This recipe is for a cheese sauce for burgers that you dip your burger in instead of pouring it on the burger. This cheese dip will take your burgers to the next level.

Why Dip Your Burger in Cheese Dip?

Dipping your burger in this cheese dip takes your burger to the next level. It adds to the flavour and it’s delicious.

And who doesn’t like to dunk their food in a cheesy dip?

What Kind of Burger Goes Best With Cheese Dip?

Any burger can be served with this dip. Our favourite is a Chili Burger but you can dip plain burgers made from any meat you choose.

This dip is made from cheeses that go well with beef, pork, chicken, or turkey.

You can top your burgers with any toppings of your choice before dipping.

For tips on making burger patties, check out How To Make The Best Burgers.

Ingredients

There are five types of cheese in this recipe.

• Velveeta
• Gouda
• Monterey Jack
• Extra Old Cheddar
• Cream Cheese

Those cheeses are melted along with salsa, jalapeno, garlic, beef broth, and beer. You can substitute the beer with additional beef broth.

If you are making a chicken or turkey burger, chicken broth can be used in place of beef broth.

A vegetable broth can also be substituted for beef broth.

Leftovers

This recipe makes a large pan of sauce. We have a big family and like to have extras for leftovers. But the recipe is easily halved for a smaller batch.

Leftovers can be stored in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 1 minute or until smooth enough to dip.

Alternative Use For This Dip

This dip can also be used on Nachos or for dipping tortilla chips.

We also use this as a sauce to top enchiladas and tacos. And it tastes really good on top of a bowl of chili.

Cheese dip is also great to dip steak sandwiches. Use it as you would a French Dip, instead of au jus, use Cheese dip. Kids especially like this.

 

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There are so many BBQ and Smoker recipes out there. And we have so many that we use regularly.

These are our top BBQ and Smoker recipes. The recipes here are our most requested.

Here you will find links to our best BBQ and smoked meats as well as sides and appetizers.

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Grilled Bratwurst, and caramelized onions on a toasted bun and topped with mustard. That is what this recipe for Beer Brats On The Grill is all about.

What Are Beer Brats?

Beer brats are basically bratwurst sausages cooked in beer and onions. The beer and onions are cooked down until the onions are caramelized and the beer has been reduced. The sausages are then grilled and served with onion and beer reduction.

Making Beer Brats on The Grill

Making this recipe is very easy. Everything can be prepared and cooked outdoors on a charcoal or gas BBQ.

The trick is to cook them in the beer before grilling them. This adds flavour to the sausages as well as keeps the sausages juicy so they won’t dry out when you grill them.

Special Equipment to Make Beer Brats

For this recipe, we make it on the gas or charcoal grill. Whichever you have will work.

We use a disposable aluminum pan for cooking the beer and onions. It makes for easy cleanup because I just rinse it and then throw it in the recycle bin.

A large cast iron pot can also be used or a heavy-bottomed pot. Just remember that whatever pot you use will likely have soot on the outside of it if you are using a charcoal BBQ.

Can Any Beer Be Used To Make Beer Brats?

Many recipes call for a certain type or brand of beer. But if you choose a beer you don’t like, odds are you won’t like the taste of the dish either.

Always cook with a beer that you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be an expensive beer or craft beer. Just make sure it is one that you like the taste of.

We have used different kinds of beer. It always depends on what we have on hand at the time.

Toppings for Beer Brats

Beer Brats are served with the beer caramelized onions that they are cooked in, on a toasted bun.

Then they are topped with mustard. Stone ground mustard is one of the best options, but regular mustard or even Dijon will do.

When making these for a crowd, we offer different flavours of mustard as well as sauerkraut. Some shredded Parmesan cheese makes a good topping as well.

Variations to the Beer and Onions

To add colour, we sometimes add red, yellow, and orange peppers, that have been julienned and cooked in the beer with the onions. When adding peppers, we usually add them after the beer cooks down so that the peppers still have a little crunch.

For added flavour, we have also added mushrooms to the onions.

What To Serve with Beer Brats

You can serve these sausages on their own, or with a side. These go well with coleslaw, potato salad, or grilled potatoes.

Mac and Cheese also goes well with these sausages. We like to set a pan of mac and cheese right beside the pan of brats to keep it warm.

Also, corn on the cob is a good choice. And since the BBQ is already hot to make these Beer Brats, grilling the corn is easy to do.

 

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Smoked bologna is easy to make and surprisingly flavourful. It makes an amazing lunch, dinner or snack.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Keep in mind that we link these companies and their products because of their quality, not because of the commission we may receive from purchases.

Childhood Memories of Bologna

Growing up bologna was a staple in our house. Lunches consisted of ‘baloney’ sandwiches with mustard or ketchup. Bologna sandwiches were fast and easy to make for a summer lunch by the lake.

We also had fried bologna for dinner. Served with mashed potatoes and creamed corn, this was not only a staple but a delicacy as far as I am concerned.

So when Mike told me he wanted to smoke bologna, I was all for it. A childhood favourite being transformed into something I had never tried. Of course, I wanted to try it.

Where to Buy a Whole Bologna

Before smoking bologna, I had never purchased the whole bologna and had no idea where to find one.

The best place to start when looking for whole bologna is at your local grocery store. Almost every in-store deli sells bologna. It is getting the whole piece that can be harder to find. You may have to ask the deli manager to order one for you if they don’t keep it in stock or it’s not a big seller.

You can also find whole bologna at some Costco locations or wholesale grocery stores. We almost always find it at Costco Business Centre and The Wholesale Club. Depending on where you live, you may have to ask around at different stores.

And if whole bologna is too much, you can always use a smaller piece, either a half or a quarter piece.

How to Smoke a Bologna

Smoking bologna is easy. Once you try it, you will want to make it again and again.

You can use a wood smoker, pellet smoker, charcoal BBQ or gas grill. We usually use our wood smoker but we have also used our Weber kettle and our Traeger pellet smoker.

Because bologna is already cooked, you won’t need to smoke it for a long period of time like you would a raw piece of meat. It will only take 2-3 hours of smoke time to make this recipe.

Scoring the Bologna

The bologna will need to be scored to allow the smoke to get inside. This is easily done by running a knife crosswise across the bologna in one direction and then the other, creating diamond shapes in the bologna. You don’t want to cut too deep, only about a ¼-½ inch deep.

Seasoning

After scoring the bologna, flavour is added by coating it in seasoning. We use different seasonings depending on our mood. You can make it spicy or mild with your choice of spices. One of our favourites is Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning.

Smoking Wood

The choice of wood to smoke bologna is up to you. We prefer using apple wood or cherry wood. We like the flavours the fruit woods bring to the bologna. Hickory wood is also a good choice.

How to Serve Smoked Bologna

Smoked Bologna sandwiches are one of our favourites. We like to slice the bologna after smoking to make toasted bologna sandwiches.

We have used the smoked bologna to make Chuck-wagon Sandwiches, as well. We smoke the ham and salami alongside the bologna for these sandwiches.

We have also sliced the bologna and fried it to serve with eggs and toast for breakfast. And there is my all-time favourite: fried smoked bologna with mashed potatoes and corn.

Smoked Bologna Sandwiches

To make sandwiches with Smoked Bologna, start with two slices of toasted, thick-sliced bread. Add sliced Smoked Bologna, mustard, shredded lettuce and Salt and Vinegar chips.

An alternative to Salt and Vinegar chips is Hickory Sticks. These add even more smokiness to the sandwich. If you don’t like or can’t find Salt and Vinegar chips or Hickory Sticks, just use your favourite flavour of chips.

Breakfast Smoked Bologna

We love frying some slices of Smoked Bologna and serving it on the side of fried eggs, toast and hash-browned potatoes. A runny yolk on the bologna is so good. You can also turn this into a breakfast sandwich by adding the fried bologna, egg and some cheese to toast to create a sandwich.

Storing Smoked Bologna

Storing Smoked Bologna is easy. All you have to do is wrap it in plastic wrap after it is cooled and refrigerate it. You can slice it before storing it or wrap it up whole. Use it within 3 days.

It can also be frozen for up to one month. Slice and wrap in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag or air-tight container. Thaw in the fridge before using.

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Who doesn’t love to dip a tortilla chip in cheese sauce? It is one of our favourite ways to eat tortilla dips especially when the cheese dip has been made outside on the BBQ. And this recipe for BBQ Beer Cheese Queso is one of our favourites.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Keep in mind that we link these companies and their products because of their quality, not because of the commission we may receive from purchases.

What is Beer Cheese Queso?

This recipe combines the great tastes of Beer Cheese and Queso Dip. The flavours all come together in this dip to make a dip that is easy to make and perfect for a get-together.

This Queso is easy to make and is a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

Unlike other queso dips that are currently trending, this recipe doesn’t call for Velveeta. This recipe only calls for eight simple ingredients that you may already have on hand.

One note that I have to make about the ingredients is that we use full-fat cheeses. We have not tried this recipe using any type of reduced fat or reduced calorie cheeses. We don’t know what the results would be if the recipe is made using low-fat or reduced-calorie cheeses.

Sharp Cheddar – We like using sharp cheddar because it adds tons of flavour. You could use mild or medium cheddar but the end result won’t have the same flavour.

Mozzarella – There is a small amount of mozzarella in this dip. Mozzarella melts really well, making it a perfect addition to the dip.

Cream Cheese – This is where the dip gets its creaminess.

Ground beef- We use lean ground beef and drain it so it doesn’t add to the oils in the dip. There is enough oil in the cheese in this dip, so you want to make sure the meat is drained well before making the dip.

Beer – Any beer you have on hand will do. Just make sure it is cold.

Jalapeno – We use one to two jalapenos depending on how hot we want the dip to be.

Bacon – Bacon adds a bit of saltiness and flavour.

Salsa – Mild, medium, or hot salsa can be used.

Equipment

We make BBQ Beer Cheese Queso on the gas grill usually, but we have used charcoal barbecue as well. The smoker is another option to make this recipe.

We use aluminum pans to make this dip. This makes it easy to clean up.

A  Dutch Oven also works well on the BBQ to make this Queso.

This recipe can also be made in a slow cooker or in the oven. A couple of drops of Liquid Smoke can be added during the cooking process if not made on the BBQ.

Variations/ Substitutions/ Additions

The beef in this recipe can be replaced with ground pork or ground sausage meat.

In the summer when our garden is plentiful, we add fresh diced tomatoes and diced green or red peppers from our garden.

The jalapeno in the recipe can be substituted with any type of hot pepper. We have used Serrano peppers in place of the jalapenos.

Ideas for serving BBQ Beer Cheese Queso

This dip should be served warm. Use tortilla chips for dipping.

We love to serve this when we have company over. It goes well with a cold beer or a glass of wine.

Another great way to enjoy this dip is over a campfire. We cube the cheese beforehand and store it in a freezer bag. It will keep in a cooler for a few days.

If you are looking for a Queso without beer try our Barbecue Queso Dip.

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Grilled chicken breasts are perfect for hot summer days, but after a while, you may run out of ideas for flavouring chicken. These Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Breasts are great for a quick weeknight barbecue.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Keep in mind that we link these companies and their products because of their quality, not because of the commission we may receive from purchases.

The Marinade for Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken Breasts

The cilantro lime marinade for this recipe takes only minutes to make and has only seven ingredients, making this easy to make. It takes only 1 hour for the marinade to flavour the chicken breasts, but the chicken can marinade for up to 4 hours. (any longer than 4 hours and the lime will break down the meat too much)

Equipment Used To Make This Recipe

When making this marinade, a food processor or blender is used to make this marinade creamy. I use a small personal blender that works well for the small number of ingredients used.

I cook these chicken breasts on the barbecue. Gas or charcoal barbecues can be used to make this recipe. If you don’t have a barbecue, these chicken breasts can be grilled indoors using a grill pan.

One of the most important tools you can have when grilling chicken is a thermometer for testing the chicken. You don’t want to overcook the chicken or it will be dry. But most importantly, you do not want to undercook chicken, which can lead to food poisoning. Chicken should be cooked to 165°F internally. A good thermometer will help you to make sure you cook the chicken to the right temperature. You don’t need a fancy thermometer. I use a small pen-sized thermometer for cooking chicken on the grill.

Ingredients For Cilantro Lime Chicken Breasts

Cilantro is one of the main ingredients in this recipe. I like to use fresh cilantro from my garden. Now I know that for some people cilantro tastes like soap. Our daughter is one of those people. But there really is no substitute for the cilantro in this recipe, and for some reason, she doesn’t taste soap when eating this chicken. I have read that it may be because of the processing in a blender and then grilling, which is thought to remove the soapy taste.

Lime is the other main ingredient. I use one whole lime and use a manual citrus juicer to get every last drop of juice from the lime. The lime should be a prominent flavour along with the cilantro.

Avocado Oil is used as the oil to hold the marinade together. It can withstand the high heat of the grill, whether it’s gas or charcoal. It also has a mild flavour that compliments the cilantro and lime flavours.

Garlic, onion powder, and kosher salt and pepper round out the marinade ingredient list.

As for the chicken breasts, I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The marinade helps keep them juicy while grilling, so they don’t dry out. I have also used boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe with great results. If you prefer bone-in chicken, that works as well. I do find this marinade works better with skinless chicken.

Serving Ideas

One of our favourite ways to eat this chicken is sliced and used in fajitas, topped with grilled peppers and onions and avocado cream. The Avocado Lime Crema we serve with fish tacos also tastes great with this chicken.

I also like to pair Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken with Grilled Corn Salad. The flavours of the cilantro and lime go well with the chipotle in the corn salad.

This grilled chicken can also be used as a topping for a fresh salad. And since the marinade in this recipe will cover six to eight chicken breasts, you can have leftovers to use in meal prepping for a couple of days.

For another great BBQ chicken recipe try our BBQ Pineapple Chicken.

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Chicken is a staple for summer barbecues and pairing it with pineapple makes it even more summery. This BBQ Pineapple Chicken is sweet, and tangy and makes a perfect weeknight supper.

A Simple and Flavourful Recipe

This is a simple recipe that is adapted from the numerous Aloha Chicken recipes you can find online. It is grilled on the BBQ and can be ready in 30-40 minutes if you prepare the marinade the night before or even in the morning.

Letting the chicken marinade all day, allows the chicken to soak up more of the flavours of the marinade.

Ingredients

I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Bone-in chicken breasts can also be used. I prefer skinless because it absorbs the marinade better than skin on chicken. I have also made this using boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You can use your favourite cut of chicken to make this recipe.

The marinade has seven ingredients:

Pineapple Juice: unsweetened pineapple juice is used.

Ketchup: French’s is my choice because it is made in Canada from Canadian-grown tomatoes.

Soy Sauce: low sodium soy sauce is used because you want to taste the sweetness of the pineapple and with too much salt you would lose the sweetness

Brown sugar: the sweetness of the sugar compliments the pineapple

Hot Sauce: I usually use Frank’s hot sauce but sometimes I will swap out something hotter. It depends on the mood

Minced garlic and grated ginger: I always have them on hand. Sometimes if I am in a hurry I use jarred ginger and garlic that is already minced or grated.

Serving Ideas

BBQ Pineapple Chicken can be served in so many ways. Over rice. On top of a salad. Sliced in a wrap with vegetables.

When I make this using chicken thigh, I like to serve it on toasted buns with lettuce and tomatoes, and extra BBQ sauce. Topped with coleslaw, like my Apple Coleslaw, instead of lettuce and tomato is another great way to serve this chicken.

Also, a great chicken recipe to make for meal prepping.

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Bacon and Cheese. Is there anything else that makes food taste better? Maybe add some jalapenos and smoke? Yes! Put them all together with pork tenderloin and you have a Jalapeno Cheddar Stuffed Pork Tenderloin wrapped in bacon!

With only seven ingredients, Jalapeno Cheddar Stuffed Pork Tenderloins are easy to make and delicious. The filling is made of five ingredients that are mixed together, then stuffed in the tenderloins before wrapping in bacon. Then the meat is smoked for an afternoon.

Ingredients For Jalapeno Cheddar Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

The seven ingredients in this recipe are easy to find and may already be on hand. I know in our house, we always have these ingredients in the fridge and pantry.

Tenderloins are usually always part of our grocery list, especially in the summer. We buy them when we do our weekly grocery shopping. We have been known to buy extras when they are on sale and freeze them so we always have some on hand.

Fresh jalapenos. These are always in our fridge. Jalapenos are perfect for any dish if you want to add a little heat to them.

Cream Cheese. It is a staple for baking and cooking.

Cheddar. We like to use old or aged cheddar. And we grate it ourselves so it is fresh when we use it. (Grating cheese is usually a job we delegate to one of our kids. They learned to grate the cheese by 7 or 8 years old.)

Chili Powder and Cumin. These are the only two spices used.

Bacon. This is where the salt comes in. We don’t add salt because usually, bacon has enough salt in it to add that flavour to the meat.

Equipment

We use a smoker to make these tenderloins but a BBQ with a smoker box also works well.

When it comes to smoking wood, we do prefer chunks of wood over wood chips. Since we use an Oklahoma Joe Smoker most of the time, chunks are perfect. But other smokers have specific types of wood, so you can use what is best for your type of smoker. For example, our Traeger smoker uses pellets. And chips are what we use if we are smoking on the Cuisinart gas grill.

We mostly use apple wood as the flavour but we have also used cherry and it also worked well.

You will also need a very sharp knife to cut the tenderloins open. You don’t want jagged edges on the meat from sawing with a dull knife.

One tool that does come in handy for making the filling is a potato masher. It is great for mashing the cheese together. Especially when the cream cheese is still a little cold. A potato masher will help to get rid of the bigger chunks of cream cheese and make a smoother filling.

Leftover Filling

This recipe makes three average-sized pork tenderloins. There may be leftover cheese and jalapeno filling. The leftover jalapeno and cheese filling can be stored in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 6 weeks, then thawed in the bag. To use just cut a corner off the freezer bag and pipe the mixture.

You can also make only one or two of these tenderloins at a time for smaller meals and freeze the remaining filling.

The filling is similar to a Jalapeno Popper and can be used as such. Simply roll the filling into small balls and coat with a batter. Then fry until golden.

This filling can also be used for stuffed burgers. It goes well inside beef burgers that are grilled and then topped with Monterey Jack cheese.

 

 

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Grilled chicken is one of the most grilled meats in our house. Chicken is fast and easy to grill, making it perfect for weeknights. But after a while, you can start getting tired of the same old chicken meals. That is why we are always working on new marinades for our weeknight chicken meals. This Southwest Chicken Marinade is one we turn to for fajitas or serving over rice.

A good marinade has three main elements: an acid, an oil, and flavouring.

Southwest Chicken Marinade has the three elements needed to make a great marinade. All three elements are represented to give the chicken full flavour.

The acid in this marinade is lime juice, which is used in many Southwest dishes as well as drinks. Lime juice not only tenderizes the chicken, it also adds flavour.

The oil used is avocado oil because it has a higher smoke point, making it better for barbecuing and grilling. It doesn’t have a strong flavour so it won’t overpower the flavours of the spices.

The spices used are really what give this dish its flavour. Apart from the lime juice, the true flavours come from the chili powder, ground cumin, and cayenne.

The longer the marinating time, the better the flavour

Chicken should marinate for at least 4 hours, but I prefer to allow it to marinate overnight. A 12 to 15-hour marinate allows the chicken to absorb all the flavours.

We like to use boneless, skinless chicken for this recipe. Breasts or thighs, or a combination of the two. But bone-in chicken can also be used.

The marinade is thick so it sticks to the meat. Because of its thickness, it can also be used as a rub for whole chicken. For a thicker rub, omit the chicken stock.

Uses for Marinated Chicken

We like to grill the chicken and use it in fajitas or serve it over Mexican or Spanish rice with a side salad. The grilled chicken is also excellent on top of a salad or added to a lettuce wrap.

Larger batches of chicken can be grilled and used for meal prep as well. It can be kept in the fridge once cooked for up to 3 or 4 days, making it a great meat for meal prepping.

One other way to serve marinated grilled chicken is on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and chipotle sauce. This way makes a great lunch or quick dinner when you have leftovers.

Instead of grilling, chicken can also be marinated and then cooked in a 350°F oven, covered for 45 to 60 minutes, then shredded for carnitas or tacos. Shredded chicken also tastes great in a burrito.

There are so many ways to use this marinated chicken. It can also be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge in a mason jar for up to a week before use.

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Grilled sausages are a quick and easy dinner for hot summer days. Add a toasted garlic butter bun, a quick tomato sauce and cheese, and you have a delicious sandwich. Pair it with a side salad and you have a quick and easy meal.

 

Ingredients

When it comes to sausages, I usually use Italian sausages, hot or mild. Italian sausages are available at any grocery store or butcher’s shop. Other varieties of sausages work just as well.

Diced canned tomatoes with herbs are a great way to start the sauce. I use the smallest diced tomatoes available so that the sauce breaks down faster, but you still want to have a little chunkiness to the sauce. Fresh basil is added for flavour as well as Italian Season and chopped garlic.

For cheese, a mix of provolone, Parmesan and mozzarella is used. These cheeses mixed together are great for melting and add a lot of flavour. I find these three cheeses already shredded and mixed at my local grocery store, which makes it quicker to put this meal together.

Garlic butter can be easily made by grating garlic and mixing it with butter. But you can also buy prepared garlic butter to use. Either one can be spread on the buns before toasting.

 

Equipment for making Grilled Sausages on Toasted Garlic Butter Buns

This recipe is made on the BBQ, making it a great summer dish that is entirely cooked outside. Even the sauce is made in a pan on the grill. No burner required.  But if you don’t have a grill, it can be made on the stove top.

You can use a gas grill or charcoal grill. Either one will yield great results. We have also made this meal on the smoker, adding a smoky flavour to the sauce. We like to use hickory or alder wood for smoking the sauce.

A foil pan place on the BBQ is used to cook the sauce. A 13 x 9 inch baking pan can also be used. The sauce cooks on one side of the grill while the sausages cook on the other side.

A baking sheet is used to melt the cheese once everything is put together. I have also placed the sandwich on the grill directly, but found that the cheese melts down onto the grills which creates a mess.

Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase we may earn a commission. Keep in mind that we link companies and their products because of their quality, not because of the commission we may receive from purchases. The decision is yours if you choose to buy something through these links.

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