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Smoked Queso

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4.5 from 2 reviews

This super simple one-pan smoked queso dip *might* be the best appetizer of the summer season. It's loaded with smoky flavor, plenty of ooey gooey cheese, and seasoned tomatoes for a delicious snack that's perfect for a backyard barbecue!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 16 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
  • (2) 10 oz. can fire-roasted Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream + more as needed
  • a couple large pinches of Kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Turn pellet grill to smoke.
  2. Add ingredients to a large cast iron skillet.
  3. Place on the grill and let it smoke for 20 minutes.
  4. Stir to combine ingredients and turn the temperature to 225 degrees.
  5. Cook for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.
  6. Season to taste with salt, serve with tortilla chips, and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

  • Shred your own cheese. Pre-shredded cheese from the grocery store is coated in cellulose to prevent it from clumping, but that also prevents it from melting well. For the best texture, buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself.
  • Start with 3/4 of a cup of heavy cream and add more as needed. I typically use an entire cup of heavy cream (especially if I'm adding in extras like beef, jalapenos, or spices) but feel free to add more or less depending on how thick or thin you prefer your cheese sauce.
  • If you're not a big fan of large pieces of tomato in your queso, add the entire contents of the can of Rotel tomatoes to a food processor and pulse until the tomatoes and chilies are well minced. Then add them to the queso!
  • Salt moderately throughout the cooking process. The ingredient list in this recipe is short and sweet and since it's not made with processed cheese product, AKA Velveeta, it's also not loaded with unnecessary sodium and preservatives. That means that you'll need to salt the dish moderately in order to boost the flavors of the entire dish. Don't worry - for as bad of a reputation as salt has, adding a few large pinches of salt to an entire cast iron skillet of cheese dip isn't going to do any harm. As with all things, moderation is key!
  • If you prefer just a slightly smoky flavor, skip the initial 20-minute smoke and just cook the dip at 225 degrees for 2 hours.
  • If you don't have a large cast-iron skillet you could make this cheese dip in a 9x13 disposable aluminum pan or another grill-safe baking dish.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/smoked-queso/