What kind of cheese is best to smoke?

Mozzarella and Gouda are two of the most popular cheeses to smoke. That's what makes Gouda the perfect creamy cheese for this smoked mac and cheese! It takes on the flavor of the smoke beautifully and melts into a velvety sauce.

Can you smoke any mac and cheese?

Sure! If you have a family favorite recipe or just want to pick up pre-made mac and cheese from the grocery store you can totally use it in this recipe. I would recommend adding a few splashes of half and half or heavy cream to the pre-made mac and cheese just so that it doesn't dry out while it's on the smoker. This smoked mac and cheese recipe is designed to be a little extra saucy just for that reason.

What does mustard do to mac and cheese?

The Dijon mustard helps to cut the richness of the cheese sauce and also adds a depth of flavor that is hard to recreate with another spice. Don't worry - you won't actually taste the mustard in the mac and cheese, especially in this smoked mac and cheese! But you will notice that the mac and cheese flavor tastes a bit flat and muted without it!

What cheeses go best together for mac and cheese?

I prefer to use a combination of cream cheese, sharp cheddar, Gouda, and Parmesan. I find that this combination delivers the best flavor and texture for the creamy cheese sauce. However, you can use a variety of cheeses including Gruyere, Monterey Jack, or Fontina.

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!

Author: Kylie
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Yield: 12 servings 1x
Category: Main Dish
Method: Stove Top + Smoker
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

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16 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked al dente
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3 1/2 cups half and half
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
12 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
8 oz. shredded Gouda cheese
4 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper

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Instructions

Set pellet grill to the smoke setting.
Cook pasta according to package directions just until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
Sprinkle in flour and 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 8 oz. of 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 to the large sauté pan, stir to combine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place large saute pan uncovered in the pellet grill and cook for 20 minutes with it set to smoke.
Stir mac and cheese well.
Set temperature to 225 degrees and cook for 30 minutes. Stir mac and cheese and sprinkle the remaining 4 oz. cheddar cheese in an even layer on top of the macaroni. Smoke for another 30 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

large saute pan

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Notes

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.

Nutrition

Serving Size:
Calories: 508
Sugar: 5.7 g
Sodium: 601.6 mg
Fat: 29.8 g
Saturated Fat: 17.8 g
Carbohydrates: 38.7 g
Fiber: 1.3 g
Protein: 20.8 g
Cholesterol: 89.9 mg

Keywords: smoked mac n cheese, smoked macaroni and cheese, smoked mac and cheese recipe