This Beer and Smoked Cheese Dip recipe is perfect for a friendly get-together. The smoky flavor of the cheese complements the homemade pretzel bites perfectly!
Using the smoked cheese from a couple of weeks ago, we created a yummy appetizer that was perfect for an upcoming potluck held at Jason’s work. Everyone in the office was bringing something and we like to be those people who bring something out of the norm.
🧀 Preparation
If you didn’t see our post on How to Smoke Cheese, you can find it here and make it in just about 20 minutes after heating up the smoker. This is so quick that you can literally smoke the cheese in the morning and take the finished dip to a gathering in the afternoon, although I do think you are better off letting the wrapped cheese rest in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
If you are going to try to smoke more than one kind of cheese at the same time, make sure they are all the same firmness and about the same size. You won’t want to have smaller and thinner pieces next to a large one pound piece as they won’t smoke uniformly and smaller pieces may melt more quickly.
Note: If you use a smoker box, you can smoke these at a much cooler temperature and you won’t have to worry about the cheese getting too hot. I found this to be much more effective.
We used a one pound piece of cheddar for our Beer Smoked Cheese Dip but a Sharp Cheddar or Gouda would be a fun twist as well!
🍽️ Recipe Instructions
Step One: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the beer (we used Stella Artois this time), smoked cheese, cream cheese, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until the cheese melts and becomes creamy.
Step Two: Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir frequently for another 5-10 minutes. The sauce may look thin but will thicken quite a bit once it is removed from the heat.
💡 Recipe Tips
I always love it when I can meal prep a recipe and share it later!
- Smoke the cheese and wrap it up in Press and Seal and then place in a gallon sized zip lock bag to keep the smoke smell inside the bag and not in your fridge.
- Make the dip on the weekend for a Monday or Tuesday function at work. Bring the dip in a container and scoop into a Slow Cooker at work to heat it back up. It will be ready in under an hour on low. Stir every 10 minutes or so.
- If you plan to bring the Bread Machine Pretzel Bites with it, make them over the weekend. They store in a gallon zip lock bag for up to five days.
📌 Items to Note
Our favorite “Dip Delivery Vehicle” is the Bread Machine Pretzel Bites but add some variety by including the following:
- Pita bread
- Tortilla Chips
- Take a circular loaf of your favorite bread and tear it off and dip
- Toasted baguette
- Pretzels
Beer and Smoked Cheese Dip With Homemade Pretzel Bites
Ingredients
- 1 lb Smoked Cheddar Cheese
- 12 oz Beer
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Stir often until the cheese is fully melted and not getting stuck on the bottom of the pan.
- Reduce to simmer and allow to simmer on low for 10 minutes. There should be a little bit of reduction here.
- The dip may appear to be thin, but take it off the heat and it will thicken quickly.
Notes
Nutrition
Jason’s been firing up the grill for over 30 years after graduating from the US Coast Guard Academy. His love of finely-grilled steak and chicken led him to buy his first Weber grill to put on his apartment patio in 1992. Each military move led to a new grill (a mixture of gas and charcoal) until he fell in love with the Big Green Egg in 2008. Since then, he has added another 4 grills to the collection. Yes, he has a problem. Jason loves smoking in the ceramic BGE with exotic woods including olive wood from Egypt and hard to find varieties such as sassafras and orange wood. Jason takes the term “foodie” to a whole new level, jumping at the chance to take food tours and cooking classes during foreign travels. These have provided inspiration to incorporate new ideas into recipes when he gets back home. He has been featured in Fox News, Parade, Yahoo News, Kansas City Living and more. After retiring from the military and moving to southwest Florida, he has focused grilling and smoking locally sourced meats and fish (read: he likes to catch his own fish!)
Leave a Reply