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    Home » Recipes » Grill Recipes » Smoker Recipes » Pellet Smoker Salsa Dip

    Pellet Smoker Salsa Dip

    Published: Aug 18, 2022 · Modified: May 4, 2023 by Jenna Passaro · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Up your homemade salsa game this football season, or whip up smoked salsa for a taco night or BBQ party. Smoke salsa with ingredients like fresh tomatoes, smoked limes, onions, cilantro, jalapeno, red onions, and garlic. Let’s get smoking!!

    Easy Traeger Smoked Salsa Dip Appetizer Recipe For A Crowd
    This easy smoked salsa recipe comes together quickly and it lasts a few days in the fridge, so you can enjoy it over and over. Make it spicy or mild. 

    Add this to the list of tasty Traeger appetizers for game day. It’s right up there with smoked queso and smoked mac and cheese… what else could you need to throw a smoked foods taco night?

    Smoking Salsa Ingredients Prepped for the Traeger held by Jenna Passaro food blogger from Sip Bite Go

    HEY THERE — For more tasty smoker appetizers for your next BBQ menu, follow @sipbitego.

    Table of Contents

    • Why smoked salsa is so refreshing to make…
    • Ingredients
    • How to make smoked salsa
    • FAQs 
    • Easy Mexican food inspired recipes on Sip Bite Go…
    • More Tasty Grill + Smoker Recipes
    • Meat thermometer recommendations
    • Are you a foodie, too?
    • Easy Traeger Smoked Salsa Recipe | Sip Bite Go

    Why smoked salsa is so refreshing to make…

    • EASY!! Anyone can make this elevated homemade salsa infused with smoke for a great game day party. Did someone say tailgate party???
    • Chill out – You can make this recipe to your desired consistency (chunky or smooth) without losing that smoky flavor. 
    • Make it spicy or mild. 
    • Use leftovers as a marinade! If you start thinking outside the box, you can use any leftover smoked salsa as a marinade for a smoked steak. I did…and it was delicious! 
    • Meal prep ahead! Smoke salsa to enjoy for a few days at a time… This is an easy smoker recipe to prepare in advance. Just cut and season all the vegetables the night before and place in the fridge. Next day, you’ll be ready to just remove the vegetables from your fridge when you’re ready to smoke ‘em.
    Fresh Vegetable Ingredients For Smoking Salsa On The Traeger Pellet Grill

    New to smoked food recipes and Treager recipes?

    See my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page)… 

    Ingredients

    Here’s what you need to make smoked salsa.

    Infographic with recipe ingredients for making smoked salsa on the Traeger Pellet Grill with food blogger Jenna Passaro from Sip Bite Go

    Vegetables to smoke in salsa on the pellet grill

    • steak tomatoes (can sub roma tomatoes), halved, stems removed, then cut in wedges
    • jalapeno, halved, pith and seeds removed –
    • red onion, cut in two wedges
    • cloves garlic
    • lime, zest, and then halve the lime and use the lime
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • bbq rub (any of your favorite bbq seasonings)
    • olive oil

    For blending smoked salsa once cooked

    • fresh cilantro leaves
    • salt and pepper

    See these tasty taco night smoker recipes…

    How to make smoked salsa

    Now I’ll walk you through it…

    Infographic with recipe steps demonstrating how to smoke salsa on the Traeger Pellet Grills with captions and recipe photos with food blogger Jenna Passaro from Sip Bite Go

    Quick look at smoked salsa recipe

    1. Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees F and prepare vegetables with seasoning. 
    2. Smoke vegetables for 60 – 90 minutes flipping halfway through until it reaches your desired level of softness. 
    3. Remove vegetables from the smoker and blend. 
    4. Serve with dipping chips and enjoy.
    Dipping Tortilla Chips In Homemade Smoked Salsa Appetizer

    Detailed recipe steps

    1. Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 250 degrees F. 
    2. Prep salsa for smoking. In a large bowl, Mix all main smoked salsa ingredients together to coat them with olive oil and seasonings.
    3. Optional – Transfer to a wire rack, if desired. If you have any very small veggies, like the garlic cloves, you can pierce through them with a toothpick to keep them together, so they don’t fall through.
    4. Smoke salsa for 60-90 minutes, flipping halfway (optional), until vegetables are soft and broken down to your desired level. 
    5. Remove salsa ingredients from the Traeger. 
    6. Squeeze just a little smoked lime juice into a food processor and discard limes. NOTE – The smoked limes come out very juicy and if used too liberally, can make the salsa bitter because of the pulp. So if you add lime juice, taste it along the way and make sure to use a sieve before squeezing it in, to get out the pulp from the limes so the smoked salsa doesn’t turn out bitter. 
    7. Add the rest of the ingredients into the food processor or blender, including cilantro (make sure to remove any toothpicks you may have used). Pulse smoked salsa until your desired texture is reached (chunky or smooth). Taste and add salt and pepper and any extra lime juice as needed.
    8. Serve at room temperature or chilled with chips or smoked tacos and enjoy. 
    9. Bonus points – If you let it sit in the fridge a few hours or overnight, it will take on even more flavor as the ingredients marinate together.

    FAQs 

    How long to smoke vegetables for salsa?

    It will take you 60 – 90 minutes at 250 degrees F to smoke the vegetables for your smoked salsa. If you have the super smoke option on your Traeger pellet smoker, you could choose to set the smoker to 225 degrees F and use super smoke. It will take a little longer for your vegetables to soften, but you will get even more smoke flavor. 

    What type of tomatoes should you use for salsa?

    I recommend using beefsteak tomatoes for your salsa for a couple of reasons. Beefsteak tomatoes get its name because of the “beef” or “meaty” like quality the tomato has. This quality makes smoked salsa a bit more filling vs using other types of tomatoes. Also, beefsteak tomatoes do not have a lot of seeds in them. That’s an added bonus because…who wants seeds in their salsa?

    How long does smoked salsa last?

    Smoked salsa will last for a week in the fridge in a tupperware container with a lid. If you have some sort of air-tight seal container, perhaps it will last longer. In reality though, you will be eating this salsa up, so it won’t last long 😉 

    What temperature do you smoke tomatoes at?

    You should smoke your tomatoes at 250 degrees F. 

    What wood pellets / chips give salsa a smoky flavor?

    I recommend using hickory, or something light like pecan or Traeger signature blend pellets. Hickory is the strongest out of this group of wood chips and will give it the biggest smoke flavor.

    How to make pellet grill smoked salsa the easy way?

    Turning smoked tomatoes into a smoked tomato salsa is super simple. You do not need many ingredients, but you should be using beefsteak tomatoes, onion and jalapeno, and garlic, limes plus some fresh herbs like cilantro. Simply chop your vegetables, place either directly on your smoker grill grates or in a grill basket and smoke for an hour at 250 degrees F. Remove the veggies from your smoker, blend in a blender until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and your herbs and enjoy! 

    What to do with leftover smoked salsa?

    Below, I’m using leftover smoked salsa as a steak marinade. Try this with smoked sirloin steak or smoked ribeye or smoked tomahawk.

    Easy Mexican food inspired recipes on Sip Bite Go…

    • chicken enchiladas (a must-try recipe)
    • Homemade enchilada sauce
    • fajita sides
    • make ahead Mexican salad
    • recipe for Mexican pasta salad
    • smoked Mexican food for taco night
    • Mexican tortellini salad
    • griddled quesadillas
    • griddled chicken fajitas
    • smoked salsa
    • smoked queso
    • smoked margaritas
    • sauteed peppers and onions for fajitas
    • Taco Bell inspired ground beef pizza
    • Pizza Hut inspired taco-flavored ground beef pizza
    • salsa marinade for steak
    • how to freeze refried beans
    Using Smoked Salsa As A Steak Marinade
    Leftover smoked salsa marinaded steak for a taco night menu.

    More Tasty Grill + Smoker Recipes

    • Smoked mac and cheese
    • Smoked cream cheese
    • Smoked brisket flat
    • 321 ribs
    • Beer can chicken on the smoker
    • Smoked wings
    • Smoked tomahawk steak
    • Traeger tri tip
    • Smoked turkey breast
    • Smoked turkey legs
    • Whole smoked turkey
    • Smoked Traeger pizza
    • Smoked onion rings
    • Traeger smoked ham
    • Smoked whole chicken
    • Smoked jalapeno poppers
    • Smoked corn on the cob
    • Traeger beef ribs
    • Smoked leg of lamb
    • Smoked shrimp
    • Grilled chicken wings
    • Grilled skirt steak
    • Flank steak marinade
    • Grilled potato wedges
    • Smoked pulled pork
    • Want more? See my lineup of easy smoker recipes

    See this Traeger Flatrock grill review.

    See my favorite smoker tools and seasonings in my Amazon Storefront.

    Meat thermometer recommendations

    Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly. 

    On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:

    1. Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
    2. ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill. 

    It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature. 

    How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.

    While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!

    Smoking salsa vegetable ingredients on Traeger Pellet Grill

    Are you a foodie, too?

    Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about making salsa on the pellet smoker. 

    Connect…

    • Instagram / TikTok / YouTube
    • Browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collection
    Easy Traeger Smoked Salsa Dip Appetizer Recipe For A Crowd

    Easy Traeger Smoked Salsa Recipe | Sip Bite Go

    Up your homemade salsa game this football season, or whip up smoked salsa for a taco night or BBQ party. Smoke salsa with ingredients like fresh tomatoes, smoked limes, onions and cilantro, jalapeno, red onions, and garlic. Make it spicy or mild. Let’s get smoking!! | sipbitego.com
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine: BBQ, Mexican
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 102kcal
    Author: Jenna Passaro

    Equipment

    • Traeger Pellet Grill Ironwood 650
    • Traeger Hickory Pellets

    Ingredients

    Vegetables to smoke in salsa on the pellet grill

    • 1 lb steak tomatoes halved, stems removed, then cut in wedges
    • 1 jalapeno halved, pith and seeds removed
    • ½ red onion cut in two wedges
    • 5 cloves garlic
    • 1 lime zest, and then halve the lime and use the lime
    • 1 tsp salt
    • ½ tsp pepper
    • ½ tsp bbq rub any of your favorite bbq seasonings
    • 2 tbsp olive oil

    For blending smoked salsa once cooked

    • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 250 degrees F.
    • Prep salsa for smoking. In a large bowl, Mix all main smoked salsa ingredients together to coat them with olive oil and seasonings.
    • Optional – Transfer to a wire rack, if desired (I think this makes them easier to take the veggies on/off the grill without them falling through), but you can also stick salsa ingredients directly on the smoker grill grates. And if you have any very small veggies, like the garlic cloves, you can pierce through them with a toothpick to keep them together, so they don’t fall through.
    • Smoke salsa for 60-90 minutes, flipping halfway (optional), until vegetables are soft and broken down to your desired level.
    • Remove smoked salsa ingredients from the Traeger.
    • Squeeze just a little smoked lime juice into a food processor and discard limes. (I recommend going light, because the smoked limes come out very juicy and if used too liberally, can make the salsa bitter because of the pulp. So if you add lime juice, taste it along the way and make sure to use a sieve before squeezing it in, to get out the pulp from the limes so the smoked salsa doesn’t turn out bitter.
    • Blend smoked salsa. Add the rest of the ingredients into the food processor or blender, including cilantro (make sure to remove any toothpicks you may have used). Pulse smoked salsa until your desired texture is reached (chunky or smooth). Taste and add salt and pepper and any extra lime juice as needed.
    • Serve at room temperature or chilled with chips or smoked tacos and enjoy.
    • Bonus points – If you let it sit in the fridge a few hours or overnight, it will take on even more flavor as the ingredients marinate together.

    Video

    Notes

    See the recipe: https://sipbitego.com/smoked-salsa
     
    Watch the full-length YouTube recipe video for Traeger salsa on Sip Bite Go’s YouTube channel.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 102kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 591mg | Potassium: 356mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1269IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @SipBiteGo or tag #sipbitego!
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    jenna passaro food blogger from Portland Oregon

    Hey, I’m Jenna Passaro.

    I develop easy recipes that can transform your kitchen into a restaurant – and you into a true home chef.

      

    Where to start?

    Learn the secrets to smoking tasty Traeger recipes and making pizza at home. And cook amazing tri tip steak dinners.

    Or, fall in love with something new to cook with your air fryer, pellet smoker, BBQ grill, sous vide cooker, and more…

    You’ll notice, I kind of geek out over new cooking trends and tools!

    Instagram me @sipbitego & chef hubs @handmodelpatrick

    My story. Growing up, I didn’t learn to cook.

    (I was actually banned from cooking for years)

    And then in my 20’s I didn’t have to cook because my job as an event planner involved a lot of travel and it was easier to eat out. At the time, I was 100% positive that restaurant food would always taste better than cooking at home, and there was nothing I could do about it.

    Until I fell in love with a chef. He would come over and cook me delicious meals right in my own kitchen. My mind was blown.

    Since then, I’ve been on a mission to figure out easy ways to make restaurant style food at home and share it here on Sip Bite Go.

    Love to eat out and travel? I can totally relate. See my guide on where to eat in Portland, OR.

    jenna passaro the home chef's sous vide cookbook

    Never in a million years did I imagine I’d ditch the 9-5 lifestyle in my late 20’s, move across the country on a whim, start a new life, start a food blog, and write a book.

    But here I am!

    See my book on Amazon: The Home Chef’s Sous Vide Cookbook.

     

       

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