Smoked Queso Dip

This smoked queso dip is an easy, cheesy dip with a delicious smoky flavor. Made on the smoker, this queso dip is made with three types of cheese, ground chorizo, diced tomatoes, and green chiles. I cooked this in a 9×13 cast iron pan, but you can also use a disposable aluminum pan for easy clean-up. This dip is perfect for BBQs, Parties, and even Game Day. I just know you will love it so much.

Smoked Queso Dip with Chorizo

I have been on a quest to make a copycat recipe of the Chili’s Queso Dip for a while. The hold that dip had on me as a kid is absolutely crazy. I would order it with the bottomless chips and salsa and I swear I could eat most of it alone. Chili’s recipe most likely uses Hormel chili in it, which is tasty but I prefer to use fresh ground meat in my recipe.

In my homemade smoked queso dip recipe I use ground chorizo. Chorizo is made from pork and it has a very specific seasoning blend. If you can find ground chorizo, that would be perfect, but if you can’t, feel free to buy sausage and then remove it from the casing. Alternately, you can just season some ground pork with chorizo seasoning or taco seasoning. It is going to come out delicious no matter what.

The smoked flavor in this recipe comes from using my smoker. It is a subtle, yet delicious addition to this smoked queso dip. If you do not have a smoker, you can easily make this dip in your oven or slower cooker. If you love dips like me, check out my other dip recipes for Buffalo Chicken Dip, Jalapeno Popper Dip, and Crab Rangoon Dip.

Queso Dip with Velveeta

There are many different ways to make a great queso dip, but one ingredient is a must – Velveeta! You can go ahead and try other cheeses but nothing is going to give you the same consistency as velveeta. And if you are trying to recreate a delicious queso you ordered in a restaurant, it most likely had velveeta in it.

Here are the other ingredients I used:

• Cream Cheese – It helps mellow out the flavor of velveeta by adding fresh flavor. It is also super creamy and a cheese that everyone loves
• Mozzarella Cheese – I add this to give the consistency a real melted cheese feel. Mozzarella has a mild taste that everyone loves. You can also substitute pepper jack or monterey jack. Feel free to use more, as well!
• Chorizo – Chorizo is one of my favorite meat flavors of all time. It is not spicy, just super flavorful. It goes so well with this recipe. I also love that it is already seasoned so I just need to cook it up and add it. No need to worry about seasoning measurements, it is already perfect. My favorite brand to use is the ground chorizo by Hatfield Meats. It is a Pennsylvania based brand but I can find it in New Jersey.
• Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles – You can buy Rotel or buy this style of canned tomato from a grocery store like Trader Joe’s.
• Canned Green Chiles – These come in small cans. I only used one because I didn’t want my smoked queso dip to be suitable for kids.
• Milk – Some liquid is needed so that the queso dip does not burn when it is added to your smoker.
• Tortilla Chips – Your favorite chips!

Smoked Queso Dip on a Pellet Grill

I made this smoked queso dip on my smoker, which is an electric pellet grill. It was super easy to make and I would definitely make this again and again. It was not too spicy, as I have some people in my family who do not love spice. But, it was still super flavorful. This recipe makes a lot so I sent it with my wife to work so she could feed her coworkers. They all loved it and asked for the recipe, so I hope you all love it as much as them.

During the summer I love cooking outside on my pellet grill. It keeps the house cool, and I love that this recipe just has you dump a bunch of ingredients in a pan, put it on the grill, and wait till it heats up. This smoked queso dip is perfect to make for a summer bbq, potluck, or birthday party. The dip is so cheesy, has a delicious smoky flavor, which just a slight spicy kick!

How to make Queso Dip on a Smoker

INGREDIENTS  

• 2 lbs Velveeta cubed
• 12 oz Cream Cheese block
• 8 oz Mozzarella Cheese Monterey Jack Cheese can also be used
• 1.5 lbs Ground Chorizo If you are using another type of ground meat, you should season it while you cook it.
• 20 oz Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 4 oz Canned Green Chiles Can substitute jalapeños for more spice
• Tortilla Chips for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Preheat your smoker to 250F. I like to preheat it to 300F and then change it to 250F when I am ready to put the food on the smoker because the temperature drops when I open the lid.
• Cook your chorizo. Once is it browned and fully cooked, set it aside.
• Cube the Velveeta and Mozzarella Cheese into 1” cubes.
• Add all of your ingredients to a 13×9 cast iron baking dish or disposable aluminum pan. 
• Cook for 1 and a half hours on the smoker, stirring every 30 minutes. 
• Serve with Tortilla Chips!