You’ve undoubtedly seen the viral smoked cream cheese craze if you’ve spent any time on social media in the past year.
It seems strange, and I’ll be the first to confess that I was suspicious when I first heard about it.
But when I tried smoking cream cheese, I was just taken away by how tasty it tasted. Plus, it’s one of the simplest recipes you’ll ever try on your smoker, making it ideal for parties or gatherings!
Contents
- Smoked Cream Cheese
- How to make Smoked Cream Cheese
- Other ways to make smoked cream cheese
- Love cream cheese as much as I do? Try these recipes next:
- FAQs
- What is the best way to reheat smoked cream cheese?
- How long does smoked cream cheese last?
- Can you cold smoke cream cheese?
- How long to let cheese mellow after smoking?
- What do you wrap cheese in after smoking?
- Can I leave smoked cream cheese out overnight?
- How do you eat smoked cheese?
- How long can smoked cream cheese sit out?
- What is the best cheese to smoke on a pellet smoker?
Smoked Cream Cheese
The beautiful thing about smoked cream cheese is that you can flavor it anyway you want.
This is a simple and uncomplicated form of smoked cream cheese, but don’t be scared to spice it up! Replace the binder, change up the rub, add a splash of sauce, anything you like; the choices are limitless.
If you’re seeking for inspiration, I’ll give three distinct variations of this dish, including one with a fantastic nacho cheese Doritos crust.
How to make Smoked Cream Cheese
Begin with a cream cheese block. I’m a die-hard Philly lover, but whichever brand you choose would suffice.
1. Add an oil or mustard binder
The first step is to add a binder to your cream cheese block. This will help the spice adhere, resulting in an equal coating of taste in every mouthful.
You can keep it simple by rubbing it with olive oil, but I really appreciate the taste that a touch of mustard provides.
I used regular yellow mustard for this dish, but I’ve also used Dijon mustard and a Hot Honey Beer Mustard, which was delicious.
Coat the whole block of cream cheese with a little coating of mustard using a tiny basting brush.
2. Score the cream cheese
Then, using a knife, score a crosshatch pattern over the surface of the cream cheese block.
You may technically omit this step since I don’t believe it makes much of a difference in taste, but it will help the spices to go deeper into the block of cheese and give more surface area for flavor, plus it looks a lot better!
3. Season the cream cheese
It’s time to season your cream cheese once it’s been covered with mustard and scored with a knife.
You may use whatever barbecue rub or spice combination you choose, but I like rubs prepared for pork or ribs since they generally include brown sugar.
The sweetness from the sugar, mixed with the creamy cheese, creates a very delectable combination.
If you don’t have a bottle of pork rub on hand, use our barbeque Pork Rub recipe instead. It’s simple to make and goes well with cream cheese.
Sprinkle the rub over the cream cheese block, being careful to cover every side equally. When the cream cheese has been well covered in your rub, it is ready to go into the smoker.
4. Fire up your smoker for low and slow
The trick to making smoked cream cheese is to smoke it slowly and slowly. You don’t want your smoker or grill to reach much hotter than 225F. I like to smoke it for around two hours at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
I smoked it with B&B Charcoal Oak Lump Charcoal on my Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050.
You could also cook this on the grill or in the oven, but you’ll lose out on some of the smokey flavor that really elevates it.
After roughly 2 hours, the cream cheese should be golden brown and the crosshatch scoring should be visible.
You may serve it right away with your favorite crackers or tortilla chips.
Other ways to make smoked cream cheese
As previously said, smoked cream cheese is incredibly flexible and may be used in a variety of ways. I’ve tried many variations over the past several months, and here are some of my favorites:
1.Hot Honey Smoked Cream Cheese
Begin with the PS Seasoning Hot Honey Beer Mustard as a binder, followed by the PS Seasoning Hot Honey Chipotle Bee Sting Rub.
After it’s finished frying, sprinkle it with Mike’s Hot Honey and serve it with your favorite crackers.
You dont have to use those exact brands.
2.Taki’s Smoked Cream Cheese
Begin with an olive oil binder and season with your favorite BBQ Pork Rub.
Crush approximately half of a bag of Takis and sprinkle them on top. When it’s done, serve it with extra Takis for dipping.
3.Nacho Cheese Doritos Smoked Cream Cheese
Begin with an olive oil binder and season with your favorite BBQ Pork Rub.
Crumble a cup of Nacho Cheese Doritos and sprinkle them on top. When it’s done, serve it with extra Doritos for dipping.
Love cream cheese as much as I do? Try these recipes next:
- The Ultimate Jalapeno Popper Dip
- Smoked Pig Shots
- Smoked Armadillo Eggs Wrapped in Bacon
- Bacon wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
