What is your favorite Queso dip recipe?

[jjdbike]

Thanks much 58!
JD

[jjdbike]

Ingredient List for Smoked Queso Meat Church Style

• 1 (2 lb) large block of Velveeta cheese (Generic brands NOT recommended)
• 16 ounces of smoked gouda cheese (Cut slices will melt faster)
• 2 tubes of HOT breakfast sausage (Any ground meats will work. Matt loves venison & chorizo)
• 2 cans of Rotel tomatoes and chilis (Don’t drain the cans)
• 1 can of Cream of Jalapeño soup (The original calls for Cream of Mushroom. You may also use Cream of Chicken)
• 1/2 C chopped cilantro
• 2 T Meat Church Holy Voodoo seasoning (or your favorite BBQ rub)

Thanks jlazar,

I’m a fan of Matt’s. He raves about it. Have you made it? It’s a head scratcher to me. I don’t understand using breakfast sausage vs chorizo. So much velveeta, to me it doesn’t taste like
much and not very cheesy. Why not just use real cheese? But the soup is a bridge too fat for me. I’m sure it’s creamy, but I think melted cream cheese would add creaminess without the soup and artificial cheese like product.

I’m not hating on those who suggest it or like it. I’m just surprised. I appreciate the replies. Knowing you folks and Matt it’s probably pretty darn good. I know I should try it before I knock it.

My first attempt is going to be 58’s recipe. I did order some Spanish (not Mexican) chorizo, I’ll Fran the grease after browning. I also ordered some fresh frozen roasted Hatch chilis. I really like their flavor. Other than that I’ll stick to 58’s recipe. Looking forward to my next smoke this weekend. I’ll report back.

Thanks again everyone.
Best regards,
JD

[jjdbike]

This is my go-to queso recipe

Wild Earth Texas Smoked Hatch Chorizo Cheese Dip

Alas, Wild Earth is no longer in business so I can't get their beef chorizo anymore.

1lb Wild Earth Beef Chorizo or Ground Beef with Taco Seasoning - not the greasy pork Mexican-style chorizo from the store, the beef chorizo that I get is 80/20
1 small yellow onion, diced
1-2 Roasted Hatch chilies, depending on how hot you’d like it!
If you don’t have hatch chilies.. no worries! Just add in 1-2 small cans of diced green chilies
Olive oil for sautéing
1/2 tsp Onion powder
2 C Monterey jack cheese, fresh shredded *
1 C Sharp Cheddar, I prefer white cheddar, fresh shredded *
3 oz cream cheese
12 oz can Rotel or fire roasted tomatoes
1/2tsp onion powder - don't know why this is listed twice but I add both.
Chicken stock (I use Better Than Bouillon chicken base, not stock), Milk, and cream to thin to desired consistency. I sometimes add a little beer.
Salt and pepper to taste

The Steps

Preheat your grill or smoker to about 350^o

With your well seasoned cast iron skillet, brown and cook the chorizo (or taco meat) over med- med-high heat.
Work and chop it with a wooden spatula. The chorizo is a little stickier than the regular ground beef because of the extra spices but just chop it as it browns until you achieve the texture you’d like. Set aside.

Saute the onions in oil with a bit of salt until softened and translucent. Add chilies and tomatoes. Add cheeses, liquids, chorizo and all other ingredients.

Put on grill/smoker until bubbly, stirring frequently. If it’s a little thicker than you like, you can add some liquid to thin it out.

For Serving: Garnish with fresh cilantro. As the dip cools, the cheese will start to harden. So if you're bringing for a party, have a warming dish or a small serving crock. Otherwise y'all just dig in and reheat as needed .

Hello 58 & friends,

I just messaged you. I’m going to make your dip recipe this morning. I realized I don’t know how much bouillon or cream to use.

Can you or anyone else please help me out?

Thanks in advance!
JD

[58limited]

jjdbike I use about 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon. As far as the cream and/or milk there isn't really a measurement; add just enough to get the dip to the consistency that you want. I probably add about 1/2-3/4 cup of milk and cream to start and I might add more when the dip is done on the grill if it is too thick. You can use half and half instead of the milk and cream. Also, do not drain the Rotels, use the juice in the dip.

[jlazar]

Better Than Bouillon is normally 1 tsp per 8 oz of liquid. But I have added it to soups without any liquid.

[jjdbike]

So I made a big batch.on the pellet smoker, like double and then some.

I did it at 250 for a couple hours to try to get some smoke flavor in it. About 1:30 in I noticed fat started pooling on top. I started skimming. At that point I noticed it was no longer creamy smooth. Did it break? If so, can it be “unbroken “?
JD

[58limited]

I replied to your PM but I will say that the last batch I made came out looking like yours and it was fine, everyone at the gathering liked it. I think I overcooked mine to cause this to happen, but it isn't nearly as broken as some Alfredo sauces or mac and cheese dishes that I've made.

[jjdbike]

Thanks!
We’ll see how it is received.
Hopefully well because I made a lot of it.
Best regards,
JD

[HawkerXP]

Give me some chips!

I want to dig into that pool o cheese!

[jjdbike]

So I made a big batch.on the pellet smoker, like double and then some.

I did it at 250 for a couple hours to try to get some smoke flavor in it. About 1:30 in I noticed fat started pooling on top. I started skimming. At that point I noticed it was no longer creamy smooth. Did it break? If so, can it be “unbroken “?
JD

Hello everyone,

I am thawing and reheating some of this chorizo hatch chili dip for a neighborhood get together. I want to try to smooth out the texture a bit. What do you recommend to do that? How about adding a little Velveta and a little creme? I'll also add some more diced roasted hatch chilis. I love the favor they provide.

Thoughts?
JD

[jjdbike]

I also wonder if there is another kind of cheese that melts smooth and creamy that might be more appropriate, e.g. some type of Mexican cheese, or even cream cheese.

I believe I noticed come type of Mexican cheese that looked kind of like creme cheese at the deli counter at my local grocery.

Thoughts?
JD

[jjdbike]

Or perhaps smoked Gouda?
JD

[FCDank]

Salsa, hold the cheese.

[jjdbike]

Salsa, hold the cheese.

So you’re suggesting not adding cheese to smooth it out, but making it salsa con queso?
There is already fire roasted tomatoes, onions and roasted hatch chilis in it. I think adding salsa would make it too thin and liquidey.
JD

[jjdbike]

This is what I did. I shredded 3 packaged of smoked Gouda, 2 packaged of creamy cheese, 2 cans Rotel fire roasted tomatoes and chilies, more roasted hatch chilies. Gently warmed and blend in crock pit. Way better than 1st round. Next time I'll do that, minus the chorizo. I like the smokey flavor of the Gouda.
Thanks folks.

[JoeSousa]

A couple years back I did a smoked queso using "real" cheese instead of velveeta. I also used some leftover carne asada instead of sausage or ground beef. In the end it turned out excellent. The sodium citrate helps the queso all blend together well and not break.

I still haven't made it again but might need to break it out sometime around the holidays for a party or something.

[jjdbike]

A couple years back I did a smoked queso using "real" cheese instead of velveeta. I also used some leftover carne asada instead of sausage or ground beef. In the end it turned out excellent. The sodium citrate helps the queso all blend together well and not break.

I still haven't made it again but might need to break it out sometime around the holidays for a party or something.

A couple people mentioned sodium citrate.I’ve never heard of this. What is it, what does it do, and where is it available from?
Thanks in advance!
JD

[JoeSousa]

Sodium citrate is a salt derived from citric acid. It allows the dairy proteins to become more soluble in liquid and lowers the pH of the queso to make it smooth and velvety and keeps the fats in the cheese from separating.

Basically it helps the cheese to dissolve in liquid better and not be greasy and clumpy.

[jjdbike]

A couple years back I did a smoked queso using "real" cheese instead of velveeta. I also used some leftover carne asada instead of sausage or ground beef. In the end it turned out excellent. The sodium citrate helps the queso all blend together well and not break.

I still haven't made it again but might need to break it out sometime around the holidays for a party or something.

Thanks much Joe,

Interesting on the Sodium Citrate. I've not heard of using it for home cooking but have most certainly seen it on ingredient lists on the back of store bought foods. I suppose the sodium citrate explains how smooth and creamy the stir bought quest is.
Are there any potential cons or downsides to using sodium citrate? Does it have any flavor, smell of color? Does it contribute to a salty taste?

Where would one source this? I have never seen it in a grocery store.

Finally, adding water caught me off guard. Was that because of the sodium citrate? I've read recipes that use the liquid from the Rotel, cream, milk or beer, but here straight water.

You mentioned that it was greasy. I wonder if you could ladle off the oil floating on top?

Thanks again,
JD

[PGH_RAM]

I get it from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sodium+citrate&crid=4J8FAZ62GJSP&sprefix=sodium%2Caps%2C110&ref=nb_sb_ss_pltr-data-refreshed_4_6

[JoeSousa]

I order from Amazon. A bag usually last me quite a while. If you have a good spice shop locally they will probably have it.

It can give a slightly salty taste but nothing overwhelming at all. You don't need much. I usually use 4% of whatever amount of cheese I use. So for 100g of cheese I use 4g of sodium citrate.

You don't have to use water. Any liquid would do. For a smoked queso a beer or dry cider would probably be good.

Once I stirred it a bit the grease mixed in and didn't separate