Smoked Mac and Cheese
Light up the grill to make a batch of creamy Smoked Mac and Cheese! The ultimate indulgence, this 3 cheese mac and cheese is loaded with three kinds of creamy cheese, butter and rich heavy cream. It's a step up from our beloved Instant Pot Mac and Cheese.
Equipment
- Smoker or Charcoal Grill
Ingredients
- 16 oz Macaroni Noodles (*Note 1)
- 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 8 tbsp Unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1¼ cup Heavy Cream
- 1¾ cup Whole Milk
- 8 oz Cream Cheese (*Note 2)
- 4 cups Shredded Cheese (Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Havarti, Gouda) (*Note 3)
- ½ tsp Optional: Hot Sauce
- 1 tsp Optional: Mustard Powder
Instructions
Prep The Smoker (Gas):
- Turn half the burners (on the same side of the grill) to low while the other burners are off. Play around with the burner settings to get it as close to 175°F as possible. Use a smoker box to add chips/chunks of wood for smoking.
Prep The Smoker (Charcoal):
- Pre-heat the coals until just ashed over. Dump them on the far side (either left or right) of your grill. Play around with the vent opening to get it as close to 175°F as possible. Create smoke by placing wood chunks directly on the pre-heated coals, right before cooking.
Prep The Smoker (Pellet or Electric):
- Load the smoker with the pellet of your choice and pre-heat to 175°F.
Make The Cheese Sauce (On The Grill):
- Bring a large pot of water and 1 tbsp of kosher salt to a boil. Cook the macaroni according to the "al dente" directions on the back of the box.
- Place the dutch oven on the grill and let come to temp. Add the butter and let melt. Whisk in the flour until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Whisk in the garlic powder and mustard powder.
- Whisk in the milk, heavy cream and hot sauce (if using).
- Whisk in the cream cheese, until fully melted.
- Whisk in the shredded cheese and let melt for about 5 minutes.
- Gently fold in the cooked noodles, close the lid and let smoke. Stir every 15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and combined. Once fully melted, stir every 30 minutes. Smoke for a minimum of 1 hour and a max of 2 hours.
Make The Cheese Sauce (On The Stovetop):
- Heat a 12" cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Add the butter and let melt. Whisk in the flour until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Whisk in the garlic powder and mustard powder.
- Whisk in the milk, heavy cream and hot sauce (if using) and bring to a gentle boil, while whisking. Reduce the heat.
- Whisk in the cream cheese, until fully melted.
- Whisk in the shredded cheese and stir until melted. Turn off the heat and add in the cooked macaroni noodles. Stir until the noodles are fully coated in cheese sauce.
- Transfer the skillet to the smoker, close the lid, and smoke for a minimum of 1 hour and a max of 2 hours.
- Serve immediately for best texture.
Notes
Note 1 - You can also use pasta shells.
Note 2 - This recipe has not been tested with low fat cream cheese. We do not recommend it as low fat cheese tends to curdle more when cooking.
Note 3 - Any combination of the below cheeses will work:
- American
- Cheddar
- Monterey Jack
- Pepper Jack
- Colby
- Gouda, Smoked Gouda
- Havarti
- Fontina
- Gruyere