Smoked Queso

Smoked Queso: With ground sausage, Velveeta cheese, Colby jack cheese, and rotel this might just be the best smoked queso recipe of all time! The ultimate party dip and a definite crowd pleaser!

Quick Overview: Combine all of your ingredients in a BBQ safe dish, place it on the grill for an hour (stirring every 15 mins), serve, and enjoy as a delicious smoked appetizer!

Why you’ll love this recipe

I think everyone needs to have a good queso recipe in their recipe box. It’s a delicious dip (full of cheesy goodness) and a great option for taking to parties or serving when you have guests over!

This version of your favorite cheese dip is full of delicious smoky flavor because it’s cooked by indirect heat on a charcoal grill (although you can do it on a gas grill, too).

Good thing this cheesy dip is hitting the blog in time for grilling season because you’re going to want to make a big batch for your next party, for sure!

Jump to:

• Why you’ll love this recipe
• ingredients for smoked queso recipe
• Instructions for smoked queso dip recipe
• What if I don’t have a charcoal grill? 
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Storage
• Expert tips and FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Smoked Queso

ingredients for smoked queso recipe

You can find everything you need to make this yummy smoked cheese dip at your local grocery store, even the disposable foil pan (most grocery stores have this in the baking section somewhere near the cupcake liners).

You’ll need:

• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 pound velveeta cheese 
• 3 cups Colby Jack cheese shredded
• 1- 10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis (drained)
• 1 cup beer
• ½ cup red onion chopped, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt

Optional (for those looking to level-up their queso game)

• chopped jalapeños
• ⅓ cup bacon bits

Instructions for smoked queso dip recipe

1. Open a beer and let it sit out until it’s flat and room temperature. Set aside.
2. If your sausage isn’t cooked yet you’ll need to do that now. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of your chopped onion. Warm up for 2 minutes then cook the ground sausage until there is no more pink.
3. Prepare your BBQ for indirect heat and let it warm up to 225 degrees f. If you’re using a charcoal grill, put some hickory wood in the coals to give the dip a nice smoke flavor.

4. Dice your Velveeta cheese, set aside. 
5. Shred the Colby Jack cheese, set aside. 
6. Chop the red onion, set aside. 
7. Add cooked sausage, Velveeta, shredded Colby Jack, Rotel. tomatoes, onion, and spices to a 9×13 BBQ safe dish (I use a disposable aluminum pan). Set aside. 

8. Once your BBQ has reached the desired temperature, place your 9×13 dish in the center and pour 1/2 cup of beer into it. 

9. Close the lid and cook for 30 minutes, mixing at 15 minutes. *NOTE* When mixing, make sure to scrape the sides and bottom and give it a good stir so all the flavours are incorporated.

10. After 30 minutes, add the remaining 1/2 cup of beer and continue cooking for another 30 minutes (stirring every 15 minutes again). 
11. After 1 hour on the BBQ, the cheese will be melted and you’ll have a nice, thick, smoked queso dip. 
12. Serve and enjoy!

What if I don’t have a charcoal grill? 

If you don’t have a charcoal grill, don’t worry! It is still possible to get that extra layer of flavor without one. Here are a few different ways we would try…

• The Shortcut – warm your oven to 225°F and cook your queso as directed in this recipe. To get that smoky flavor, pour 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke over your ingredients along with the first 1/2 cup of flat beer. If you don’t have a grill, this is still a great way to create a delicious smoked queso dip! 
• Regular Grill – if you have a propane or natural gas grill, you can actually purchase a special smoke box designed specifically to allow you to smoke things on your gas grill! Here’s an example. Read the manufacturer instructions that come with the smoker box and follow them to create your smoke queso dip!
• Pellet Smoker – if you have a pellet grill (like a Traeger grill), you can definitely use it for this recipe! Set the temp to 225°F, add hickory wood pellets, and continue on with the recipe as written!
• Electric Smoker – basically the same things apply here’s with a pellet smoker. Set your temp, add the wood chips of your choice and follow the recipe as written.

Substitutions

If you’re looking to make this delicious queso dip but you need to modify the ingredients, here’s a a few of our suggestions.

• Sausage – If you don’t have any sausage (pork sausage or beef sausage), you can use ground beef instead.
• Velveeta – Although it will alter the flavor of the dip, you could use other soft cheeses in place of Velveeta (like cream cheese). Either way, you’ll still get the same creamy texture.
• Colby Jack – You can use Monterey Jack in place of Colby Jack, or even a sharp cheddar cheese.

Even if you do have to change up a few things, you’ll find that the delicious flavors in this recipe make this the best smoked queso dip ever!

Variations

Looking to change it up a bit? Try this!

• Spicy – If you like the heat, try swapping the Colby Jack cheese for Pepper Jack cheese. You can also add some chopped spicy jalapeños and/or chipotle peppers to take the spice up a big notch!
• Taco Queso – Looking to add some extra fun to your taco night? Add some taco seasoning to the sausage or beef, continue with the recipe as written and use it in place of your regular taco meat!

Any of these variations would create a great dip with tons of flavor!

Storage

This might be my new favorite recipe, and I HIGHLY doubt you’ll have any leftovers (you’ve been warned!). That being said, if you do have leftover queso you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.

Expert tips and FAQs

Related Recipes

If you’re looking for the best dip to serve, check out a few other party favorites on the blog like this buffalo bacon blue cheese dip or our easy taco layer dip!