Smoked Queso Dip – a kicked up version of your favorite cheese dip with TONS of great flavor. Cheese dip loaded with sausage, spicy jalapeños and a delicious smoky flavor from cooking on the grill. Great dip for cookouts, camping, parties, and tailgating in the Fall.
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Pin This RecipeSmoked Cheese Dip on the Grill
I saw this idea floating around on Facebook earlier this summer and was intrigued! Velveeta queso slow-cooked on the grill. I love queso and I love grilling, so I had to give it a try. O-M-YUM! This was delicious! TONS of smoky flavor from the wood chips in the grill. Most of all, this was a lot of fun to make. It is perfect for cookouts, camping, and tailgating in the Fall. Grab a few beers and start grilling and chillin’.
How to Make Smoked Queso on the Grill
This cheese dip is super easy to make. Here is what we used:
- Hot Jimmy Dean Sausage
- Pickled jalapeños
- Velveeta cheese
- Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles (mild, regular, or hot)
- Minced garlic
- Onion – dried or fresh
- Mexican cheese blend
- Milk, beer, broth, or water
- Disposable aluminum pan or large cast iron skillet
- Wood chips
- Charcoal grill, Big Green Egg, Traeger Grill, or Electric Smoker
To make the dip, just dump everything in a disposable aluminum pan and pop it on the grill.
The main thing you need to make this queso is a grill and some wood chips. I used hickory wood chips. I soaked them in water for 30 minutes before starting the grill. One cup of wood chips will last for about 20 minutes. We periodically added some to the grill when we stirred the dip.
We use a charcoal grill at our house. Setting up a charcoal grill for smoking is super easy. Light the coals, when the coals are ready, place them on one side of the grill. Place some of the wood chips on top of the coals. Place the pan of dip on the side without the coals to cook it with indirect heat.
This queso is even easier to make on your Big Green Egg or Traeger Grill. Just set the temp to about 350ºF and let the smoker melt the cheese and add a ton of amazing flavor.
How to Make Smoked Queso Without a Grill
Don’t have a grill? No problem! You can make this dip in the slow cooker, in the microwave, or on the stovetop. I suggest adding ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke to the mixture to give the dip the smoky flavor.
Queso Dip is Great for a Crowd
The first time we made this dip Chicken Legs said “This would be great for parties and tailgating!”. I couldn’t agree more. Heck, making this dip is a party in itself. Everyone can gather around the grill and enjoy a cold adult beverage while the dip is cooking. This Smoked Queso Dip has quickly become a favorite at our get-togethers.
While you could make a meal out of this yummy cheese dip, you probably want a few other things to eat at your party. Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this yummy dip:
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Smoked Queso
Ingredients:
- 2 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
- 2 lb breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
- 1 (8-oz) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 2 (10-oz) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
- 1 cup pickled jalapeño slices
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp minced onion flakes
- ½ cup milk or beer
- 3 cups hickory wood chips, soaked for 30 minutes
Instructions:
- Place all ingredients except wood chips in a 9×13-inch disposable aluminum pan.
- Prepare grill. Place charcoal in a charcoal starter and light. When the coals start to turn gray, dump into the grill, placing all the coals to one side. Top the hot coals with some of the wood chips. Place the pan with the dip on the side of the grill without coals. Close grill.
- Cook the queso for 30 to 45 minutes, up to several hours, stirring periodically and adding wood chips to the top of the coals every 20 minutes. Add milk or beer to queso as it cooks to reach the desired consistency.
- Serve the dip with chips and veggie slices.
Notes:
Steph
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Can I make this on blackstone griddle
How much liquid smoke would you recommend?
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon? A little goes a long way. Add some and taste it after it melts. Add more if you want. You don’t want it to overpower the dip.
Excellent dip. I coarsely chop the pickled jalapenos, and use fresh onion and garlic. This makes a VERY LARGE amount of dip. I froze half and warmed it in a slow cooker, it was just as good as freshly made, and received rave reviews and requests for the recipe.
Do you brown the sausage before adding it to the pan with the rest of the ingredients
YES – 2 lb breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
How long do you cook it in a slow cooker?
Is there any safe way to can this? This is my favorite recipe on my smoker and it makes a lot, so I would love to be able to put it into mason jars and seal it up. Is that possible or is the dairy content of this unsafe to preserve?
SO, I did a quick google search and it does look like you are able to can Velveeta cheese dip. Let us know if you try it!
Can you give advice on a cheese to replace Velveeta not my favorite cheese
Any changes and substitutions would be up to you.
Can this be cooked in the oven? What temp and time do you recommend if so?
Maybe try 350ºF and cook it until it is melted – you’ll just have to check it.
Worked perfect in my small portable masterbuilt propane smoke. This will definitely be an addition to my tailgating food items. I did add hot jalapeños made by meritza and I diced them up a bit to spread the flavor as I like a little more heat. I do want to try 1lb hot sausage and 1lb chorizo next time. Also, I did not need additional liquid, but I think with higher heat, you might. GREAT RECIPE!!!
When you cook this in a slow cooker should you use the low or high setting?
Either is fine. Just depends on how much time you have.
What is the difference I taste or texture using beer vs milk?
This makes so much, would it freeze?
I don’t know about freezing queso. I’ve never done it. You can always cut the recipe in half.
Sounds yummy!! BTW, what is the name of that finger nail polish? I see you wear it all the time and I love it!!
I wear two that are similar – gel polish DND Pinky Star and for the dip powder version I wear Kiara Sky Tahitian Princess
Doing this on our pitboss grill. Thinking HARD about doing a version using boudain 🙂
I think my favorite kind of foods are mexican and cajun and i absolutely love mixing everything
I love!