Smoked Mac and Cheese
It’s 4th of July weekend, and myself as well as many others, will be rolling out the grills this weekend while celebrating America. Everyone loves a good side dish (sometimes more than the main course) and this recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser at the next neighborhood bbq or potluck.
To make this you’ll need the following ingredients:
-2 lbs of elbow noodles
-1 big block of velveeta cheese, cubed into 1” blocks
-1, 2 cup bag each of Colby Jack, mild cheddar and mozzarella cheese
-1 tablespoon of kosher salt
-1 teaspoon of dry mustard
-1/2 cup all purpose flour
-2 cups milk
-8 tablespoons of stick butter
Start by preheating your smoker to 350F and then bringing a large pot of water and the salt to rolling boil. Add your noodles, but you’ll stop about 2 minutes before you normally would, as the noodles will continue to cook while on the smoker. Drain and set aside.
While your noodles are boiling, prepare the cheese sauce by melting the butter over medium heat and adding the dry mustard, flour and milk. Stirring until smooth and lump free, then add your velveeta cubes. As the velveeta melts and your sauce forms, it should run down in a ribbon like consistency, add a little milk if it’s too thick until you reach the desired consistency.
Combine your noodles and cheese sauce in your stock pot and mix thoroughly. Grease a 9×13 pan (throwaway pans work great, so you don’t have to scrub your regular pans or try to get the smoke smell out of them afterwards) and add your mixture to the pan.
Sprinkle your 3 cheeses over the top of your noodle and cheese sauce mixture and place in your preheated smoker for approximately 60 minutes or until your cheese is a nice golden brown color.
As mentioned, this is a great side dish and sure to be a hit at your next family or work gathering. I also like to make this as a stand alone meal or use it to make smoked Mac and cheese burritos, which I take soft shell tortillas and add either pulled pork, brisket or shredded chicken as my meat choice to go along with the pasta.
Smoke on folks! Happy Independence Day America!
-Scott
