Smoked Queso is the ultimate party dip with a delicious smoky flavor made with breakfast sausage or cooked ground beef and Velveeta cheese. Smoked Queso Dip is easy to make and versatile enough to pour over nachos or use as a cheese dip for tortilla chips or fresh veggies. Regardless of how you use it, this classic smoked cheese dip is the perfect appetizer to share with friends for any occasion.
The Best Smoked Queso Dip
This Smoked Queso recipe marries the richness of Velveeta cream cheese with the smokiness of smoked gouda cheese. If gouda isn’t your favorite, try it with Monterey Jack Cheese, Pepper Jack Cheese, or a classic Cheddar Cheese.
The smooth, cheesy texture paired with the rich and smoky flavor of smoked meat is a game changer, sure to be your next favorite cheese dip. Once you try it, this smoked queso dip recipe will become a staple in your household. The best part? It can be whipped up in under an hour!
This delicious dip was originally made by Meat Church BBQ. The Meat Church Smoked Queso is part of a series of easy recipes that contain simple ingredients you can substitute if you want to add your own flair.
How To Make Smoked Queso Dip
Step 1: Preheat The Smoker
Prepare your pellet smoker or charcoal grill to 350°F/176°C, using oak, mesquite, or hickory wood chips for best results.
Since the cheesy queso dip won’t be in the smoker for long, a stronger wood chip flavor is best for this recipe, adding incredible flavor.
Step 2: Cook The Meat
For this recipe, any pork sausage or breakfast sausages will do. You can choose to cook spicy chorizo, venison, Jimmy Dean sausage, ground beef, or any other ground meats you prefer.
For this recipe, we’ll be using two tubes of hot breakfast sausage.
Cook your chosen meat on medium heat until fully cooked. Be sure to drain the excess fat off as best you can to prevent creating an overly fatty cheesy queso. For an even smokier flavor, cook your meat in the smoker prior to making this queso dip recipe!
If you prefer vegetarian queso, you can skip this step, though it will affect the overall flavor of the dish.
Step 3: Prepare Gouda & Velveeta Cheese
You can’t have a true TexMex queso without a block of Velveeta cheese! Though other cream cheeses can be used, a Velveeta cheese dip is considered superior for cheesy queso recipes so we do recommend finding the real deal if possible.
When it comes to gouda, any smoked variety works really well for this dish.
Prepare your cheeses by cutting your Velveeta into 1″ slices, and your smoked gouda into 1″ cubes. Having your cubed cheese in consistent sizes will help to ensure the dish is fully melted.
Step 4: Add Cheese
Add your cheese into the cast iron skillet, or any fire-safe cooking dish, containing the meat and mix slightly to combine the ingredients.
Step 5: Add Soup
Next, you will begin adding your canned ingredients, starting with your soup. This recipe calls for a Cream of Jalapeno soup, but any “cream of” variation will do. If you opt for a different creamy soup variety, consider adding spicy jalapeños to your dish to give it it’s signature kick.
Adding cream of jalapeno soup not only adds great flavor to your queso dip but also helps to thin out the texture for that traditional queso consistency.
Step 6: Add Tomatoes
The simplest ingredient for this step is adding two cans of Rotel diced tomatoes, though any tomato component will do. Rotel tomatoes are canned tomatoes with green chiles, so if you can’t find the Rotel brand, any canned tomatoes will do. Though, in our opinion, nothing beats a good Rotel cheese dip.
Another substitution for Rotel tomatoes is Pico de Gallo. This would be an excellent substitution, making your dip feel like it came from a local Mexican restaurant.
Step 7: Add Seasonings
Now it’s time to add your seasonings. We recommend the Meat Church seasonings Holy Voodoo or their Holy Cow seasoning for best results, but you can substitute this with a spicy cajun BBQ seasoning of your choice.
Step 8: Mix Thoroughly
Once you’ve added all of your ingredients, it’s time to give it a really thorough mix using your wooden or cooking spoon.
As you cook your queso, all of the flavors will start to blend together, so you want to make sure everything is combined thoroughly so it cooks evenly.
Step 9: Cook For 45 Minutes
It’s time to start smoking queso!
Place your smoked queso on the grill in the smoker for around 45 minutes for an ultimate smoky flavor. You’ll want to stir the dip every 15 minutes to help combine the ingredients and ensure that the edges don’t burn.
You will know the queso is cooked when it turns into a thick, smooth mixture with the perfect dipping consistency.
If you’d like a little extra flavor, add half of your cilantro garnish to the mixture 5 minutes before the queso has finished cooking and stir in.
Step 10: Cool & Garnish
Once your queso has finished in the smoker, take it out and allow it to cool for a few minutes. The goal is to have a warm dip that is cool enough not to burn anyone!
You can garnish your queso dip however you like, though we recommend sprinkling cilantro on top and serving with a healthy dollop of sour cream in the center.
Step 11: Serve & Enjoy!
Now for the best part, enjoying the most delicious smoky flavor from your homemade queso dip! Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer for any BBQ party or gathering coming up.
If you’re looking for more dip recipes, we highly recommend this Smoked Trout Dip!
Related Recipes
- Smoked Trout Dip
- Smoked Cream Cheese Recipe
- Smoked Pork Sausage
- Smoked Beef Sausage
- Smoked Turkey Sausage
Smoked Queso Recipe
Equipment
- Smoker Pellets (oak, mesquite or hickory wood)
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Medium cast iron skillet or 14″ dutch oven
- 1 Wooden/stirring spoon
Ingredients
- 2 lbs block of Velveeta cream cheese
- 16 ounces smoked gouda cheese
- 2 tubes of hot breakfast sausage (or ground beef)
- 2 cans of Rotel (chopped tomatoes or homemade Pico de Gallo)
- 1 can of Cream of Jalapeño soup (or Cream of Mushroom/Cream of Chicken)
- 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
- 2 tbsp Holy Voodoo seasoning (or Holy Cow)
- 1/3 tbsp Sour cream for garnishing
Instructions
- Prepare your smoker to 350°F/176°C.
- Cook breakfast sausage or ground beef in a dutch oven/skillet & thoroughly drain fat.
- Slice Velveeta into 1″ slices and gouda into 1″ cubes.
- Add cheese to the meat in the dutch oven/skillet.
- Add Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Jalapeño soup.
- Add diced tomatoes (Rotel) or homemade Pico de Gallo.
- Add Meat Church Holy Voodoo or Holy Cow seasoning.
- Mix all ingredients thoroughly together.
- Place dutch oven in smoker for 45 minutes, mixing regularly.
- Once done, allow the queso to cool slightly before adding garnish.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Smoked Queso FAQs
How Long Do You Smoke Queso In A Smoker?
Typically queso should cook for a minimum of 45 minutes to ensure the ingredients have melted together and the flavors have infused into the mixture. Once your mixture has a smooth, thick creamy texture, it’s ready.
How Do You BBQ Chorizo Queso?
If you want a slight variation for your queso, add BBQ’d chorizo to your mixture. Chorizo adds a smoky, spicy taste to your queso dip. Use all the same ingredients and steps as explained in the Smoked Queso Dip recipe.
How Do You Thin Out Smoked Queso?
If your smoked queso dip is a little too thick for your liking, there are a few options for thinning it out. Add beer to your mixture before you start cooking, or stir in the milk whilst the mixture is still cooking.
What Is Texas Queso?
Queso, formally known as Chile con Queso is the unofficial dish of Texas. You’ve got Mexican flavors with a Texan twist that you can easily make at home for a great-tasting snack. Traditionally involving cheese and chili peppers, there are many variations to make this classic dip even better.