Smoked Bacon Sriracha Cheez-Its: Dangerous Territory
Chiles and Smoke is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Don’t make this recipe.
This exceptionally addicting smoked snack is very dangerous. Take an already delicious cheese cracker and add the flavors of wood-fired smoke, the essence of bacon, the heat of sriracha and spices, and you will be in trouble. These smoked bacon sriracha Cheez-its will be the hit of your next party, or you might find yourself on the couch surrounded by mystery crumbs. I’ve warned you plenty.
Smoked Cheez-its was a small trend in the BBQ community that picked up momentum in 2020. Just like bacon-wrapped Oreos (and many other food trends) this was a recipe that I skipped right over.
Bacon + Sriracha = Magic
Looking at the bottles of the Spiceology Sriracha blends on my shelf, my eyes gazed at the Candied Bacon Blend and lightning struck. That’s the missing link, the catalyst for me to give in, join the trend, and elevate the idea. No BBQ rub for me, I want that sriracha.
Few ingredients, simple process
Let’s talk about what’s involved, the ingredients and the steps to create it:
- 1 box Cheez-Its
- 1/4 cup oil, neutral
- 3 tbsp Spiceology Candied Bacon Sriracha blend
This seasoning blend is a match made for these addictive cheesy crackers. I’m sure any of those sriracha blends would taste delicious, but that essence of bacon takes the savory snack to a completely different level. The classic recipes you’ll see use standard BBQ rubs, probably very tasty, but this will be different. Besides, it’s way more fun to tell your friends that you made bacon sriracha Cheez-its. You so fancy.
Preparing these takes little effort. Simply get out a baking sheet or tray that you don’t mind going into your smoker and open up that box. The disposable foil pans are pretty popular too. Here’s the simple steps with photos below:
Preparing the Cheez-its
- Spread out the Cheez-its.
- Pour the oil over, and stir to evenly coat them the best you can.
- Let it rain seasoning from high above, and stir again to coat them.
- Heat up that smoker and practice patience.
You need a smoker for success
Sorry my friends, but an oven is not an acceptable substitute. That smoke flavor is essential, amplifying the bacon and sriracha-coated crispy cheese bites beyond anything you can do inside. A simple pellet grill or smoker produces the best results, with the least impact on your fuel costs. Save the lump charcoal and push the button on your pellet grill.
Warm, hot-smoking is essential. Cold smoking just doesn’t work in this situation, the oils don’t bake the crackers. I’ve tried this in my pellet smoker on the “smoke” setting, which is about 180F. The results are good, but it takes a long time for the oil to crisp up those Cheez-its. Another side effect was the crackers had too much smoke flavor (it’s possible, I promise).
The magic number for me was 225F. This was just enough heat to crisp up the crackers even more so you’re not grabbing oily Cheez-its when it’s all done. Read the recipe below and join me as I grab way too many handfuls.
Smoked Bacon Sriracha Cheez-Its
These smoked bacon sriracha Cheez-its will be the hit of your next party, or you might find yourself on the couch surrounded by mystery crumbs.
- Total Time: 95
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
- 1 box Cheez-Its
- 1/4 cup oil, neutral
- 3 tbsp Spiceology Candied Bacon Sriracha blend
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 225F.
- Spread out the Cheez-its onto a baking sheet, or foil pan.
- Pour the oil over and stir gently with a spatula to evenly coat them. You can also use your hands, recommend a plastic glove.
- Sprinkle the seasoning from high above, and stir to evenly coat as well.
- Place the tray in your smoker. Stir every 30 minutes, and bake for at least 90 minutes.
- Put on stretchy pants and enjoy.
Notes
You can smoke for up to 2 hours, but 90 minutes should be plenty of flavors. The smoke flavors will intensify if you seal them up once cooled in a zipped plastic bag.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 90
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Smoking
- Cuisine: Snack
