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Smoked Chorizo Black Bean Dip is the ultimate warm, hearty appetizer with just the right amount of kick. Black beans and spicy chorizo give it a rich, meaty base, while a slow smoke on the grill infuses everything with deep, savory warmth. Bubbly, cheesy, and loaded with Tex-Mex flavor, this smoked dip will be the hit at your next party.
Chorizo Makes Everything Better
If you’ve watched any of my grilling or smoking YouTube videos, then you probably know that I’m a big fan of Mexican chorizo. The smoky, spicy, and flavor-packed sausage adds richness to a wide variety of dishes, from simple potatoes to your favorite chili recipe.
And we’re no strangers to using fatty, crumbly chorizo in party dips. In fact, one of our favorite-of-all-time smoked dips, this loaded cowboy queso, is made with Mexican chorizo.
So when we were trying to develop a smoked black bean dip recipe, we instantly thought to include my favorite ground pork chorizo for extra flavor and richness. The result – a fantastic dip that could double as a chili or burrito filling, no chips required!
Why You’ll Love this Smoked Party Dip:
- One pan recipe – Sauté the onions and chorizo in one cast iron skillet, and then add the rest of the ingredients. Everything cooks in one pan on the smoker (or in the oven) for simple clean up!
- Hearty and filling party dip – This recipe stands out because it skips the heavy cream cheese base often found in dips and swaps in protein-packed black beans and flavor-dense chorizo for a result that’s meaty and hearty.
- Great leftover options – Leftovers of this smoked dip make a great chili base, add a few scoops to a tortilla for a quick burrito, or make loaded nachos with your favorite toppings. The leftovers from this recipe can easily be transformed into other Mexican-style dishes.
Ingredient Notes
This smoked dip is easy to customize with your favorite ingredients. Go bold and spicy by adding in pickled jalapeños, or mix in that little bit of salsa you have left in the fridge. Here’s what I used, and some notes on how you can swap in and out to fit your taste:
- chorizo – I used about 9 ounces of chorizo. Use your favorite brand, but just make sure that it’s ground and not the cured Spanish type. Or you could substitute ground beef.
- onion – Use a sweet onion, finely diced.
- fresh garlic – Substitute the jarred minced garlic if you like, but fresh is best.
- fire roasted tomatoes – You’ll need about half a can for this recipe. The rest can be stored in a zip top bag in the freezer to add to chili or soups. The fire roasted tomatoes add extra smoky flavor to the dip. You could substitute with a can of Rotel if you wish.
- enchilada sauce – We prefer red sauce, but you can substitute green enchilada sauce as well.
- black beans – You’ll need about 3 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained.
- lime juice
- shredded cheese – We went with a Mexican blend, but you can substitute sharp cheddar mixed with pepper jack or Monterrey Jack, both of which are great melting cheeses. Feel free to use the pre-shredded, bagged cheese to make this smoked party dip even easier.
- smoked paprika, cumin, chipotle chile pepper, salt, and black pepper – The seasonings to add just the right amount of spice to your dip.
*NOTE – We often use chipotles in adobo in our Mexican-style recipes. However, this chorizo dip recipe calls for chipotle chile pepper, which is a dry spice made from ground chile peppers. You can substitute chili powder, or even add in one finely diced chipotle in adobo from a can of peppers.
How to Make Smoked Black Bean Chorizo Dip
Step 1: Cook the chorizo. Add the chorizo links (with casing removed) straight to a large cast iron skillet. Use your spatula to break apart the meat, letting it sizzle away until crumbly and almost cooked through. *TIP – Chorizo can be pretty fatty, depending on what type that you use, so drain excess grease from the pan before moving on to the next step.
Step 2: Add the onions and garlic. When the chorizo is almost cooked through, move the meat to the side of the pan, and add the finely chopped onions. Sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, soaking up all those glorious chorizo juices. Then add in the minced garlic, and cook for one to two minutes until fragrant (but not browned).
Step 3: Add the other ingredients to the skillet. Add the remaining dip ingredients to the cast iron skillet, and mix everything together well.
Step 4: Smoke the black bean chorizo dip on the grill. Place the skillet on the smoker and smoke for about 45 minutes, or until everything is cooked and bubbly. Then add the reserved shredded cheese to the top, and smoke an additional 10 minutes for the cheese to melt.
Step 5: Serve and enjoy! Remove the skillet of dip from the smoker and allow it to cool about 5 minutes. Then serve with corn chips, tortilla chips, or your favorite dippers.
Storage Instructions
Because there’s not cream cheese in the dip, you can easily refrigerate or freeze leftovers and reheat. In fact, we thought that the leftover dip was delicious straight out of the fridge, served cold with corn chips.
Spoon leftover dip into an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Or you can spoon the cooled dip into a freezer-safe zip top bag, squeeze out excess air from the bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, just add the dip to a microwave-safe dish and microwave until hot. Or try it cold like we did – it’s similar to a cold bean dip, but with way more flavor!
Recipe Tips
- Use the correct chorizo – We’ve made this recipe with two types of Mexican chorizo, the type that is very finely ground and comes in a long tube and the chorizo sausage links from Johnsonville. Both work well, but we prefer the very fine consistency of the type that comes in the long tube shape. Don’t use Spanish-style chorizo that is cured and hard.
- Skip the smoker if you’re short on time – This dip can be baked in the oven instead of on the smoker. Cook at 350º for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. To get a slightly smoky flavor when doing the oven method, I recommend adding a little liquid smoke to the dip. About 1 teaspoon.
- Make ahead – You can make this dip ahead and reheat for parties. The flavors only get better and more concentrated after refrigerating for 1-2 days.
Smoked Chorizo and Black Bean Dip
Equipment
- 10-12" cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 9 oz Mexican pork chorizo, casing removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 7 oz fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained, ½ a regular 14 oz can
- 10 oz red enchilada sauce, like Old El Paso
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 cups Mexican cheese blend
- tortilla chips, corn chips, or crackers for dipping
- sour cream, guacamole, or sliced green onions for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Heat a pellet grill or smoker to 225℉ with your choice of wood or pellets.
- In a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, cook the chorizo, using your spatula to break apart the meat as it cooks. Drain the excess grease.
- When the chorizo is almost cooked through, move the meat to the side of the skillet to make room for the onions. Add about 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet, and sauté the chopped onions until soft and translucent. Then add the minced garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes, sautéing the chorizo, onions, and garlic together.
- Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, enchilada sauce, smoked paprika, ground cumin, red pepper flakes, chipotle pepper, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Stir everything together and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Mix in the black beans, lime juice, and 1½ cups of the shredded Mexican cheese. Fold everything together until well combined.
- Place the skillet on the smoker and smoke for 45 minutes or until everything is cooked and bubbly. Sprinkle on the reserved ½ cup of shredded cheese, and return to the smoker for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the skillet of dip from the smoker and allow it to cool about 5 minutes. Then serve with corn chips, tortilla chips, or your favorite dippers. Garnish with sour cream, guacamole, or sliced green onions if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Skip the smoker if you’re short on time – This dip can be baked in the oven instead of on the smoker. Cook at 350º for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.
- Use the correct chorizo – We’ve made this recipe with two types of Mexican chorizo, the type that is very finely ground and comes in a long tube and the chorizo sausage links from Johnsonville. Both work well, but we prefer the very fine consistency of the type that comes in the long tube shape. Don’t use Spanish-style chorizo that is cured and hard.
- Make ahead – You can make this dip ahead and reheat for parties. The flavors only get better and more concentrated after refrigerating for 1-2 days.
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