RECIPES / APPETIZERS / OH-SO-CHEESY BACON BEER CHEESE DIP
Oh-So-Cheesy Bacon Beer Cheese Dip
What do you get when you add bacon and beer and cheese? Heaven, in short, and you’ll find it in this boozy, cheesy, crispy, crunchy dip that’s based on a Modernist Cuisine recipe. The folks behind Modernist Cuisine are known for making pretty much perfect recipe versions of everyday foods, using science and technology to amp up the fab factor.
Their beer-cheese dip is based on grams and volume, but if you’re more of a cup and teaspoon sorta person, this recipe is for you — especially if you like spicy, zesty, fresh, and delicious dips that are easy to make and serve and fun to talk about with your party guests.
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cup wheat beer
- 11g sodium citrate (as advised by Modernist)
- 3 cups shredded cheese, the finer the better; you can use pepperjack, cheddar, jack, or whatever you like
- 4-5 slices Fletcher’s Hickory Smoked or Black Pepper Crust Bacon, diced
- 1/2 cup canned diced green chiles, spicy is best
- 2/3 cup pico de gallo
- 1/2 avocado, in chunks
- 4 sprigs cilantro, minced
Directions:
- Pour beer and sodium citrate into a medium-large pot. Using a whisk, dissolve sodium citrate into beer
- Bring beer mixture to a simmer over low-medium heat
- Add cheese a 1/2 cup at a time, using the immersion blender or whisk to fully melt the cheese before adding in more. Repeat until all cheese is integrated, keeping heat low throughout process.
- Once cheese and beer are fully mixed, crisp bacon in a pan. Let drain on a paper towel, then stir into cheese mixture*, leaving a bit to sprinkle on top. Mix in half the green chiles.
- Top cheese dip with remaining green chiles, pico de gallo, avocado, bacon, and cilantro, and serve.
Two pro tips for you: First, you can totally do this with a whisk, especially if you’re skipping arm day at the gym to make it. But an immersion blender is your friend, because you’re going to want to make this a lot and having one bicep way bigger than the other is not the cutest look. Second: Pick a beer whose taste you like, because you’re going to taste it in this dip. A lager or wheat beer is great, a porter would work too, but may color your dip a brownish tinge.
*If you’re going to reserve cheese sauce (which keeps for up to a week), leave all mix-ins on the side until you’re ready to serve.
