Game day in a cast iron skillet. Mexican chorizo browned until the fat runs red, a smooth queso built on top of that fat, and Cremosa Fuego whisked through so the heat arrives creamy and then keeps climbing. It goes to the table in the pan it was made in, and it does not last long.

Ingredients

Chorizo base

• 8 ounces Mexican chorizo, casings removed
• ½ small white onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Queso

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1½ cups whole milk, warmed
• 8 ounces white American cheese, torn or shredded
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack, shredded
• ¼ cup SoCal Cremosa Fuego
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

To finish

• More SoCal Cremosa Fuego for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons diced white onion
• Tortilla chips for serving

Directions

1. Cook the chorizo in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, breaking it apart, 6 to 8 minutes, until browned and the fat has rendered out red.
2. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook 3 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for 30 seconds. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, leaving about a tablespoon of the red chorizo fat behind in the skillet.
3. Melt the butter into that fat, whisk in the flour, and cook 1 minute until it smells nutty.
4. Pour in the warm milk in a slow stream, whisking the whole time, until smooth and slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Drop the heat to low. Add the cheeses a handful at a time, whisking each one in completely before adding the next. Do not let it boil.
6. Whisk in the Cremosa Fuego and smoked paprika, then fold most of the chorizo back in.
7. Top with the reserved chorizo, a drizzle of Cremosa Fuego, the cilantro and the raw onion. Serve in the skillet with chips.

Tips

White American cheese is what keeps queso smooth. It is there for the melt, not the flavor. The Jack and the Fuego handle the flavor.

Warm the milk first. Cold milk into a hot roux is how you get lumps.

If it tightens up on the table, whisk in a splash of warm milk and it comes right back.