Ingredients:

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 lb American cheese or Velveeta, cubed
  • 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, freshly shredded
  • 8 oz cream cheese, cubed and softened
  • 20 oz Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies (2 cans), undrained
  • 2 fresh jalapeños, finely diced
  • 0.5 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 0.5 tsp ground cumin

Instructions:

  1. Place the ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Note: This develops the savory base flavor through the Maillard reaction.
  2. Remove the beef from the pan and drain well. Note: Skipping this step leads to an oily film on top of your Crockpot Queso Dip.
  3. Quickly toss the diced jalapeños into the residual heat of the pan for 1 minute until bright green and fragrant.
  4. Lightly grease the inside of your crockpot or insert a liner for easy cleanup.
  5. Place the cubed American cheese, shredded Monterey Jack, and softened cream cheese into the pot.
  6. Stir in the browned beef and the sautéed jalapeños.
  7. Pour in the two cans of undrained Rotel and the half cup of evaporated milk.
  8. Sprinkle the garlic powder, onion powder, and ground cumin over the top.
  9. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours until the cheese is completely molten and glossy.
  10. Uncover and stir vigorously for 30 seconds to fully emulsify the fats and liquids into a silky sauce.