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Smoked queso in foil tray topped with chopped brisket, fresh pico de gallo, and cilantro on a wood board

Smoked Queso with Brisket

Cheese, Rotel, peppers and chopped leftover brisket go into a foil tray cold and melt slowly on the smoker at 225°F to 250°F, picking up smoke the whole way. Stirred, smoked again, then topped with reheated brisket and fresh pico de gallo.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American, BBQ, Tex-Mex
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb leftover smoked brisket chopped. Reserve about 1/2 cup for the top.
  • 1 lb Velveeta cubed
  • 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese shredded
  • 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 1 can Rotel drained
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
  • 1 jalapeños 1 to 2, diced
  • 1/2 cup diced green chiles
  • 1/2 cup whole milk or evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp BBQ sauce 1 to 2 tablespoons.
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro Over the top at the end with the pico.
  • Pico de gallo For topping.
  • Tortilla chips For serving.

Equipment

  • Smoker
  • Disposable foil tray An oven safe baking dish or cast iron pan works too.
  • Skillet For reheating the reserved brisket.
  • Long handled spoon For stirring on the smoker.

Method
 

Build the Tray
  1. Chop the brisket and set about 1/2 cup of it aside for the top.
  2. 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.
Smoke It
  1. 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.
  2. After about 1.5 to 2 hours, check it. Once the cheese is melted, give everything a good stir to combine it completely.
  3. Put it back in the smoker for another 20 minutes so the flavors come together.
Finish and Serve
  1. Pull the queso from the smoker and give it one final stir.
  2. Reheat the reserved brisket separately, then scatter it over the top. Reheating it first keeps it from pulling the temperature down where it lands.
  3. Finish with fresh pico de gallo and chopped cilantro. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

Notes

Everything goes in cold: Melting it first and then smoking it puts the smoke on a sealed surface. Solid cheese has gaps between the cubes and shreds for the smoke to get into while it all heats up together.
Reserve brisket for the top: The brisket mixed in disappears into the queso, which is what makes the whole thing taste like brisket. The reserved half cup gives you texture and something to look at.
Drain the Rotel: Extra liquid works against a cheese sauce.
If it thickens: Stir in a splash of milk or beef broth, a little at a time, until it loosens back up. It will firm up when cold, which is normal.
Other uses: Mix it into cooked noodles for smoked brisket mac and cheese, put it on burgers, or drizzle it over fries.
Timing: Prep time and servings are estimates. The 1.5 to 2 hour melt and the extra 20 minutes are as given.

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