Smoked Queso

4.67 from 12 votes

Creamy and loaded with flavor, Smoked Queso is a delicious snack, appetizer, and party dip!

Prep Time15

Cook Time2

Total Time2 15

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dip, queso, smoked

Servings: servings

Calories: 357kcal

Preheat the smoker as per manufacturer's directions.
Remove the chorizo from the casing, if necessary, and brown in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When it is cooked through and no longer pink, add the onion and garlic.
Add the chorizo mixture, Velveeta cut into cubes, shredded cheese, cilantro, and the can of Rotel tomatoes to a 9 x 13 disposable foil pan, or something similar.
Smoke it at 225-F for about an hour, stirring after 30 minutes to combine all the ingredients. At the one hour mark, add the evaporated milk and mix well. Mix again after another 30 minutes.
At the one hour mark, add the jalapeno to the smoker. Just set it on the grill.
Seed and chop the jalapeno and add it to the queso.

Chef Jenn's Tips

Chorizo is great in this recipe, but you can also use sausage, ground beef, or pork. I like chorizo because it has oodles of flavor and a bit of a spicy kick.
Cooking the onion with the chorizo ensures that it is cooked! If you don't cook it first, you're going to end up with crunchy onion bits in your queso.
Smoked queso Traeger style is perfect for parties and is easily doubled. You'll just need to add about an extra hour on the smoker to account for the extra ingredients.
You can cook this smoked queso recipe at a lower heat, but resist the temptation to turn it too high, or your ingredients could dry out around the edges.
Don't worry if your queso gets a bit of a film on the top - just stir it in.
Keep your smoked queso dip warm in a crock pot, or reheat it gently in the microwave.
If it gets too thick, adding more evaporated milk or even heavy cream will do the trick. Just add a bit at a time, so it doesn't get too soupy.