Smoked Mac and Cheese

This simple smoked mac and cheese takes just minutes to throw together and then smokes on the grill for about an hour. It’s made with real ingredients – which means NO VELVEETA – and has the most delicious smoky flavor. While other smoked mac and cheeses end up dry, this one ends up perfectly creamy even after an hour in the smoker!

 

You Will Love This

• It’s super simple to make! The ingredient list is short and sweet and it’s made with all real ingredients. If you’ve never made mac and cheese from scratch before, don’t be intimidated by this recipe! It really could not be easier.
• The flavors are outrageously delicious! Smoking mac and cheese seriously takes the flavors to the next level. There’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of creamy mac and cheese. Well actually, there is one thing that’s better – SMOKED mac and cheese!
• It’s the perfect side dish for any backyard BBQ especially when you’re already smoking something! This mac and cheese is perfect for when you’ve finished your favorite smoked meat and need to let it rest. Leave the smoker on and throw this mac and cheese in for an hour while your meat rests. Then everything finishes at the same time!
• If you loved this smoked mac and cheese recipe, be sure to check out my One Pot Mac and Cheese, Bacon Mac and Cheese Pizza, or Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Elbow Macaroni
• Butter
• Flour
• Half and Half
• Cream Cheese
• Dijon Mustard
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• Gouda Cheese
• Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add flour.

Cook, stirring, for about a minute.

Slowly whisk in half and half until smooth and creamy. 

Add cream cheese and stir until it melts into the sauce.

Stir in Dijon mustard. Turn heat to low.

Slowly add shredded cheddar, Gouda, and Parmesan cheeses a handful at a time, stirring until the cheese melts into the sauce.

Season to taste with a few generously large pinches of salt and pepper.

Add pasta.

Stir to combine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Smoke for 20 minutes with the pellet grill set to smoke. Stir mac and cheese and cook on 225 for an hour, stirring and adding more cheese on top halfway through.

Serve and enjoy!

Type of Wood Pellets to Use

• For mac and cheese, I prefer to use something mild like apple, oak, maple, or cherry.
• Hickory and mesquite are traditionally used for meat as they have a strong flavor. If you’re looking for a strong smoke flavor, feel free to use hickory with this mac and cheese but be warned that the smoke flavor may be a bit too strong for some.
• I’ve also used a mixture of apple and hickory for this smoked mac and cheese with a nice result.
• This article talks a lot more in-depth about what types of wood to use and why. I highly recommend taking a look if you’re undecided on which wood pellets to use.

Smoking Notes

• I used a Z Grill for this recipe. The Z Grill has a smoke setting that cooks around 175ish degrees but you cannot control the smoke setting after you’ve set the temperature.
• So I like to turn the smoker to smoke, place the mac and cheese in there for about 20 minutes to really lock in that smoky flavor. Then turn the temperature control to 225 and let it cook for another hour. This allows a punch of smoky flavor to be added to the mac and cheese right away and then the flavor will build slowly as the grill heats up.

Adjust the Smokiness

• The longer you smoke your mac and cheese the more smoky flavor it will have.
• If you’re looking for just a slight smoke, you can reduce the cooking time to just 30 minutes at 225.
• If you want a stronger smoke flavor you could leave it at 225 degrees for up to 2 hours!

No Smoker Needed

• If you don’t have a smoker at home, this mac and cheese recipe is still delicious! To get that signature smoky flavor without a smoker, you can sub the regular Gouda with smoked Gouda. It won’t give you the exact same flavor but it will add a delicious smokiness. A couple drops of liquid smoke will boost the smoky flavor too!
• If you aren’t going to be smoking this mac and cheese, I recommend adding just 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard instead of two.
• If you won’t be smoking the dish you can also just eat it right after adding the noodles!

Tips

• Salt your pasta water moderately! The ingredients in this mac and cheese are super simple so it’s important to season each component of the dish, including the pasta water! Add 2-4 tablespoons Kosher salt to the large pot of water as it begins to boil just before adding the pasta. This will enhance the flavor of the entire dish.
• A large saute pan like this one or a large cast iron skillet works best for this recipe because they can go right from the stove top to the smoker to the dinner table. If you don’t have a large saute pan, you can also cook the sauce on the stovetop and then transfer it along with the noodles to a large disposable aluminum or foil pan and smoke the mac and cheese in that.
• Keep the temp low – around 225 degrees. Smoking over a low temp allows the mac and cheese to take on the flavor of the smoke and get warm without actually cooking. This will ensure that the noodles don’t get mushy and the sauce doesn’t dry up.
• This recipe makes a super saucy mac and cheese. If you look at comments on other popular smoker recipes, you’ll find that many complain about the mac and cheese drying out while it’s smoked. This recipe leaves you with perfectly creamy, saucy macaroni even after cooking in the smoker!
• Shred your own cheese. Anytime you make mac and cheese, you will get the smoothest, creamiest, dreamiest cheese sauce with freshly shredded cheese. There’s a lot of cheese in this recipe, so I like to use my food processor to shred it. This saves a ton of time. Pre-shredded cheese from the grocery store contains cellulose which prevents it from clumping, but this also prevents it from melting well.

Are you new to smoking?

Looking for an affordable smoker?
Not sure which wood pellet grill is best for your needs?

Click here to check out my full review of my favorite Z Grill wood pellet smoker! I’ll share with you everything I love about this grill and why you’ll want to add it to your backyard space right now!

Variations

This mac and cheese recipe is super forgiving so feel free to use it as a blueprint and make it your own by customizing it with your favorites!

Mix In

You can mix in anything you like! Keep in mind that the mac and cheese isn’t actually cooking in the smoker, so anything you add in should be fully cooked already. Here are some of our family’s favorite variations:

• BBQ pulled pork
• pork carnitas
• crab meat
• lobster meat
• Rotel tomatoes (drained)
• green chiles
• pickled jalapenos

Top With

Feel free to add these toppings before smoking that way they will get that smoky flavor as well.

• Panko bread crumbs
• freshly chopped herbs
• crumbled bacon
• chorizo

Cheeses

You can switch up the cheeses – just make sure you use cheeses that melt well.

• Gruyere
• Monterey Jack
• Fontina
• Havarti
• Brie
• mild or medium cheddar

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

• Make-Ahead: While this mac and cheese tastes best warm and straight from the smoker, you can definitely prep it ahead of time! Assemble the mac and cheese up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the fridge. About an hour before you want to smoke it, let it sit out on the counter to come to room temp. You may still need to add some extra smoke time to account for the colder temperature.
• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• Reheating: Reheat leftovers in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add a splash of half and half to loosen it up a bit and cook, stirring frequently, until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving!

FAQ

More Easy Pasta Recipes

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