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Smoked Mac & Cheese is the Holy Grail of BBQ side dishes. Everyone has their own recipe, but we are all looking for the “one” that pleases your guests as much as the BBQ does. Now, if I said I have that recipe for you, and it is easy to make, would you believe me? At this point in our relationship the trust has been established, and you should dive right in to this recipe. By not using the traditional method of making a roux to build the cheese sauce, this recipe lets you focus on just one thing… assembling the ingredients, that’s it! Now sit back, grab your favorite IPA, and enjoy this post for Easy Smoked Mac and Cheese
Easy Smoked Mac and Cheese
The ingredients couldn’t be any easier: Hot sauce, elbow macaroni, Panko bread crumbs, half and half, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, muenster cheese, butter, and Velvetta… yes THAT Velveeta!
There are three parts to this recipe: the Panko topping, the cheesy topping, and the mac and cheese itself. For the Panko topping, melt a tablespoon of butter and mix with a cup of Panko bread crumbs then add a few dashes of hot sauce and set aside. For the cheesy topping, combine shredded cheddar, Muenster cheese, hot sauce, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set aside while you make the mac and cheese (you can also go even easier here and substitute pimento cheese for the cheesy topping if you’d prefer).
For the mac and cheese, boil the elbow macaroni al dente. When it’s done, drain the pasta, add back to the warm pot, mix with the butter, Velveeta, shredded cheddar, Muenster cheese, and half & half.
When all the cheese is melted and evenly distributed, pour in to an aluminum half pan (you can also use Cast Iron Pan for crisper edges and bottom).
Top with the cheesy topping and then the Panko topping.
NOTE: When I did this post originally, I forgot to take a picture of the Panko topping. So, I recently made a batch of this for a family gathering and grabbed a photo. You will see this batch is in a Cast Iron Pan which is a great way to cook this dish if you have one.
For this cook I used my Traeger Grills Timberline 1300 (note: you can use any smoker or grill setup for indirect cooking). Set the temp to 350° and use Apple Wood pellets for the smoke.
Once the grill is up to temp, place the pan in the grill (uncovered) and let cook for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, pull the mac and cheese and let rest 5 minutes until ready to serve.
This easy smoked mac and cheese is so gooey and delicious… thank me later!
Easy Smoked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- Topping
- 5 oz cheddar cheese shredded
- 3 oz Muenster cheese shredded
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp hot sauce, dealer's choice
- salt & pepper to taste
- Panko Topping
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 Tbls Butter, melted
- Mac & Cheese
- 16 oz Elbow Macaroni
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 2 cups Muenster cheese shredded
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 oz sliced Velveeta cheese
- 2 cups half and half
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat your grill to 350° using indirect cooking
- Melt butter and stir with panko crumbs, set aside
- In a small bowl mix the topping ingredients (listed above) and set aside
- Bring pot of salted water to boil and cook macaroni (al dente) about 6 minutes
- Drain macaroni and return to warm pot
- Add butter and stir until melted
- Add shredded and Velveeta cheeses, stir until melted
- Add half and half, salt, stir and pour in to a pan
- Slather cheese topping on and then sprinkle the Panko topping on
- Place in to your preheated smoker for 30 minutes
- Let rest 5 minutes the serve
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How long should I cook this recipe on 225 temp? I’m also cooking ribs and want to be able to throw this in there with them.
1.5 – 2 hours
What size aluminum pan did you use?
medium full depth pan