My Flavor-Filled Queso Recipe for Hosting
If there’s one thing my family loves, it’s chips and salsa paired with a fabulous homemade queso. Years ago I created this delicious smoked queso dip… a flavor-filled take on the traditional queso recipe. I’ve always prepared queso in a slow cooker or fondue pot for ease. For this recipe, I wanted to infuse it with a rich, smoky flavor using my grill or smoker.
While this can certainly be achieved on a charcoal grill, I find that a gas grill is much easier. To view all of my favorite grills, click here. When creating this recipe, the question was how to achieve the smoky flavor on a gas grill. The answer is enter soaked hickory wood chips! These hickory chips impart a smoky flavor to the queso that truly cannot be beat! Tiffy Tip: Use a smoker box or a foil packet to get that extra smoky goodness. I hope y’all enjoy every cheesy bite of this delicious appetizer!
To shop the kitchen essentials used to make this recipe, scroll to the “Shop the Post” section at the bottom of this blog. Make sure to check out the “Tiffy’s Tips” section for important notes! As always, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes!
Smoked Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 3 cups hickory wood chips soaked in water for 30 min
- 16 oz. cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 oz. cream cheese cubed
- 1 jalapeño pepper ribs and seeds removed, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chiles undrained
- 1 cup half and half
- ½ lb. pork sausage cooked, crumbled, and drained
Instructions
- Prepare the grill and heat to 250 degrees.
- Place soaked chips in a smoker box or foil pouch. Set box or pouch over direct heat.
- Coat the bottom and sides of a 9×13 disposable aluminum pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Layer the cheddar cheese and remaining ingredients in the pan.
- Place the pan uncovered on indirect heat. Close the grill lid and let cook for approximately 1½-2 hours or until melted, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I highly recommend using a smoker box. If your grill doesn’t have one built in, this is a great option under $35 that will give you that delicious, smoky flavor every time you grill.
- Instead of a smoker box, you can use a foil pouch filled with soaked chips. Poke a few holes in the foil to allow the smoke to escape.
- Oak, pecan, or applewood chips would also work great for this recipe.
- When grilling on indirect heat, follow grill manufacturer instructions. My grill has three heat sections. To prepare the grill, I turn all tree sections to high and allow the temperature to rise to 250. Then turn off two sections, placing the smoker box on direct heat and the queso on non-direct heat.
- The queso may appear brown on the top before stirring, that’s the flavor from the smoke. Stir occasionally, as this imparts the smoky flavor.
- I always your cheese directly from the block. I avoid using packaged pre-shredded cheese as they’re often filled with additives and preservatives.
- Ground beef is a great substitution for pork sausage.
- Grab your favorite tortilla chips and serve with my salsa and guacamole for the ultimate appetizer spread!
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