Smoked Chex Mix on the Pellet Grill – My Favorite Smoked Snack!
This smoked Chex Mix is smoky, salty, crunchy, and everything you want in a snack mix! Learn how to make my favorite bold Chex Mix on the pellet grill or smoker.
We take our Chex Mix seriously.
Making the smoky, salty snack is an art form in our house… An art form that I have perfected over the last two decades of experimenting with preparation methods, seasonings, add-ins, and temperatures.
And I’m sharing my prized recipe with you!
This smoked Chex mix recipe is so good, it should come with a “Warning: Highly Addictive” label… or at least a tool to add another hole to your belt. Here’s how to make my favorite Chex Mix on the grill or smoker:
Ingredients for Smoked Chex Mix
What goes into your smoky Chex Mix is completely up to you, but I’ve been making it the same way for years… and that includes the use of a trash bag! This savory Chex Mix is so dang good that I make a ridiculously-sized batch… so much that I don’t even have enough mixing bowls in my kitchen to hold it all!
I tend to make my smoked Chex Mix a la “everything but the kitchen sink”… whatever kind of salty bite-sized snacks, crackers, and nuts that I have in the pantry at the time will eventually make their way into my snack mix.
Here are the typical mix-ins that I use for my addictively savory and perfectly blended, smoked Chex Mix:
- Rice Chex
- Wheat Chex
- Kix cereal – This cereal has a slightly sweet flavor, and it pairs perfectly with the salty snacks in the mix.
- Cheez-It crackers – A nice cheesy flavor to add to your snack mix.
- Pretzels – You can use the pretzel sticks or the pretzel twists.
- Bugles – One of my favorite ingredients for Chex Mix!
- Nuts – I typically add in a can of mixed nuts, like almonds, cashews, and peanuts.
In the past, I have also added in Cheerios (either the original variety or the Multi-grain Cheerios), Life cereal, and/or Corn Chex. Crunchy rye chips (like the kind that come in the Gardetto’s snack mix) are also a great add-in for this smoked snack mix.
For the Melted Butter Liquid:
As with most Chex mix recipes, this smoked version includes a savory melted butter sauce that gives your cereal snacks a slightly spicy flavor and helps it to crisp up in the smoker. For the sauce you will need:
- Butter
- Worcestershire sauce
- Buffalo sauce – This is optional but highly recommended! You’re only using a small amount for a large batch of snack mix, so it really isn’t too spicy… my kids gobbled it up, even with the spicy sauce and cayenne pepper!
- Cayenne pepper
- Granulated garlic
- Seasoned salt
- A good all-purpose seasoning – I used our own Shake That All Purpose Seasoning – It’s perfect for this smoked Chex Mix recipe!
Notes for Smoked Chex Mix
- Pellet Grill Temp – 250 degrees F
- Wood Pellets Used – B&B Championship Blend wood pellets
- Grill Used – Lone Star Grillz 20″ x 42″ Pellet Smoker
- Smoking Time – Smoke at 250 degrees F for 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Other Notes – After 1 hour and 15 minutes cook time, I turned off the pellet grill and let the snack mix cool down in the grill with the grill lid closed for extra smoke flavor. Be sure that your smoked Chex Mix is dry and crunchy before turning off the smoker. If needed, smoke longer or turn up the temperature to 275-300 degrees F until smoked snack mix is dry and crispy.
How to Make Smoked Chex Mix on the Grill
The best thing about making Chex mix on the grill is that you can make a large batch at one time.
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients together.
My method for making savory Chex mix is definitely unconventional, but it works! Especially if you want to make a large batch of the addictively salty and garlic-y snack.
To start, dump all of the cereals, nuts, crackers, and other snacks into an unscented trash bag. Gently toss and mix everything together. *If you’re not comfortable using a trash bag, then you can divide the ingredients up and use large mixing bowls, pots, etc. to incorporate the wet and dry snack mix ingredients together.
Your dry cereals and snacks should look something like this:
Step 2: Make the wet ingredients for Chex Mix.
Next, make the Chex mix “liquid” in a small sauce pan. This buttery, slightly spicy goodness does two things: 1) it adds extra flavor to your smoked Chex mix and 2) it gives your dry seasonings something to stick to.
For the melted butter mixture, melt 3 sticks of butter in a saucepan. Then, stir in the Worcestershire and buffalo sauce like this:
You can continue to simmer the sauce on low for a few minutes so that all of the flavors can marry together. Then, remove the pan from the heat and allow the sauce to cool down. You definitely don’t want to add hot liquid to the trash bag with your cereal mix, or it could cause your bag to melt.
While the melted butter liquid is cooling, make the dry seasoning. Simply add seasoned salt, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper, and Shake That all-purpose seasoning to a small bowl and mix together.
Step 3: Add the melted butter mixture to the dry snacks and toss to coat.
When your bold Chex mix liquid and dry seasoning mix are both done, it’s time to add them to your cereal mix. You’ll start by adding the liquid first, and then sprinkle on the dry seasoning.
After years of making large batches of this snack mix, I’ve found that it’s easiest to add the melted butter mixture to the trash bag, about 1/3 cup at a time. After each 1/3 cup, hold the top of the trash bag closed, and gently toss the mix together in the bag by rotating it around. Then, open the bag and add the next 1/3 cup of liquid, and repeat the process until all of the liquid is added.
Just try your best to get all of the cereal mix evenly coated, because that will be the “glue” for the dry seasoning mix.
Step 4: Season the Chex Mix.
Once all of the melted butter mixture is added, you’ll add the dry seasoning mix in the same manner. Working about 1/4 cup at a time, sprinkle the dry seasonings over the cereal mix and rotate the bag to evenly distribute.
Think of this method of mixing the wet and dry ingredients into the bold Chex Mix as a gentle “tumble” type motion – like the “tumble dry low” setting on your dryer… crazy, I know.
When all of the dry seasoning mix is added, spread the Chex Mix onto sheet trays in a thin, even layer. I used 4 large sheet trays to hold my mixture, but if your smoker won’t fit 4 large trays, then you’ll need to make adjustments.
You can use deeper aluminum foil disposable pans, but keep in mind that the deeper your dishes are, the more time the Chex Mix takes to cook, and the more frequently you’ll need to stir it while it’s on the smoker. Also, you’ll get less smoke flavor with a deeper baking dish, because not as much of the cereal will be exposed to the smoke.
After your bold Chex mix is evenly distributed on the baking sheets, add a final light dusting of seasoning on top of the mix. I sprinkled two of my sheet trays with Shake That all-purpose seasoning and the other two with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. All of the smoked Chex Mix will be added together when it is done cooking, so that’s why I did it this way.
You can taste for seasoning before putting your snack mix on the smoker, and add more or less seasoning as needed.
Step 5: Smoke the Chex Mix on the grill.
Next, it’s time to smoke the Chex Mix on the grill. Just place the sheet trays of party mix on the pellet grill like this:
For my Lone Star Grillz pellet smoker, the fire pot is on the bottom right side, so I positioned my sheet trays away from the hot spot.
Close the lid of the grill, and smoke at about 250 degrees F for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Be sure to lightly toss the mix every 15 minutes or so for even cooking. And remember, smoky flavor is good, but unless you’re a smoke-loving dragon, you don’t want your smoked Chex mix to be too overpowering. So don’t smoke for too long.
After about an hour of smoke time, start checking your grilled Chex Mix for doneness. The cereal mix should be dry and crispy, with a slightly golden color to it.
When done, simply turn off the smoker and and allow the Chex Mix to cool down on the grill with the lid closed.
And then you’re ready to enjoy your smoked Chex Mix! This smoky, buttery, salty, garlicky party mix is truly one of the best snacks you could possibly make!
Frequently Asked Questions about Smoked Chex Mix
What temperature to smoke Chex Mix on the pellet grill?
We smoked our Chex Mix in a pellet smoker set to 250 degrees F. For a shorter cook time and less smoke flavor, you can turn the temperature up to 275-300 degrees F.
How do I store the smoked Chex Mix?
This smoked Chex Mix recipe definitely yields some leftovers! Allow the snack mix to cool down completely, and then portion it into Ziploc bags. Our recipe made approximately 4 gallon-sized Ziploc bags of smoked party mix. You can also portion it into metal gift tins or decorative food storage bags and give the snack mix as holiday gifts.
To be honest, whenever we make a large batch of this smoked party mix, it’s gone within 4 days (by the time that I share with my mother-in-law!). But the snack should stay good for up to one week in an airtight container.
What if I don’t have a pellet grill or smoker? Can I still make this bold Chex mix?
Absolutely! You can use your charcoal grill as a smoker following this tutorial, or you can even add a smoke tube with pellets to your gas grill for extra flavor.
If you don’t have a grill, then you can cook the Chex mix in the oven as well. Just place the sheet trays of snack mix in the oven at 250 degrees F, and cook for at least an hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. Cook until the mix is dried out and crispy.
Smoked Chex Mix
Ingredients
- 3 sticks unsalted butter
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup buffalo sauce
- 12 oz box Rice Chex
- 14 oz box Wheat Chex
- 12 oz box Kix cereal
- 12.4 oz box Cheez-Its snack crackers
- 16 oz bag pretzels
- 14.5 oz bag Bugles chips
- 2 cups mixed nuts (optional)
- ½ cup granulated garlic
- ¼ cup seasoned salt
- ¼ cup Shake That All Purpose Seasoning *Plus more for lightly dusting the mix before it goes on the smoker.
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper *For a spicier snack mix, double to 1 teaspoon.
Instructions
- Preheat pellet grill or smoker to 250 degrees F. *I chose to use competition blend wood pellets from B&B.
- In a small saucepan, melt the unsalted butter. Add the Worcestershire sauce and buffalo sauce to the melted butter. Stir to combine. Once combined, simmer for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat to cool slightly.
- Combine granulated garlic, seasoned salt, all purpose seasoning, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Mix together all cereal, dry snacks, and nuts. *I find it easiest to add all dry ingredients to a large, scent-free trash bag, but you can also use large mixing bowls.
- Add roughly ⅓ cup of the melted butter mixture at a time to the dry cereal snack mixture (in the trash bag or mixing bowls). After adding each ⅓ cup of liquid, toss the cereal mixture to coat it with the butter liquid. Continue adding the wet ingredients and mixing with the snack mixture until done. When mixing, be careful not to crush the cereal pieces.
- When all of the wet ingredients are mixed in, lightly sprinkle in the seasoning mixture, about a small handful at a time. Toss the cereal snack mix in between adding the seasoning mixture so that the cereal gets evenly seasoned, just like you did with the wet ingredients.
- Divide the Chex Mix between 4 large baking sheets in a thin, even layer. If you don't have 4 large baking sheets, you can also use shallow baking dishes. *If you need to use a smaller number of deeper cooking pans, you will need to smoke the Chex Mix longer.
- Taste the Chex Mix for seasoning, and add another light dusting of seasoned salt or all-purpose seasoning if needed before smoking the mix.
- Place the baking sheets of Chex Mix on the grill. Smoke for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, mixing every 15-20 minutes so the mix cooks evenly. The smoked Chex Mix is done when it is fully dried out and nicely crispy.
- When done, turn off the smoker and allow the smoked Chex Mix to cool inside the smoker with the lid closed.
- When Chex Mix is fully cooled, serve immediately or transfer to gallon-sized Ziploc bags to store.
Notes
- This smoked Chex Mix recipe can be customized to your liking. Add or substitute other dry cereal or snacks like Corn Chex, Life cereal, bagel chips, etc.
- Smoked Chex Mix can be stored in airtight containers on the counter for up to 7 days.
