This smoked caramelized onion and bacon dip is one of my favorite no-fuss dips you can make on the smoker. Loaded up with crispy bacon, caramelized onions, and creamy cheeses, be sure to make this dip for your next backyard get-together.
This dip only requires a handful of ingredients and 15-20 minutes on the smoker. Most of the "work" is just cooking the bacon and onions. It's one of the best dips I've made, right up there with smoked chicken bacon ranch dip and smoked beer cheese dip.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- Bacon — I used double-smoked, thick cut bacon
- Sweet Onions — I used two large onions
- Shallots — to mix up the onion flavor, I added two medium-sized shallots, but if you don't have them, just add another sweet onion instead
- Cream Cheese — make sure it's softened ahead of time
- Sour Cream — this adds a nice tangy, smooth feel to the dip
- Mayonnaise — the mayo really helps with the texture and adds some richness
- Cheddar Cheese — I used extra sharp, and shredded it by hand
- Worcestershire Sauce — for a nice hint of umami flavor
- Garlic Powder — just a little bit of added garlic flavor
- Salt & Pepper — to taste
HOW TO MAKE SMOKED CARAMELIZED ONION & BACON DIP
1. Cook the Bacon
Cut up your bacon into small pieces and cook them in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the bacon is nice and crispy. When done, remove the bacon and place it on paper towels to cool and drain. Remove most of the bacon grease from the pan but leave about two tablespoons to cook the onions in.
2. Caramelize the Onions
Add your sliced onions and shallots to the same skillet with the bacon grease, and give them a good pinch of salt. Cook over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're nice and golden and caramelized. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the onions into smaller pieces to make them easier to mix and eat.
3. Make the Cheesy Base
In a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, shredded cheddar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and salt & pepper.
4. Fold In Bacon & Onions
Add the cheesy base to a cast iron pan. Then, fold in the caramelized onions and most of the bacon pieces into the cheese mixture. Take the remaining bacon pieces and sprinkle them on top of the dip.
5. Smoke the Dip
Place the cast iron pan on your smoker and smoke the dip at 300F for 15-20 minutes, until the top is nice and bubbly.
6. Serve & Enjoy
Remove the dip from the smoker and allow it to cool down for 5 minutes. Serve warm with toasted pita bread, potato chips, or celery and carrot sticks.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- You don't need shallots. If you don't have — or don't want — shallots, then skip them. Just use another onion instead.
- Cut the onions after caramelizing. When the onions have finished caramelizing, take some kitchen scissors (or a knife) and slice the onions into bite-sized pieces. Nobody wants to get a giant mouthful of onion when eating the dip.
- Make-ahead. If you're a planner like me, you can make the cheesy base a day in advance and just pop it on the smoker before it's time to serve.
- Bacon is optional. Yes, bacon makes everything tastes better, but honestly this dip would be just as good without it.
Smoked Caramelized Onion & Bacon Dip
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon thick-cut, diced
- 2 large sweet onions thinly sliced
- 2 shallots thinly sliced
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Dice bacon and cook until crispy. Reserve 2 tbsp bacon grease in the skillet.
- Caramelize onions and shallots in the skillet with the bacon grease (25-30 minutes).
- In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, cheddar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Transfer to a cast iron skillet. Fold in caramelized onions and most of the bacon.
- Sprinkle remaining bacon on top and smoke at 300°F for 15-20 minutes until bubbly.
- Serve warm with bread, crackers, or veggies.
Notes
- You don't need shallots. If you don't have — or don't want — shallots, then skip them. Just use another onion instead.
- Cut the onions after caramelizing. When the onions have finished caramelizing, take some kitchen scissors (or a knife) and slice the onions into bite-sized pieces. Nobody wants to get a giant mouthful of onion when eating the dip.
- Make-ahead. If you're a planner like me, you can make the cheesy base a day in advance and just pop it on the smoker before it's time to serve.Â
- Bacon is optional. Yes, bacon makes everything tastes better, but honestly this dip would be just as good without it.Â
