There is little that is more southern than pimento cheese. I mean, what even are pimentos? (They’re small, sweet, mild little red peppers. And they are really FREAKING good mixed with cheese.)
The regular kind of pimento cheese is one of my favorites. Creamy, cheesy with the bite from the sharp cheddar. But this is amped up with so much smoky goodness it’ll blow your mind.
3x the smoky goodness to be specific. Bacon + chipotle chili powder + liquid smoke. It’s like southern comfort food meets backyard BBQ. Yes. Yes. And yes.
If you’re feeling hardcore, totally shred the cheddar yourself. If you’re feeling like you need this in your tummy like super immediately, use pre-shredded. This is hard to mess up, honestly. Taste and adjust as you go.
You want more bite? Add more cheese.
Not smokey enough? Up the liquid smoke ante.
Dreaming of a creamier concoction? Increase the mayo or cream cheese.
Get ready to impress your friends. Cause y’all, this is leaps and bounds better than the store bought stuff. And so SO easy. You can totally do this.
Eat it as a dip with crackers / celery / carrots, in place of plain cheese on grilled cheese or in an omelet, or in place of boring, run-of-the-mill mayo on your sandwich.
Chef this smoked pork belly (bacon) pimento pepper cheese recipe with all the fresh garlic, paprika, sharp cheddar and liquid smoke. Homemade palate-punts store-bought every time.
Cook bacon, allow to cool, then crumble.
Add softened cream cheese, mayo, spices and ½ tsp liquid smoke to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until thoroughly combined. (Mixing with a hand mixer will work just as well. You could also just stir it together, but it will be harder to combine the cream cheese by hand.)
Add the crumbled bacon, cheese and pimentos. Mix until just combined.
Taste test. Add more liquid smoke if desired and salt and pepper to taste.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook bacon, allow to cool, then crumble.
Add softened cream cheese, mayo, spices and ½ tsp liquid smoke to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until thoroughly combined. (Mixing with a hand mixer will work just as well. You could also just stir it together, but it will be harder to combine the cream cheese by hand.)
Add the crumbled bacon, cheese and pimentos. Mix until just combined.
Taste test. Add more liquid smoke if desired and salt and pepper to taste.
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