Smoked queso is a game-day dip you build in one pan and let the smoker do the rest. Melty cheese, cooked sausage, tomatoes and chiles pick up a light smoke as they melt together. Serve it hot with tortilla chips.
The recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb processed American-style cheese (such as Velveeta), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 oz pepper jack, cubed
- 1 lb ground breakfast sausage or chorizo
- 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, with juice
- 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1–2 jalapeños, diced (seeds removed for less heat)
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp all-purpose BBQ rub, or 1/2 tsp chili powder plus 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for serving
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Steps
- Preheat your smoker to 225–250°F with a mild wood like pecan, apple or cherry.
- Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks, until no pink remains and it reaches 160°F. Add the onion and jalapeño for the last 3–4 minutes.
- Drain the extra fat from the sausage.
- Put the cheese cubes in a 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet or a disposable foil pan. Add the cooked sausage mixture, the tomatoes with their juice, the green chiles, milk and BBQ rub.
- Set the pan on the smoker uncovered and smoke for 1–1 1/2 hours.
- Stir every 20 minutes so the cheese melts evenly and the smoke reaches all of it.
- The queso is ready when it's fully melted, smooth and bubbling at the edges. Stir in a splash more milk if it's too thick.
- Top with cilantro and serve hot with tortilla chips. Use heat-safe gloves to move the hot pan.
Why this works
Processed cheese like Velveeta is the secret to queso that stays smooth and doesn't split. Mixing in some pepper jack adds real cheese flavor and a little kick. The tomatoes, chiles and milk loosen it up so it dips well. A teaspoon of our all-purpose BBQ rub ties it all together. Because everything goes in already cooked, the smoker only needs to melt it and add flavor.
Always brown the sausage fully before it goes in the pan. The smoker runs too low to safely cook raw meat inside a pan of cheese.
Best wood
Cheese soaks up smoke quickly, so stick with mild woods. Pecan, apple and cherry are great choices. Hickory or mesquite can taste bitter in a dip. See the wood pairing chart for more options. On an electric smoker, a small handful of wood chips is plenty.
How to tell it's done
There's no target meat temperature here since the sausage is already cooked. Look for cheese that's fully melted with no lumps, and edges that bubble. If you're reheating leftovers, warm the queso until it's steaming hot all the way through, about 165°F.
Make ahead and storage
Brown the sausage up to 2 days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Leftover queso keeps in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. Reheat it in a pan over low heat or in the microwave, stirring often and adding a splash of milk.
Variations
Brisket queso: swap the sausage for 2 cups of chopped smoked brisket.
Veggie: skip the meat and add a can of drained black beans and 1 cup of corn.
Extra spicy: use hot sausage, keep the jalapeño seeds and add 1/4 tsp cayenne.
Gear for this recipe
- A cast-iron skillet or disposable foil pan
- A pair of heat-resistant BBQ gloves for moving the hot pan
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