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This sausage cream cheese rotel dip is just like the classic appetizer dip, except cooked on the smoker or grill for extra flavor! With just three simple ingredients – sausage, cream cheese, and a can of Rotel – you can create a smoky, creamy, and slightly spicy dip that everyone will love.
My Aunt Caroline has been bringing this classic 3 ingredient appetizer dip to family parties for the last decade. And while her Crock Pot version is fantastic, I decided to up the flavors just a bit by adding some smoke flavor!
This sausage cream cheese rotel dip is just like the original, but by smoking the sausage on the grill, and then smoking the block of cream cheese whole, this party appetizer gets an extra boost! *And if you want some other fantastic smoker dip recipes then check out our smoked spinach artichoke dip or this loaded cowboy queso!
Just 3 Ingredients
The old saying, “Less is more”, is truly showcased in this appetizer dip. Here’s a look at the 3 simple ingredients that you need:
- Sausage – We used our favorite ground breakfast sausage, Tennessee Pride, but you can substitute your favorite brand. Feel free to use mild or hot varieties, but I would steer clear of flavored sausages like maple or sage that may compete with the delicate cream cheese or clash with the tangy tomatoes. By the way, if you’ve never made smoked breakfast sausage for your biscuits or just a breakfast side, you SHOULD.
- Cream Cheese – Self explanatory, but use the full fat version for best results. Also, since this dip only has 3 ingredients and the cream cheese is so important, I like to stick with the Philadelphia brand.
- Rotel Tomatoes – The classic party dip ingredient! Rotel comes in various heat levels – hot, mild, or regular. You can choose your favorite, but for a crowd, I recommend a mild version to accommodate different tastes. And DON’T drain the can!
Sausage Cream Cheese Dip Video
How to Make Sausage Cream Cheese Rotel Dip on the Smoker
To start, preheat your smoker or pellet grill to 250°F. This temperature allows the ingredients to heat slowly and absorb plenty of smoky flavor, but it’s not too low that the cream cheese doesn’t melt well.
Use wood pellets that complement the dip – hickory or pecan are great for their balanced flavor. We used our favorite Smokin’ Pecan pellets, made from real pecan shells.
Once the grill is heated up, just follow these steps:
- Add the sausage to a cast iron skillet and break it up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Spread the sausage out in the skillet so that it is in a thin layer and cooks evenly. This also allows more surface area for the smoke flavor to adhere to. Place the skillet on the grill grates, and smoke the sausage until it’s cooked through, stirring and crumbling it up every 15-20 minutes. Our sausage took about 1 hour and 10 minutes to cook.
- Keep the sausage and grease in the skillet, and add the full can of Rotel tomatoes, juice and all. Then place the block of cream cheese on top. Sprinkle the cream cheese with some of your favorite barbecue seasoning for extra flavor (optional). We used our ‘Que That Barbecue Seasoning.
- Place the skillet with the 3 ingredient dip on the smoker. Smoke at 250°F for one hour. After the first hour, stir all of the ingredients together. Then return to the smoker for another 15-20 minutes.
- Once the cream cheese is fully melted and the ingredients are well-mixed, carefully remove the skillet from the smoker. Serve the dip hot with your favorite dippers, such as corn chip, tortilla chips, crackers, or fresh veggies.
Alternative Cooking Methods
If you don’t have a smoker or grill, you can still make this versatile dip using other heating methods. Follow the instructions, except bake in the oven instead (after all, like I always say, “a smoker is just an oven with flavor”). Or cook the sausage in a skillet on the stovetop, and then stir in the cream cheese and Rotel until melty.
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Sausage Cream Cheese Rotel Dip on the Smoker
Equipment
- 10-12" cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground breakfast sausage, *We used mild Tennessee Pride sausage
- 8 oz block cream cheese, full fat
- 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes, with juice from the can
- barbecue seasoning (optional), *We used our ‘Que That Barbecue Seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat pellet grill or smoker to 250℉ with your choice of pellets or wood chunks.
- Spread ground sausage out into the bottom of a cast iron skillet so that it is in a thin even layer. Place the skillet directly on the grill grates, and close the grill lid. Smoke the sausage until it’s cooked through, stirring and crumbling it up every 15-20 minutes. Our sausage took about 1 hour and 10 minutes to cook.
- When the sausage is done, remove the skillet from the grill. Keep the sausage and grease in the skillet, and pour the full can of Rotel tomatoes (including the juice) on top of the sausage. Then place the block of cream cheese on top. Sprinkle the cream cheese with some of your favorite barbecue seasoning for extra flavor (optional).
- Place the skillet back on the smoker, and smoke at 250℉ for one hour. After the first hour, stir all of the ingredients together. Then return to the smoker for another 15-20 minutes.
- Once the cream cheese is fully melted, carefully remove the skillet from the smoker. Serve the dip hot with your favorite dippers, such as corn chip, tortilla chips, crackers, or fresh veggies.
Video
Notes
- Alternate cooking methods – If you don’t have a smoker or grill, you can still make this versatile dip using other heating methods. Follow the instructions, except bake in the oven instead at 300°F. Or cook the sausage in a skillet on the stovetop, and then stir in the cream cheese and Rotel and cook over medium-low heat until melty.
Awesome with a greaat smoke taste, but I would recommend draining the grease before mixing in the other ingredients as it is a very rich dish and the grease tends to congeal as it sits out during the party.
I am going to try this it look so good thank you for what you do.