Smoked Mac And Cheese

Elevating this classic comfort meal to an impressive crowd-pleaser, this Smoked Mac and Cheese recipe is one for the books.

A smoker may not be the first culinary tool that springs to mind when you think about mac and cheese. 

But thanks to its soft texture and saucy consistency, mac and cheese takes on a smoky flavor amazingly well, infusing all that gooey goodness with an unforgettably unique taste. 

Cheese

A good mix of cheese is key to the overall taste of your sauce, ideally with one sharper cheese and one that is softer. 

This combination will give you bags of flavor combined with a velvety texture that will help the sauce coat your macaroni. 

While the cheese we’ve used in this recipe are my favorites, feel free to experiment with whatever cheese you like best. 

Cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack are all popular choices that are easy to find in stores.

We strongly recommend you skip on store-bought cheese. Although it may seem like hard work, but buying block cheese and grating it yourself makes a whole-world of difference in this dish.

Buying block cheese will save you money in the long run as bag cheese are usually filled with cellulose, which is an ingredient that’s most often found in pre-shredded cheese, valued for its anti-caking and moisture-absorbing properties. 

Sauce

A simple white sauce provides the base for this cheesy dish, made by creating a simple roux from butter and flour before adding in your milk, or as in this recipe, creamer and half and half, and melting in your cheese. 

There are two key tips for ensuring your cheese sauce is a success. First, make sure to cook the butter and flour together for a couple of minutes to eliminate that raw flour taste. 

Second, adding in your milk, creamer and or half and half a little at a time is what helps to make it silky smooth, so don’t be tempted to throw it all in at once.

Pasta

When cooking your pasta for this dish, it’s important to only cook the noodles until they are al dente, meaning they still have a little bite to them and aren’t too soft. 

The pasta and sauce will be in the smoker for quite some time, where they will continue to cook (albeit at a slower rate). 

If the pasta is too soft when it goes in then you’ll end up with mushy macaroni in your lovely cheese sauce.

Topping

Sprinkling breadcrumbs on top of your Smoked Mac and Cheese provides a satisfying crunch on top of your creamy pasta and sauce. 

Any breadcrumbs will do here, but panko bread crumbs tend to stay crispier longer than their traditional counterparts. 

This works particularly well for this Smoked Mac and Cheese dish thanks to the additional cooking time in the smoker. 

Panko bread crumbs also tend to absorb less grease, making for a lighter topping that helps to balance out the dish.

Smoked Gouda Mac And Cheese

As mac and cheese takes on smoke so well, you’ll want to use fairly mild woods for this dish, such as cherry, apple, maple or pecan. 

You will want to have your Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese on indirect heat and keep it there for around between 1 to 2 hours, depending on how smoky you want your dish to be.  

Make sure that the temperature doesn’t get above 225 degrees F. Placing it on direct heat or having your smoker too hot will overcook your pasta and dry out your dish.

Recipe Ingredients 

To create an ultra-creamy sauce or roux, it is to use creamer, half and half, as well as more than one type of cheese. In this recipe we use two different types of cheese.

Here’s what you’ll need to make the roux, the full recipe ingredients and measurements are listed below to help you prepare this ridiculously good smoked mac and cheese recipe:

• Butter – This will help to provide that silky texture from the very start. 

• Flour– We used All-purpose flour. If you are gluten free, substitute it with gluten free flour.  

• Half and half, creamer, or milk – In this recipe we used a combination of half and half and heavy creamer. You can substitute the half and half or creamer with whole milk because it has high fat content, which is ideal for this macaroni and cheese sauce. However, we find that using the combination of half and half and the creamer provides a silky-smooth texture, even after baking. 

• Salt and black pepper: Is used to season the pasta and sauce.

• Cheddar and Gouda cheese: We recommend using cheddar cheese and Gouda cheese as they both melt well. See below for other cheese variations.

• For the Gouda cheese, we used the smoked flavored Gouda to enhance the smokey flavor of this dish.

How To Prepare 

In a large stock pot, add the water, about ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking to each other. Once the water starts to boil, add in the pasta. Cook for about 9 minutes (or al dente in accordance with the directions on the box).

Drain the pasta, transfer to a large cast iron skillet, or aluminum baking dish that’s suitable to go in the smoker. Drizzle about 2 teaspoon olive oil to keep them from sticking while resting. Set aside. 

In a large bowl or measuring cup, combine the half and half and creamer. Set aside.

Preheat the smoker to 225°F using cherry or apple wood chips or pellets.

In a large saucepan, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute. Slowly whisk in the creamer and half and half mixture (about 1 cup at a time). 

Slowly add in the cheese, stir to melt, then add the salt and pepper. Lower the heat to simmer for the sauce to thicken up.

If it starts to stick to the back of the spoon, that’s a good indication that the sauce is thickening up. Continue to add in the creamer mixture, cheese (both Gouda and sharp cheddar) until you have added all the cheese and creamer. 

Turn off the heat once the cheese has thickened, add the sauce over the pasta and mix well. We personally like to add the pasta to the sauce first then transfer it again to the casserole dish, or in this case we used a cart iron skillet. Totally up to you. 

Once you have combined the sauce and pasta together.

Spread more cheese to the top and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the smoker and smoke uncovered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, but no more than 2 hours.

Serve as a side and enjoy.  

Breadcrumbs 

In a large skillet, add melt the butter over medium heat, then add the breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese. Use a fork or whisk to combine and toss the ingredients. 

Continue to toast until golden brown. Remove from heat. Use as desired. 

Frequently Asked Question (s)

Recipe Variations And Pairing Suggestions

This smoked gouda mac and cheese dish pairs well with any protein and or salads. Here are a few options: 

Smoked Beef Ribs

Consider adding the following ingredients to your smoked gouda mac and cheese to make them a little heartier.

Cream Cheese to add extra richness 

Mixed vegetables

Dijon mustard

Mozzarella cheese 

Sausage

Combine the ingredients all together before smoking. 

Cook’s Notes 

Smoking meals can be intimidating, it’s a lot simpler than you think. If you are new to smoking your favorite meals, it is best to use wood chips or pellets.

The cherry or the apple flavor selection is great with this macaroni and cheese as it enhances the flavor. 

Toast your breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese to add extra crispiness. If you want it to be even more crispy, transfer the dish into the oven and broil for a couple minutes to get that golden crispy texture.

Shred your own cheese instead of buying pre-shredded cheese. It is cost effective and you will get more for your buck.

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