Smoked Rattlesnake Queso

Ingredients

• 1 lb Hot breakfast sausage (Browned and crumbled)
• 8 oz Mozzarella cheese (Cut into cubes)
• 8 oz Pepper jack cheese (Cut into cubes)
• 16 oz Queso blanco (Cut into cubes)
• 8 oz Cream cheese (Use as one block)
• 12 oz Diced pickled jalapeños (Add the entire jar, including its juice)
• 0.5 cup Milk (Pour over the assembled ingredients)
• 1 tbsp Steak seasoning (Season the whole pan)
• Tortilla chips (For serving and dipping; amount as desired)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat a smoker to 275°F (135°C). If a smoker is unavailable, the queso can be prepared in an oven or slow cooker, though the smoke flavor will be different.

2. 2

   Brown the hot breakfast sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it into small crumbles as it cooks. Continue until no longer pink and lightly browned, then transfer the sausage to a baking dish or disposable aluminum pan.

3. 3

   Cut the mozzarella, pepper jack, and queso blanco into cubes. Leave the cream cheese whole.

4. 4

   Add the cubes of mozzarella, pepper jack, and queso blanco to the pan, arranging them over the browned sausage.

5. 5

   Add the entire jar of diced pickled jalapeños, including all of the juice.

6. 6

   Place the block of cream cheese on top of the other ingredients.

7. 7

   Pour the milk over the pan, then sprinkle the steak seasoning evenly over the entire surface.

8. 8

   Place the pan on the smoker grates. Smoke at 275°F for about 45 minutes, until the cheeses have begun to soften and melt.

9. 9

   Carefully remove the pan from the smoker and stir thoroughly with a spoon, incorporating the sausage, cheeses, jalapeños, milk, and seasoning into a smooth mixture.

10. 10

    Return the pan to the smoker and cook for approximately 30 minutes more, or until the queso is fully melted, hot, and ooey-gooey.

11. 11

    Serve immediately with tortilla chips for dipping.

Notes

Keep the queso warm while serving because it thickens as it cools. The transcript notes that diced jalapeños save chopping time; whole pickled jalapeños may be diced if necessary. An oven or crock pot can be used if a smoker is unavailable.

Nutrition per serving

• appetizer
• dip
• tailgate
• gameday
• smoked
• spicy
• cheesy
• gluten-free