Smoked Macaroni And Cheese
Our Smoked Macaroni and Cheese is a delicious recipe that is made from scratch. We load this up with butter and a sharp white cheddar cheese sauce then place it in our Pit Boss smoker until it is golden and crisp on top. This is a great easy side dish especially for summer BBQ’s.
Smoked Macaroni and Cheese
Smoked Macaroni and Cheese is a complete meal in one bowl, which is sure to satisfy everyone. Made from scratch, loaded with a buttery white cheese sauce then placed in your smoker for added deliciousness!
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Elbow or shell noodles
- 1/4 tsp. Salt added to boiling water
- 6 Tbsp. Butter
- 2 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 4 tsp. Salt, more or less to taste
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper, more or less to taste
- 4 Tbsp. Unbleached Flour
- 4 Cups Milk
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 8 oz. Cabot Seriously Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- Paprika for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 350 degrees.
- To make the macaroni and cheese, begin by bringing a large 4 Qt. pan full of water with 1/4 tsp. salt to a rolling boil.
- Cook noodles to al dente approx. 8-10 minutes or per box instructions.
- When noodles are done, drain and set aside.
- In the same pan, on medium heat melt butter and add Garlic powder, Salt and Pepper. Whisking until butter is melted.
- Once melted and bubbly add flour and mix with a whisk until smooth.
- Stir in milk, a little at a time, until all the butter and flour is mixed together with the milk with no lumps.
- Stir in Sour Cream until smooth.
- Shred cheese and mix into sauce until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.
- Continue to stir and cook on medium high heat until all the cheese melts and sauce has thickened. It will still be a little saucy at this point. Set aside.
- Butter a 9x13 Glass baking dish.
- Pour noodles into pan and then pour cheese sauce evenly over noodles. Gently press the noodles down into the cheese sauce. Do not stir. We have found that not mixing the cheese sauce in with the noodles and instead pouring it over yields a creamier smoked macaroni and cheese.
- Sprinkle paprika on the top and place in preheated smoker.
- Smoke on 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cheese sauce will be bubbling.
- Serve immediately.
Who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese?!
I have always loved macaroni and cheese. As a child, I would ask Mom to make macaroni and cheese as part of my special birthday meal. It was never from scratch but instead from a box and really there is nothing wrong with that. Honestly, I crave any form of macaroni and cheese so I will take it either way. But, something beautiful about cooking from scratch is that you are able to choose the type of ingredients you prefer to use. You may choose regular noodles or organic. Maybe you will opt for a variety of cheeses or one kind of cheese that is stronger or more mild. And, if you are really a cheese lover you can load it up with extra cheese. All of these details make any recipe unique to your family’s needs or preferences, so feel free to make it extra special.
Around here we make Smoked Macaroni and Cheese every Sunday night. During the summer months, we spend a lot of time outside. Sitting outside while we cook most of our meals on the grill or on the smoker is where you will find us. So Smoked Macaroni and Cheese just made sense! This is a fun twist on traditional mac and cheese and really is so perfect for summer time gatherings or a BBQ weekend.
Smoked Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients:
- Wood pellet smoker, we use Pit Boss
- Noodles
- Butter
- Salt
- Garlic Powder
- Ground Black Pepper
- Unbleached Flour
- Whole Milk
- Sour Cream
- Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
- Paprika, for garnish
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Step-by-Step instructions for Smoked Macaroni and Cheese:
- Preheat smoker to 350 degrees.
- To make the macaroni and cheese, begin by bringing a large 4 Qt. pan full of water with 1/4 tsp. salt to a rolling boil.
- Cook noodles to al dente approx. 8-10 minutes or per box instructions.
- When noodles are done, drain and set aside.
- In the same pan, on medium heat melt butter and add garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk together until the butter is melted.
- Once melted and bubbly add flour and mix with a whisk until smooth.
- Stir in milk, a little at a time, until all of the butter and flour is mixed together with the milk with no lumps.
- Stir in sour cream until smooth.
- Shred cheese and mix into sauce until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy.
- Continue to stir and cook on medium high heat until all the cheese melts and sauce has thickened. It will still be a little saucy at this point. Set aside.
- Butter a 9×13 Glass baking dish.
- Pour noodles into baking dish and then pour cheese sauce over noodles. Gently press noodles down into the sauce. Do not mix together. We have found that pouring the cheese sauce over the noodles and not mixing them together yields a creamier smoked macaroni and cheese.
- Sprinkle paprika on the top and place in preheated smoker.
- Smoke on 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cheese sauce will be bubbling.
- Serve immediately.
What makes this Smoked Macaroni and Cheese so special??
- This recipe was adapted from our original Creamy Macaroni and Cheese recipe which can be found here. Smoking it is as simple as throwing it in a baking dish and smoking it for 30 minutes to achieve a delicious smokiness that pairs well with any summertime gathering.
- The extra butter in this recipe adds a little more richness to your taste buds and gives the sauce a smooth, homestyle flavor.
- The sauce coats each noodle just right. Sometimes we make extra sauce so our noodles are swimming in the cheese.
