Smoked Cream Cheese Ball

cream cheese

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: cottage cheese

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

bacon

🥗Healthier: turkey bacon

💰Cheaper: ham

Turkey bacon is lower in fat, while ham is a more affordable option.

cheddar cheese

🥗Healthier: reduced-fat cheese

💰Cheaper: processed cheese

Reduced-fat cheese cuts calories, while processed cheese is often cheaper.

pecans

🥗Healthier: walnuts

💰Cheaper: sunflower seeds

Walnuts provide healthy fats, while sunflower seeds are more budget-friendly.

Prepare the ingredients: gather 12 ounces of center cut bacon, 2 8-ounce blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese, 1 jalapeno, 12 ounces of medium cheddar cheese, 8 ounces of pepper jack cheese, 1 tablespoon of Dinks Chick and Pork Rub, 1 packet of ranch dressing, 3 tablespoons of sour cream, and pecans.

Score the cream cheese blocks and pour the ranch dressing and Dinks rub on top, ensuring to cover all sides.

Smoke the bacon at 180 degrees Fahrenheit for 1.5 to 2 hours until crispy, checking after 1 hour.

Shred 12 ounces of medium cheddar cheese and 8 ounces of pepper jack cheese manually using a box grater.

After 2.5 hours, increase the smoker temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit to crisp up the bacon further for an additional 30 minutes.

Crush the pecans using a mallet to prepare for coating the cheese ball.

In a mixing bowl, combine about a third of the crispy bacon, a quarter of the shredded cheddar cheese, and all of the crushed pecans to create the coating mixture.

In another bowl, combine the remaining bacon, all of the pepper jack cheese, the remaining cheddar cheese, 3 tablespoons of sour cream, the diced jalapeno, and the smoked cream cheese along with any remaining seasoning.

Mix everything together with your hands until well combined and form it into a ball shape.

Wrap the cheese ball in plastic wrap and shape it into a more defined ball if necessary.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens