Smoked Queso
You can’t pour smoke into queso, but you can melt it on a smoker and let the smoke do the work. That’s how this gets there. This smoked queso builds in a foil tray right on the smoker and melts slowly as it catches smoke. Leftover brisket goes into the cheese at the start and more goes on top when it’s melted.
That’s sprinkled with pico de gallo and the whole thing gets served with chips. Leftover brisket problem solved: turned into a game day recipe.
What Goes Into Smoked Queso
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Leftover brisket | 1 pound, chopped. Set some aside for the top. |
| Velveeta | Cubed. The base that keeps things smooth. |
| Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar | Shredded. For melt and flavor. |
| Rotel | Drained. You don’t want extra water in cheese sauce. |
| Yellow onion, jalapeños, green chiles | Diced small and all go in at the start. |
| Milk and beef broth | To loosen everything out. |
| Butter and garlic | For depth of flavor. |
| Smoked paprika, cumin, black pepper | Seasoning. |
| BBQ sauce | 1 to 2 tablespoons to tie it back to the brisket. |
| Cilantro and pico de gallo | Sprinkle over the top at the end. |
| Tortilla chips | For serving. |
Find exact amounts in the recipe card below.
Why It All Goes In Cold
Everything goes into the tray cold. Raw. Uncooked.
If you melt your queso on a stove then let it sit in a smoker the smoke lands on a sealed surface and mostly just stays there. Solid cheese has gaps between the cubes and shreds for smoke to penetrate while the whole thing heats up slowly together.
Low and slow melts the queso and gives you time to smoke it.
If you crank up the heat to melt it faster you’ve lost the reason you wanted smoked queso in the first place. Smoke it closer to 225 degrees for more smoke flavor, 250 to get there faster. You do you.
Stir it once it melts, then throw it back on for twenty minutes so everything comes together.
How to Make Smoked Queso
Chop the brisket and reserve about a half cup of it for the top.
Put everything else into a foil tray. Cheese, Rotel, onion, jalapeños, green chiles, milk, broth, butter, garlic, seasonings, BBQ sauce and the rest of the brisket go in together.
Place the tray on the smoker and melt low and slow.
Check after about an hour and a half to see if the cheese is melted. Stir everything together to combine once it is.
Put back on the smoker for another twenty minutes.
Pull it off and stir it really well.
Reheat the brisket you set aside and sprinkle it over the top.
Top with pico de gallo, cilantro and serve with chips.
See the recipe card below for temps and times.
Save Some Brisket for the Top
The brisket you add to the queso at the start disappears. That’s perfect, that’s what you want. It seasons the whole thing and makes it taste like brisket and not just cheese with meat mixed in.
But you still want something to look at, something with texture. So reserve half a cup of chopped brisket, reheat it, and sprinkle it over the top just before serving. Now you’ve got something to chew on hiding under all that cheese sauce.
Reheat it separately so it doesn’t pull the temp down where it hits the queso.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Best served right off the smoker but it will keep. Cover the tray and keep it warm on low, stirring often.
If it gets too thick stir in a splash of milk or beef broth to thin it back out. Add just a little at a time until you get the consistency you want.
Leftovers keep in the fridge for a few days. It will firm up when cold, that’s normal. Reheat on low, stirring often. Add a splash of milk or broth to loosen it back up.
Tips from Miguel
- Make sure to drain the Rotel. Cheese sauce doesn’t need extra liquid.
- Cold in, low and slow. Whole reason for smoking it.
- Stir at the melt, twenty more minutes in the smoke. This is the period where it all comes together.
- Reserve some brisket for the top. Reheat it first.
- Experiment with toppings! Pico is what I went with. BBQ sauce would be good too. Pickled jalapeños, green onions, whatever sounds good to you.
Author’s Notes
It Is Really Really Good
This is a good way to use leftover brisket. It makes for a perfect queso for a game day dish.
You could even add maybe some macaroni and cheese in it, some awesome noodles, and mix it up like a smoked brisket mac. You can do so many things with that.
Serve it with a burger. It is really really good.
Miguel
More Ways to Use This Smoked Queso
This recipe will turn you onto ways to use queso you didn’t know you needed. Or wanted.
Mix it into cooked noodles for smoked brisket mac and cheese. Put it on burgers. Drizzle it over fries. Use it wherever a cheese sauce makes sense. Except better because it’s flavored with brisket and smoke.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use something other than leftover brisket?
You sure can. Leftover brisket is the whole point of this recipe, but use what you got. Chopped brisket from a BBQ joint works great.
Can I make this in the oven instead of on the smoker?
You can. Melt it in the oven and it’ll taste great, you just lose the smoke, which is the best part. Without the smoke there’s no reason to go low either, so melt it at whatever temperature suits you.
Why is my queso thick?
It will thicken as it cools. Stir in a splash of milk or beef broth to thin it back out. Do it a little at a time until you get the consistency you want.
Related Recipes
- Chili Cheese Fries
- Carne Asada Loaded Baked Potatoes
- Smoked Braised Lamb Birria
- Mexican Style Smoked Burgers
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Smoked Queso with Brisket
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Chop the brisket and set about 1/2 cup of it aside for the top.
- Add everything else to a foil tray. The Velveeta, Monterey Jack, cheddar, Rotel, onion, jalapeños, green chiles, milk, beef broth, butter, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, black pepper, BBQ sauce and the rest of the chopped brisket. An oven safe baking dish or cast iron pan works too. Everything goes in cold and unmelted.
- Place the tray in your smoker at 225°F to 250°F. Closer to 225°F gives you more smoke flavor, closer to 250°F gets you there faster.
- After about 1.5 to 2 hours, check it. Once the cheese is melted, give everything a good stir to combine it completely.
- Put it back in the smoker for another 20 minutes so the flavors come together.
- Pull the queso from the smoker and give it one final stir.
- Reheat the reserved brisket separately, then scatter it over the top. Reheating it first keeps it from pulling the temperature down where it lands.
- Finish with fresh pico de gallo and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.
