Best Smoked Queso Dip with Meat

Smoked queso dip on Traeger or Green Mountain turns out great. This queso dip with meat is an easy Traeger recipe perfect as a Super Bowl appetizer, or for your family on the weekend.

Traeger Queso Dip

There are many brands of pellet grills out there to use but you could make this as an electric version as well. We have had both throughout the years and they both work great for this dish. If you are having a party it is something easy you can throw together, stir, melt and serve to a crowd.

Smoked Queso Dip with Meat

It is one of my favorite Traeger appetizers because it isn’t very expensive when you have a lot of people over. It’s ALWAYS a hit too. From kids to adults and elders down the line there isn’t anyone who has tried this and hasn’t been wowed. Give it a whirl and let us know what you and your buddies think!

To get your meats absolutely perfect we have this printable meat smoking chart to refer to so each and every time it will be fork tender.

Queso Dip in Smoker

There are several variations I have made using the base of cheese + chiles or roasted jalapenos + tomatoes and half and half. Beyond that you should use your favorite add ins. Diced bell peppers is great, chives, green onions, yellow onions diced, and precooked meat is great. Meat free works too if you’d rather.

Ingredients

• 1 lb sausage ground, or ground beef, precooked
• 8 oz pepper jack cheese, cheddar cheese, and a block of monterey jack cheese
  • other choices would be a smoked cheese like gouda, cream cheese or gruyere
  • you could use Velveeta cheese which would melt faster but is processed and isn’t quite as good
  • there are lactose free cheese blends out there you can use if necessary, doesn’t melt nearly as well though
• 2/3 c half and half or almond milk for dairy free cheese dip
• Jalapeno is optional for heat, remove the seeds to tone it down and dice it up small
• 4 oz can of diced green chiles
• 3 tomatoes diced, or use a can of Rotel
• 8 scallions diced are great
• 1 tbsp minced garlic and cilantro fresh, diced
• 1/2 diced bell pepper, any color you like

You will have to prep the produce by dicing it into small pieces and brown the ground sausage or lean ground beef. OR use half and half, I like Jimmy Dean spicy sausage (half a roll) because it adds a ton of spices and a bit of heat. I use the same ingredients for oven baked queso dip with meat.

What is the best cheese to make queso dip?

As far as the cheeses go it is best to slice the block into a bit thinner slices just to allow it to melt more evenly. Timing may vary depending on how thick yours are but 2-3 hours is about right for the most part. If you aren’t ready to enjoy it once it is ready you can sit it in your oven, or turn your smoker off, leave covered and it will be just fine for a while.

How to Cook Queso Dip on a Smoker

• Cook ground beef or sausage in a pan until browned, drain grease. Chop scallions, tomatoes, red pepper, and jalapeno pepper.
• Place these and all other ingredients listed into a disposable aluminum foil pan.
• Brush grate clean and place aluminum foil over base of smoker to help keep it clean.
• Fill the container with wood chips of your choice, we like Hickory.
• Set smoker to smoke setting, set temperature to 250° F.
• Place aluminum foil pan on smoker grate so it can soak in some of the smoke flavor.
• Smoke for 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hrs. 45 minutes.
  • Stir periodically as cheese melts to incorporate all of the ingredients together.

Can you use velveeta instead of cheddar cheese?

You can make this with all canned goods like our Velveeta sausage dip Rotel this same way, or in a slow cooker inside the house. In both variations it will just take less time because it is already softened and what you are waiting for is everything to melt and meld together.

What do you serve with queso dip?

There are several things you can serve on the side of this Traeger cheese dip to scoop this yumminess up like; I love bagel chips, pita chips, you could make some bruschetta toast or tortilla chips are a given. Set the pan on a trivet on your buffet table for game day or transfer it into a slow cooker on warm.

Can you use a cast iron skillet on a smoker?

Another way you can serve this smoked cheese dip would be to transfer it to 2 cast iron skillets. If you heat them in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes and take them out once this is done they’ll be warmed. Set them on trivets with this inside and it looks a lot “cooler” than this aluminum pan. Of course then you’re adding to the clean up but whatever….

You could make more than one of these with tweaks so there are a few to choose from. 2-3 should fit on the grates depending on how large your machine is at home. Other smoked queso recipe variations you could make might be;

Variations

• Use leftover chicken as the meat, add a packet of taco sauce and make it a Mexican type of appetizer.
• You could make it more like our Rotel shrimp dip with defrosted cocktail shrimp and diced up imitation or canned crab.
• Make a really spicy one like our dairy free buffalo chicken dip using shredded rotisserie from the store = no real prep if you use already cooked.

Smoked Rotel Queso Dip

And of course you can change it up with the “dippers” on the side too. Give or take each tray usually costs about twenty bucks to make and easily pleases around 10 guests. SO overall it is a really cheap football party food that can be left out for quite some time. If moved into a Crockpot on warm it will stay even longer and can be warmed up the next day too.

Can You Freeze Cheese Dip?

Um, I am not a huge fan of freezing. The consistency will change and the dairy will likely separate to make it looking a bit unappetizing for sure. You can easily refrigerate it and it will stay well in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Then you can enjoy it again with chips as a snack later, that would be my suggestion.