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Smoked Macaroni & Cheese is a wonderful comfort food that is sure to be a hit! You essentially take a recipe for macaroni and cheese but enhance the flavor by smoking it vs baking it. A few things I’d like to point out:
- The smokey flavor is well developed – you can taste it in each bite but it’s not overpowering.
- It’s pretty effortless to make – you assemble, smoke, add some toppings, and dig in!
- It’s smoked in a foil pan so it’s easy to cover and transport to another location.
- It can be a full meal, served as a side, or shared at a potluck or party.
The recipe can be found here. Let’s walk through how to make it.
Start by preheating your smoker to 250 degrees F and add hickory wood chips. I think this recipe tastes great with hickory but feel free to experiment with another wood chip flavor.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. You don’t want to overcook the pasta because it will continue to cook in the smoker. You also don’t need to worry about rinsing the pasta.
Next, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, stir to combine, and continue to cook for about 1 minute.
Add the half & half, mustard, 2 cups of cheddar cheese, gruyere cheese, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine then reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the cheese is melted and smooth, stirring frequently. You want to melt the cheese low and slow, so it doesn’t separate.
Add the cooked noodles and stir to coat. Pour into a 9×13 foil pan and top with the remaining cheddar cheese.
Here’s where the magic happens 😊 Smoke for 25 minutes. Then add the breadcrumbs all over the top and continue to smoke for an additional 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges start to turn golden brown.
Remove the foil pan from the smoker and serve immediately. Enjoy!
The recipe can be found here.
The only thing that would make this better is adding bacon. Lots and lots of bacon 😊 Either mix it in with the noodles and cheese or add it as a topping (crumbled). Fresh chopped chives would also make a great topping or a little hot sauce to mix in…yum!
We enjoyed this as a standalone meal, and it was plenty filling, but it would pair well with any BBQ entrée or smoked meat.
Happy Cooking & Happy Smoking!
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