Sign in to access your profile, save content and more. Learn More
Venison Smoked Queso Dip

Venison Smoked Queso Dip

  • Duration

    1 hour

  • Serves

    6 to 8
Chef’s notes

Queso is a crowd pleaser at any gathering. Recently, smoked queso took the country by storm through social media popularity on Facebook and TikTok. I can tell you it's worth the hype—it's tasty, super easy, and can be used with a wide array of proteins.

This is a fun side that can be made with any combo of cheese and meat you have laying around. It's a great use for leftover ground venison, shredded wild turkey, shredded venison shank, or smoked trout. I've even used rattlesnake in this recipe. It's able to convert any wild game skeptic.

Venison Queso Blanco

Ingredients

  • 32 oz. queso blanco cheese
  • 8 oz. habanero jack cheese
  • ½ lb. ground venison
  • ¼ cup chopped red pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup chopped jalapeno
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation

  1. Brown meat in a pan and cut cheese into 1-inch cubes.
  2. Place all ingredients, except for the milk, into an oven safe pan (an aluminum BBQ pan works great here). Place the pan into a smoker at 275°F for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted. Any wood flavor will work, but I'd avoid fruity options.
  3. Once the cheese is melted, stir to fully incorporate all of the ingredients. Add milk as needed to thin out the queso until a desired consistency is achieved.
  4. Pour the hot queso into a dish, and cover with plastic wrap until served to prevent a skin from forming on top. Serve with chips or use to top tacos, nachos, enchiladas, and burritos.
Chef’s notes

Queso is a crowd pleaser at any gathering. Recently, smoked queso took the country by storm through social media popularity on Facebook and TikTok. I can tell you it's worth the hype—it's tasty, super easy, and can be used with a wide array of proteins.

This is a fun side that can be made with any combo of cheese and meat you have laying around. It's a great use for leftover ground venison, shredded wild turkey, shredded venison shank, or smoked trout. I've even used rattlesnake in this recipe. It's able to convert any wild game skeptic.

Venison Queso Blanco

Ingredients

  • 32 oz. queso blanco cheese
  • 8 oz. habanero jack cheese
  • ½ lb. ground venison
  • ¼ cup chopped red pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup chopped jalapeno
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation

  1. Brown meat in a pan and cut cheese into 1-inch cubes.
  2. Place all ingredients, except for the milk, into an oven safe pan (an aluminum BBQ pan works great here). Place the pan into a smoker at 275°F for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted. Any wood flavor will work, but I'd avoid fruity options.
  3. Once the cheese is melted, stir to fully incorporate all of the ingredients. Add milk as needed to thin out the queso until a desired consistency is achieved.
  4. Pour the hot queso into a dish, and cover with plastic wrap until served to prevent a skin from forming on top. Serve with chips or use to top tacos, nachos, enchiladas, and burritos.

Shop

The Essential Meatcrafter Knife
Save this product
Benchmade
The Essential Meatcrafter Knife

A hybrid hunting fixed blade with a fine, smooth edge to trim, debone, or slice your preferred cuts of meat. Makes just as much sense in the back of your truck as it does in the kitchen drawer.

Meater+ Bluetooth Thermometer
Save this product
Meater
Meater+ Bluetooth Thermometer

With up to 165 ft Wireless Range, MEATER is the first truly wireless smart meat thermometer.

7 Seasonings Gift Pack
Save this product
MeatEater
7 Seasonings Gift Pack

Bring home the entire Mega Spice Collection and change the way you cook.

The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook
Save this product
MeatEater
The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook

The definitive guide to cooking wild game, including fish and fowl, featuring more than 100 new recipes.

Get the latest in your inbox
Subscribe to our newsletters to receive regular emails with hand-picked content, gear recommendations, and special deals.
Our picks for the week's best content and gear
For the whitetail obsessed, with Mark Kenyon
Redefining our connection to food, with Danielle Prewett
Your one-stop for everything waterfowl, with Sean Weaver
Get out on the water with the MeatEater Fishing crew
Technical hunting apparel
Purpose-built accessories for hunting and fishing
Quality elk, turkey, waterfowl, and deer calls

Related

Undercooked Venison Can Cause Rare Blindness Disorder

Butchering & Processing

Undercooked Venison Can Cause Rare Blindness Disorder

Adam Crockett lay death-still and unblinking as a doctor pushed a needle into his right eyeball and withdrew built-up fluid. With that task complete, the doctor at the Cole Eye Institute in Cleveland pushed a second needle deep into the back of Crockett’s eye, all the way to the retina. Stopping just short of the optic nerve, he injected a steroid. After emptying the syringe and withdrawing the needle, the doctor grabbed a third needle, directed...

How to Properly Brown Ground Meat

Cooking Techniques

How to Properly Brown Ground Meat

The standard weeknight ground-meat meal always starts with the same instructions: brown the burger. Most recipes, however, don’t take the time to explain how to do it in detail, which is probably why most folks don’t pay enough attention to this crucial step. Browning meat should actually turn it brown! Browning is a fundamental technique that every hunter should learn, especially those who put half their deer through the grinder. Properly...

How Much Fat Should You Add to Ground Venison?

Butchering & Processing

How Much Fat Should You Add to Ground Venison?

For some hunters, adding domestic fat to venison is taboo. For others, it’s a necessity. One thing is for sure (and no more evident than here at MeatEater): at-home butchers have a wide range of preferences regarding fat content and there are no set rules. Here are some of our thoughts on adding fat to deer meat. Does Venison Need Fat? I know purists who want to believe that venison is perfect the way it is, but the truth is that adding fat at...

Save this recipe

Venison Smoked Queso Dip

Recipe by: Michael Vialpando
Venison Smoked Queso Dip

  • Duration

    1 hour

  • Serves

    6 to 8
Chef’s notes

Queso is a crowd pleaser at any gathering. Recently, smoked queso took the country by storm through social media popularity on Facebook and TikTok. I can tell you it's worth the hype—it's tasty, super easy, and can be used with a wide array of proteins.

This is a fun side that can be made with any combo of cheese and meat you have laying around. It's a great use for leftover ground venison, shredded wild turkey, shredded venison shank, or smoked trout. I've even used rattlesnake in this recipe. It's able to convert any wild game skeptic.

Venison Queso Blanco

Ingredients

  • 32 oz. queso blanco cheese
  • 8 oz. habanero jack cheese
  • ½ lb. ground venison
  • ¼ cup chopped red pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup chopped jalapeno
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation

  1. Brown meat in a pan and cut cheese into 1-inch cubes.
  2. Place all ingredients, except for the milk, into an oven safe pan (an aluminum BBQ pan works great here). Place the pan into a smoker at 275°F for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted. Any wood flavor will work, but I'd avoid fruity options.
  3. Once the cheese is melted, stir to fully incorporate all of the ingredients. Add milk as needed to thin out the queso until a desired consistency is achieved.
  4. Pour the hot queso into a dish, and cover with plastic wrap until served to prevent a skin from forming on top. Serve with chips or use to top tacos, nachos, enchiladas, and burritos.