Carbs and cheese, there’s nothing better… and this smoked macaroni and cheese recipe is proof. It’s gooey, golden, and delicious, while packing all the extra flavor that a little smoke adds. Crumbled Ritz crackers and blue cheese crumbles are layered over the macaroni and cheese, just waiting for you to dig in!
Ingredients
This is not a complicated recipe and all the ingredients should be available at your local grocer. The only supply issue you may run into is finding Gruyere Cheese, but just about any cheese can be substituted. You could opt for Monterey jack, American, or stick to all cheddar.
- Elbow or shells pasta
- Blue Cheese Crumbles
- Cheddar Cheese
- Gruyere Cheese
- Heavy Cream
- Chicken Broth
- Flour
- Onions
- Butter
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Smoked Paprika
How to Make Smoked Macaroni and Cheese
This recipe is simple and folks of all culinary skill levels will be successful at making this. First, you need to cook you pasta to al dente. To accomplish this, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a roaring boil, then add your dried pasta. Cook it for 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is just about done but still has some resistance when bit. Next, you’ll strain the pasta and hit it with some cold water to stop it from cooking and then set the pasta aside.
The Cheese Sauce:
Next you will build your cheese sauce. Gather your ingredients, chop your onion, and grate your cheese. For an extra creamy cheese sauce, be sure to grate your own cheese. The grated cheese you find bagged in the store is coated in a starch to keep the strands from sticking together and will mess up your sauce.
Now, in a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt your butter and saute the onions until they become translucent. Next, you will whisk the flour into the butter and onions and cook for one minute. This creates your rue that will allow the cheeses to melt properly. Next, whisk in the heavy cream and broth, making sure to break up the flour mass completely. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and let everything cook together for a few minutes.
After a couple minutes of cooking, your sauce will start to thicken. once this happens, turn the heat low, and mix in your grated cheeses. Allow the cheese to melt and you are done with your sauce. Place your mostly cooked pasta in a 9×13 aluminum foil pan, then pour the sauce over the pasta. Mix everything together, then spread the crumbled blue cheese and top that with crumble crackers.
Smoking it:
Cover your macaroni and cheese tightly with aluminum foil, its time to turn this into smoked macaroni and cheese. Preheat your pellet grill to 350 and place the tray of goodness on the lower grate. Cook the dish for 20 minutes, then remove the aluminum foil. Next, let it cook uncovered for an additional 20 minutes, allowing the top to turn golden. If you do not have a smoker, follow the same instructions but cook it in an oven.
Serving, Storage, and Variations
So, you’ve made a delicious pan of smoked macaroni and cheese and are thinking, “now what?”. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered in this section. You’re going to want to serve this dish warm. Then, after everyone has had second, thirds, and maybe even fourths… you can store macaroni and cheese for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Try serving smoked macaroni and cheese alongside these dishes:
- Smoked Chicken Wings
- Brisket
- Ribs
- Collard Greens
- Meatloaf
- Brussel Sprouts
Smoked Macaroni and Cheese Variations
You need pasta and cheese, but after that you can go hog wild. For starters, you don’t need to smoke the macaroni and cheese. It adds depth of flavor, but if your working with other smoked flavors, you may find this to be too much smoke. You can also play around with all sorts of cheese combinations. For a spicy variation, try adding jalapenos and crumbled bacon. Pulled chicken and pork with a little bit of BBQ sauce is another proven winner. These add ins won’t lead your taste buds astray either: tomatoes, peas, ham, taco meat, crumble Italian sausage, or mushrooms.
Smoked Macaroni and Cheese
Equipment
- Smoker (Preheated to 350)
Ingredients
- 1 Lb Elbow Pasta (or small shells)
- 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 1/2 White Onion (Diced)
- 1 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 Tsp Smoke Paprika
- 4 Oz Gruyere Cheese (Shredded- 1 Cup)
- 4 Oz White Cheddar Cheese (Shredded- 1 Cup)
- 3 Tbsp Crumbled Blue Cheese
- 10 Ritz Crackers (Crumbled)
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 350 degrees F, then bring a large stock pot full of heavily salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Strain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Move the pasta to an aluminum foil 9×13 tray and set aside.
- Next you will construct your cheese sauce. Place a large sauce pan over medium heat and melt your butter. add the onion and sauté until it is translucent. Now whisk in the flour, making sure to combine it all well, and cook the paste for one minute.
- Now, whisk in the heavy cream and chicken broth. Then add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and paprika. Cook this for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Reduce the heat the low and mix in the Cheddar and Gruyere Cheeses. Mix until the chesses are fully melted into the sauce. Now, pour the cheese sauce over the prepared pasta, then mix until all the pasta is coated in sauce. Level out the macaroni and cheese in the pan.
- Sprinkle the blue cheese crumbles over the top of the mac and cheese, then sprinkle crumbled Ritz Crackers over everything. Cover the macaroni and cheese with aluminum foil.
- Place in smoker and cook for 20 minutes cover and then an additional 20 minutes uncovered. Serve warm