drain as much grease as possible. Use additional paper towels to blot the top of any excess grease.
- Add the sausage and bacon back to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Add the Velveeta and pepper jack cheese, the diced tomatoes and green chilies along with juice, and the canned chilies with juice and stir to combine.
- Continue stirring until the cheese melts.
- Place the skillet on the grill over indirect heat and close the lid. Plan to smoke it for about one hour and stir it halfway through.
- Remove the skillet from the grill, garnish with the chopped jalapeno, and serve the smoked queso immediately while still hot, with sturdy corn chips or tortilla chips for dipping.
Frequently asked questions:
I used chunks of oak to smoke this dip. I prefer to use chunks because they last longer than chips. Oak is in the milder category of smoking woods and is similar to apple, pear, or pecan. Hickory and mesquite are much stronger, and I think they might overpower the flavors in the dip.
Smoked Queso is delicious when served with corn or tortilla chips for dipping. It does have a thick and chunky consistency, so be sure to choose a sturdy chip that can scoop it up without breaking.
I like to serve it with chips as an appetizer when I serve other Tex-Mex or Southwestern-style foods such as my Simple Four Cheese Quesadilla, Walking Taco Casserole, Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey Lime Dressing, Spicy Blackened Shrimp Tacos, Tequila Lime Chicken Enchiladas, or Sizzling Steak Fajitas. Of course, you can’t go wrong serving an Ultimate Frozen Margarita or two either.
If you are looking for other ideas, Smoked Queso Dip is versatile and can be used as a topping for burgers, tacos, and pulled pork nachos. It can also be added to chili to make chili con queso or added to macaroni to make a southwestern-style mac and cheese.
If there is any downfall to this delicious dip, it congeals and forms a solid mass when it cools. This means it has to be kept warm for easy dipping. Because it starts and smokes in a cast-iron skillet, one easy fix is to serve it on a hot plate or portable electric burner.
Alternatively, you can keep it warm by transferring it to a chafing dish, an electric fondue pot, or a small crockpot or slow cooker.
Queso literally means “cheese” in Spanish, and true to its name, this smoked queso dip is a cheese lover’s dream. The combination of Velveeta and Pepper Jack cheese is wonderful, but if you want to try something more authentic, look for these melting Mexican cheeses: Oaxaca, Manchego, Quesadilla, Asadero, or Chihuahua.
If you would like to make Queso Blanco, substitute white American cheese, or white Velveeta. If your dip is too thick, add a little milk.
To make Queso Fundido, use Queso Asadero plus some grilled poblano and red bell peppers.
Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for four to five days. I don’t recommend freezing it because it will change the texture.
To reheat leftovers, place them in a small saucepan over low heat. Be sure to stir the mixture constantly while it is reheating to keep the cheese from burning or scorching. You can also reheat this dip in a crockpot or slow cooker.
What sets this smoked dip apart from other queso dips is the addition of bacon. Also, instead of cooking it on the stove, it is smoked low and slow to perfection in a cast-iron skillet over smoldering chunks of oak. Bacon and smoking give this dip an incredible layer of smoky goodness that makes it simply irresistible.
If you don’t have a grill or smoker, you can make smoked queso dip in a saucepan on the stove, in the oven, or in a crockpot or slow cooker. The addition of bacon in this recipe gives it a bit of a smoky taste, but if you want more, add a one-eighth teaspoon of liquid smoke. Be sure not to go overboard with the liquid smoke, a little goes a long way.
Sharon’s tips:
- This recipe, as written, is spicy and has a kick. If you would like to reduce the heat, substitute regular breakfast sausage for hot. You can also substitute Monterey Jack or gouda cheese for the Pepper Jack cheese. In addition, be sure to use “mild or regular” diced tomatoes and green chilies instead of “original” or “hot.”
- To make this recipe vegetarian, simply leave out the bacon and sausage.
- If your dip is too thick, add a bit of evaporated milk, regular milk, or cream.
- If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, you can always use a sturdy disposable aluminum pan to smoke your dip.
- I use a Big Green Egg for smoking, but any Kamado Joe type smoker or any kind of gas, charcoal, or pellet grill with a lid, such as Traeger, works great too. Just follow your manufacturer’s instructions for smoking and maintain the temperature at 250 degrees F. and you are in business.
- If you are looking for a little variety, add a block of cream cheese to the mix. Sauteed bell peppers and onions would also be a nice addition.
More recipes with cheese:
If you love cheese as I do, you might also like these highly-rated, savory recipes that also feature cheese:
- Easy Southern Cheese Grits Casserole
- Crispy Cheesy Southern Cheese Crackers
- Old Fashioned Pimento Cheese
- Southern Cheesy Corn Pudding
- Cauliflower Cheese Bake
- Southern Baked Mac and Cheese
- Homemade Easy Cheesy Texas Toast
More smoked recipes:
If you like foods cooked on the grill or smoked, you might like these popular recipes:
- Smoked Chicken Thighs with Peach Barbecue Sauce
- Smoked Burgers
- Smoked Baked Beans
- Smoked Sweet Potatoes
- Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
If you need more ideas or recipes, you can find all of my recipes cooked on a grill or smoker here.
★★★★★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give it a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones; I hope you come back soon!
The Ultimate Easy Smoked Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon chopped
- 1 pound breakfast sausage hot
- 1 pound Velveeta processed cheese cut into cubes
- 4 ounces shredded pepper-jack cheese
- 10 ounces diced tomatoes and green chilies with juice, I use Rotel, "original"
- 4 ounces chopped green chilies with juice, I use "mild"
- 1 jalapeno seeds removed and finely chopped.
Instructions
- Prepare your grill for smoking following the manufacturer’s instructions and preheat it to 250 degrees. If you are using a Big Green Egg, add a layer of charcoal, then add a handful of wood chips or a chunk or two of wood. Add another layer of charcoal and light the fire. Preheat the Egg to 250 degrees F. Add the plate-setter legs up, then the cooking grid.
- While your grill is heating up, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the chopped bacon. Spread it out evenly and let it brown and render some of its fat. This should take about seven minutes. The bacon will not be fully cooked at this point.
- Add the sausage and partially break it up. Let it cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Use a spatula and flip it over and continue breaking it up into small pieces. Let it cook an additional five minutes undisturbed and repeat. Continue cooking until it is browned and thoroughly cooked.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and pour out the sausage and bacon onto a paper towel to drain as much grease as possible. Use additional paper towels to blot the top of any excess grease.
- Add the sausage and bacon back to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Add the Velveeta and pepper jack cheese, the diced tomatoes and green chilies along with the juice, and the canned chilies with juice and stir to combine. Continue stirring until the cheese melts.
- Place the skillet on the grill and close the smoker. Plan to smoke it for about one hour and stir it halfway through.
- Remove the skillet from the grill, garnish with the chopped jalapeno, and serve it immediately while still hot with sturdy corn chips or tortilla chips.
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