This savory appetizer combines smoky, creamy goodness with a touch of tangy crunch. Start by cold smoking cream cheese seasoned with Cattleman’s Grill Cajun Fusion on a Yoder Smokers grill, then mix it with crispy bacon. Spread this flavorful blend onto crackers, and top each one with a spoonful of Sarah Jane’s Chow Chow and a dash of Kozlik’s Triple Crunch Mustard for a perfect balance of smoky, tangy, and spicy flavors. It’s the ultimate bite-sized treat that’s sure to impress at any gathering!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Cold-smoked cream cheese is a fundamentally different ingredient: Two hours of cold smoke on the YS640s transforms a block of Philadelphia into something with genuine wood smoke penetration throughout — not surface flavor, but smoke absorbed into the fat all the way through. Cattleman's Grill Cajun Fusion on the outside adds a spiced crust that survives the smoke and gives each cracker a little heat.
- Sarah Jane's Chow Chow is the unexpected star: The tangy, crunchy relish cut from pickled vegetables sits on top of the smoky cream cheese and does everything a garnish should — it adds acid, texture, and brightness that the rich cream cheese needs.
- Kozlik's Triple Crunch Mustard finishes each bite: A quarter teaspoon of whole-grain mustard per cracker adds a sharp, grainy punctuation to the smoky-tangy-spicy stack. It's a small amount that punches well above its portion size.
- Five ingredients, two hours mostly hands-off: The cream cheese smokes unattended for two hours, the bacon cooks in 10 minutes, and assembly takes about as long as putting out a cheese board. The ratio of hands-off time to payoff is genuinely hard to beat for a party appetizer.
Smoked Cream Cheese with Chow Chow
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Appetizers
Cuisine
American
Servings
16
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
2 minutes
Calories
67
Get ready to wow your guests with these irresistible Smoked Cream Cheese & Chow Chow! Picture smoky, seasoned cream cheese mixed with crispy bacon, spread over crunchy crostini, and topped with tangy Chow Chow and a dash of zesty mustard. These bite-sized beauties are the perfect blend of smoky, savory, and tangy flavors, making them the ultimate party appetizer or snack. One bite, and you’ll have everyone coming back for more!
Ingredients
-
1 lb bacon, small dice
-
1 lb cream cheese
-
2 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Cajun Fusion Seasoning
-
1/2 cup Sarah Jane’s Chow Chow
-
32 crackers
-
2 tbsp Kozlik's Triple Crunch Mustard
Directions
Press the power button on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill, but do not press the start button. This will allow the fans to push air through the grill without igniting a fire.
Fill an A-MAZE-N Tube Smoker with the wood pellets of your choice. Place the tube on the bottom left side of the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill and light the pellets with a torch. When the pellets are well ignited blow out the fire.
Season all sides of the cream cheese with Cattleman’s Grill Cajun Fusion Seasoning. Place on a Frog Mat and transfer to the second shelf of the grill.
Cold smoke the cream cheese on the Yoder for 2 hours. Remove and refrigerate until use.
Dice the bacon into small pieces and cook in a skillet. Transfer to paper towels to drain off extra fat when crispy.
Combine the smoked cream cheese and bacon and mix well.
Spread each cracker with about one tablespoon of smoked bacon cream cheese mixture. Top with a small spoonful of the Chow Chow. Finish with about one quarter teaspoon of the Kozlik's Triple Crunch Mustard.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
What does "press power but not start" mean on the YS640s?
On the Yoder Smokers YS640s, pressing the power button activates the fans without igniting the fire. This puts the grill in fan-only mode — the fans circulate air through the cooking chamber without generating any heat. Cold smoking cheese requires smoke with no heat; even low pellet grill temperatures (180°F–200°F) will melt the cream cheese before the two-hour smoke is complete. The fan-only mode is the feature that makes this work cleanly.
How much smoke flavor does two hours actually add?
Significantly more than you'd expect. Cream cheese is high in fat, and fat absorbs smoke readily. After two hours, the smoke penetrates well into the block — not just a surface ring. The Cajun Fusion seasoning crust on the outside develops a slightly firmer, spiced bark. The finished block smells and tastes genuinely smoked throughout, not just on the outside.
What type of crackers work best?
Choose a sturdy, neutral cracker that can support a tablespoon of cream cheese, a spoonful of chow chow, and a dab of mustard without bending or breaking. Water crackers, Triscuits, or crostini all work well. Avoid thin crackers or anything with a strong flavor that would compete with the Cajun Fusion, chow chow, and mustard stack.
Can I make the smoked cream cheese ahead of time?
Yes — it's actually better made ahead. After smoking, refrigerate the cream cheese for at least a few hours before mixing in the bacon; the cold sets the smoke flavor and firms the texture back up. The smoked cream cheese-bacon mixture keeps well refrigerated for up to 5 days. Assemble the crackers just before serving — pre-assembled crackers get soggy within 30 minutes.
Can I make this indoors?
3 out of 5 — Works indoors with adjustments. The bacon and assembly are fully indoor-capable. The cold smoke step requires a YS640s in fan-only mode, a dedicated cold smoke generator (like the A-MAZE-N Tube Smoker in an unheated smoker or grill), or purchasing pre-smoked cream cheese from a specialty store. Without the smoke step, the bacon cream cheese on crackers is still a good appetizer — but the defining element of this recipe is the cold-smoked cheese.
Recipe Highlights
Season all six sides of the cream cheese block before smoking: The directions call for seasoning "all sides" — this means top, bottom, and all four edges, not just the top face. The Cajun Fusion crust needs to cover the whole surface so smoke can interact with seasoned exterior on every side during the two-hour cold smoke. A block seasoned only on top produces uneven flavor.
Cook the bacon until fully crispy before combining: Undercooked bacon in the cream cheese mixture releases fat as it sits, making the spread greasy and loose. The bacon should be fully crispy when it goes in — it will soften slightly from the cream cheese moisture but the texture will still hold. Drain thoroughly on paper towels before mixing.
Let the smoked cream cheese come to room temperature before mixing in the bacon: Cold cream cheese straight from the refrigerator is too firm to mix evenly with the bacon. Letting it sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes after smoking produces a smooth, spreadable mixture rather than chunky, unevenly distributed bacon pieces.
Assemble crackers immediately before serving: The chow chow releases liquid as it sits, which softens the cracker and makes the assembly messy. Set up a small assembly station and build the crackers in batches as guests arrive rather than assembling all 32 in advance. The individual components can be prepped hours ahead; the assembly takes about two minutes per dozen.
Recommended Recipes
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 1 serving
- per serving
- Calories
- 67
- Fat
- 5 grams
- Saturated Fat
- 2 grams
- Cholesterol
- 14 milligrams
- Sodium
- 221 milligrams
- Carbs
- 1 grams
- Fiber
- grams
- Sugar
- grams
- Protein
- 3 grams
