Hot, gooey, melty cheese that you can dip anything in? Yes.
Queso, the kind you get at your favorite divey Mexican joint (meaning piles of addictive food at lower prices than even Taco Bell can give you), opens a world of possibilities.
Actually, it’s a world in its own; there a single cookbook that documents 250 different queso recipes. In case you’re wondering, it’s simply called Queso, so you’re unlikely to forget it the next time you’re on an Amazon binge.
The sheer number of recipes for queso out there, let alone the countless untold recipes found in homes and restaurants across the globe should tell you how important the world of queso actually is.
So, how do you make a killer queso that you’ll want hanging around your home at all times?
It’s all about the chilies.
Sure, there are those that’ll argue that it’s about the cheese, but it’s not; it’s about the chilies or rather the heat. It could be the fresh chilies, dried chilies, hot sauce, pepper puree, extract or chili powder. (Yes, that’s exactly what we do.)
More specifically, it’s about when you add the chilies to the mix.
Most queso recipes start by melting some butter, sautéing some onions and garlic, stirring in milk and cream, melting in your choice of cheese and only then adding in your chilies or other seasonings.
What?
That’s nowhere near long enough to allow the heat to melt into every gooey bite of cheese. And, let’s be honest, cheese isn’t anything without chilies. To be fair, we should say that they’re just better together.
So when should you add the chilies if you’re after a queso that kills? Right at the beginning. Well, you should stir it in when you add the onions and garlic. This allows it to seep into the butter as it rolls around and spills into every corner of your queso.
Sure, it will singe your nostril hairs as it cooks and you’ll be begging to bring on the milk (that’s always the case with any hot sauce adventure, isn’t it?). But, it’s all worth it in the end, whether you go with chilies, hot sauce or extract.
Want a killer queso every single time?
Get yourself a bottle or two of Mad Dog hot sauces or extracts. Hell, get a puree and one of our pepper pods too. You’re going to need this queso every day so you may as well stock up on your supplies now.