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Cheesy, spicy, meaty…This easy to make smoked queso dip is the perfect game day appetizer, everyone will rave about this dip & your hosting skills!
This is a simple recipe where everything can be just thrown into a pan and stuck on the smoker for a couple hours. Then, cheesy meat goodness with a delicious smoky flavor blesses your day normally followed by a relaxing food coma.
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Video - Step by step
Why is this the best smoked queso dip?
Easy answer, it's delicious! But for real, the spicy pork sausage and rotel mixed with the cheesy flavor and creaminess of the Velveeta is a match made in heaven. Add some sautéed onions and garlic and top with cilantro, oh man, it's an irresistible appetizer.
Smokers, grills, & wood
Let's start by choosing a smoker or barbecue grill for making this smoked queso recipe.
These smokers and grills will give this dip a great flavor, you really can't go wrong with either method you choose to use.
Pellet Smokers
I'm smoking this queso dip on my wood pellet grill, just like the Camp Chef 36 smoker or Traeger 780. Wood pellet smokers are an easy and great way to impart fantastic smoke flavor and are extremely easy to use.
They operate on wood pellets and hold a very steady temperature just like an oven. No worrying about temp spikes or dips with one of these bad boys.
Offset Smokers
A traditional offset smoker is another great smoker to use and are normally less expensive than a pellet smoker.
A traditional offset smoker, like this Oklahoma Joe's Smoker is a great option to use. Though it requires a little more attention than a pellet smoker, this produces amazing flavored meat and side dishes.
Grills
Using a charcoal grill or propane grill are also a great way to make this queso dip recipe. Chances are you already have one in your backyard. I'm a big weber kettle grill fan, but a propane grill will work great as well.
Wood chips & pellets
When it comes to picking a wood, this cheese can handle some strong flavors. This is why the best wood to use is hickory or mesquite wood chips. If using a pellet grill, grab some wood pellets instead of wood chips.
Using a competition or trophy blend will also yield great results. These are normally a mix of several different hard woods.
Now that you know what you are going to use to make this amazing dip with, let's get started with the most important ingredient.... The CHEESE!
Ingredients
YUM! With so many flavorful and tasty ingredients, this smoked queso dip is the perfect appetizer when watching the big game. You won't have any leftover, I can promise you that.
- Velveeta cheese
- Sausage (Jimmy Dean Hot)
- RoTel
- Onion
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Cilantro
- Jalapenos
- Tortilla chips
How to make smoked queso dip
Simply brown the meat, draining the fat, and place into a disposable aluminum pan. Sauté the diced onion for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté another minute or so.
Add all of the ingredients into the disposable foil pan or cast iron skillet and place in a smoker or grill at 225°F. (Don't worry about mixing the ingredients together before smoking)
Smoke for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so to make sure it's all mixed up well and that smoke flavor has had a chance to really permeate the cheese dip. When finished, simply pull off the smoker and plate right away in a dip bowl, or eat straight out of the pan.
This is a great smoked cheese dip for tortilla chips. Tostito's scoops are the best chips to use with this smoked queso dip since you make sure to have a good hunk of melted cheese with each bite.
Old Pro Tips
- Use Rotel mild and Jimmy Dean regular if you DON'T want spice
- When serving, top with chopped cilantro for a nice citrusy flavor
- Add chopped jalapenos with the other ingredients for a spicier smoked queso
The cheese
I already know what some of you are going to say. "I would never use a block of Velveeta when making cheese dip". I've heard it all before and that's fine if you don't want to, but it makes a damn good smoked queso dip and REALLY helps with the texture.
When making a cheese dip, using at least 50% Velveeta or any other kind of processed cheese is good to have so the final texture is not too thick. So, mix your desired cheese with the processed stuff and let's go!
Types of cheese to use
- Velveeta
- Pepper Jack
- Monterrey Jack
- Mild Cheddar / Sharp Cheddar
- White American
I'm not using processed cheese!
Okay, stubborn about using processed cheese in your smoked queso dip? No worries, if you really want to leave it out, make sure to have a thinner to thin out that dip, you're gonna need it. The best ones to use are:
- half & half
- heavy whipping cream
- beer
- chicken stock
- cream of mushroom/chicken/onion/celery/jalapeno soup (any one will work) and yes, cream of jalapeno soup is a thing!
Where's the beef?
My favorite protein to use when making smoked queso is pork sausage, preferably Jimmy Dean Hot breakfast sausage. This is not the only protein that can be used. Another common meat in queso dip is ground beef. When using beef, season with a little salt, pepper, & garlic when browning.
Chorizo is actually a very popular ingredient when making queso dip, it has a great flavor. Other proteins such as chicken or turkey can be used as well.
Rotel
If you have never had Rotel, you must be living under a rock. This is my go to when making my smoked queso dip. They have several different flavors when it comes to the chili peppers, but the original is a great one to start with.
Fresh diced tomatoes and green chili peppers can totally be used, but opening a couple cans of this goodness is so simple and makes the prep MUCH easier. Side note, another great recipe that utilizes Rotel, King Ranch Chicken! My goodness that dish good!
Pair with these other sides
Round out this cheesy dip with a couple other great sides. These other dips will pair very well and make your dip station for the big game or party be the talk of the town.
FAQ
Yes. Ground meat, chorizo, chicken, turkey... It's all delicious in this cheese dip!
Feel free to add or take out any ingredients. Jazz it up to your liking.
Dice up 3 large tomatoes and 2 jalapenos, this will replace the rotel.
The best way to reheat this dip is to place the whole aluminum pan in the oven for 20 minutes at 300°F. If wanting a small amount, spoon some in a microwave safe dish and microwave until hot.
Adding 5oz of evaporated milk to the cheese dip will help it remain nice and creamy when it cools.
Ingredients
- 32 oz Velveeta cheese
- 1 lb Jimmy Dean hot
- 2 10oz cans RoTel
- 1 sweet onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup cilantro
- 14.5 oz bag Tostino scoops
- 2 jalapenos (optional)
Instructions
- Bring smoker up to 225°F and prepare cheese dip.
- Cut cheese into 1 inch cubes and place in a 9"x13" aluminum pan.
- Cook Jimmy Dean sausage in pan over medium high heat until cooked through. Drain fat and discard, add sausage to aluminum pan.
- Dice 1 onion and 4 cloves of garlic. Saute onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add to aluminum pan.
- Add 2 cans of rotel to the aluminum pan, not drained.
- Place aluminum pan in the smoker and smoke for 2 hours. Stir dip every 30 minutes to mix ingredients thoroughly.
- Remove from smoker and plate in dip bowl. Top with chopped cilantro. Bust out the chips and ENJOY!
Pro Tips
- Use Rotel mild and Jimmy Dean regular if you DON'T want spice
- When serving, top with chopped cilantro for a nice citrusy flavor
- Add chopped jalapenos with the other ingredients for a spicier smoked queso
Nutrition
sarah says
A new favorite!