The Best Smoked Mac And Cheese Ever

By James Kimble September 20, 2024 7 mins read 116 Views

This ain’t your mama’s macaroni & cheese recipe – it’s better!

We all know that macaroni and cheese is a quintessential barbecue side dish, but this smoked mac and cheese takes the delectable side to a whole new level with more smoky flavor.

What makes this the BEST Smoked Mac and Cheese?

I’ve seen many smoked mac and cheese recipes over the years, but this one is my favorite.

Some recipes use a dump-and-smoke style where you cook everything on the smoker at once in one tray. Our easy one-pan smoked mac and cheese uses this method. It’s great if you’re juggling a lot of other dishes, but I find that the texture of the cheese sauce never turns out quite right. When I dig into a bowl of mac and cheese, I want every single bite to be covered in cheese and cooked perfectly.

Other recipes involve making traditional mac and cheese in the kitchen and then finishing it on the smoker. While those are good, I find that they don’t give enough smoke flavor to the dish. If I’m making smoked mac and cheese, then I want to taste the smoky flavor in every bite.

With this recipe, you make the cheese sauce directly on the smoker like a Smoked Queso Dip.

This allows the cheese to soak up the perfect amount of smoky flavor.

Then you coat the pasta in the sauce and place it back on the smoker to finish. The result is a perfect, creamy smoked mac and cheese.

What you’ll need

Macaroni – While you can use any pasta shape you want for this recipe, I like to keep it classic with a good, old-fashioned macaroni noodle. Cavatappi works great as well.
Cheese – I like to use a combination of Velveeta, Gouda, and Sharp Cheddar cheese, but you can use any medium to firm cheese that you prefer.
Cream Cheese – A block of cream cheese will add a nice flavor and creamy texture to your cheese sauce.
Seasonings – Seasoning your mac and cheese is essential for the perfect flavor. I use a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder along with a bit of salt and pepper. You can also use your favorite BBQ seasoning or rub
Whole Milk – You will need about 1-½ cups of whole milk to ensure that the cheese sauce is not too thick.
Baking Dish – You can also use a cast iron pan or a disposable aluminum pan for easy cleanup

How to make Smoked Mac and Cheese – Step By Step

1. Prep the cheese sauce

The cheese sauce is the most crucial part of any mac and cheese recipe. Without it, you simply don’t have mac and cheese! You can use a variety of cheeses for this recipe, but I like to keep it simple with a block of Velveeta, a bit of Gouda, and a bit of Sharp Cheddar.

There are a few schools of thought about a good cheese sauce. Purists will turn up their noses at processed cheese like Velveeta, but I find that it gives the mac and cheese a perfect, creamy texture.

Start by cubing the Velveeta, Gouda, and Sharp Cheddar cheese. I like to shoot for cubes about 1-½” thick so that they melt evenly on the smoker.

Once your cheese is cubed, you can place it down into the bottom of a 9×12” baking dish (or aluminum pan for easy cleanup!).

I also like to add a block of cream cheese on top of the cubed cheese. Cream cheese adds a creamy texture and delicious flavor to the cheese sauce; everyone loves smoked cream cheese!

2. Season the cheese sauce

The key to a great mac and cheese, whether you are making it on the smoker or just whipping it up in the oven, is seasoning. Maybe it’s my southern roots, but unseasoned mac and cheese is a crime in my book.

I like to add garlic powder and onion powder for a nice aromatic flavor, then I also use a bit of smoked paprika and chili powder for a kick. You can add or remove any seasonings you want, but I’ve found that this combo creates a fantastic flavor for smoked mac and cheese.

Since you will put the cheese sauce on the smoker to melt, just sprinkle the seasonings over the top. You don’t need to mix them up, as they will melt down into the cheese on the smoker, and we will mix up the cheese sauce later.

The finishing touch is whole milk. The cheese will be too thick without some type of liquid, and milk is the perfect liquid for creating a nice, creamy sauce. Just pour 1-½ cups of whole milk over the top of the cheese and seasoning – again, no need to mix here!

3. Smoking your cheese sauce

Preheat your smoker to 250°F. I smoked this on my Trager Ironwood XL pellet grill and used the Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ pellets. These pellets are a blend of Oak, Hickory, and Cherry Wood, and they add a fantastic, balanced smoke flavor to any dish without overpowering the food.

Any of those more subtle smoke woods will work great for smoking mac and cheese.

Once your smoker is preheated, you can place the baking dish on the grates and let it smoke for about one hour.

In the meantime, you can shred the remaining 8oz of cheddar cheese that you will use for the topping and boil the macaroni noodles until al dente (about 10 minutes).

If your pasta is done a little too soon, you can coat it in a bit of olive oil to prevent it from clumping.

After an hour, your cheese sauce should be nice and melty. Take a spoon and give it all a good mix until it’s well combined. The sauce should be thick and creamy but still pourable. If it looks a little too thick, you can also add more milk at this point to thin it out.

4. Assembling and finishing the Mac & Cheese

Pour your cooked macaroni noodles into a large mixing bowl and pour the cheese sauce on top.

Stir it with a spoon until all of the macaroni noodles are well coated in the cheese sauce, then you can pour the mac and cheese back into the same baking dish you made the sauce in.

5. Cover with shredded cheddar cheese

The finishing touch is sprinkling the shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the mac and cheese and then popping it back on the smoker.

6. Smoke until golden brown

Increase the temperature of your smoker to 325°F and let it smoke for another 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Then it’s ready to enjoy!

Make this mac and cheese your own

You can follow this recipe exactly, and you’ll end up with a 10/10 side, but I always encourage experimentation. Here are some optional ideas you can try.

Add a crunchy topping – Sprinkle Panko or regular breadcrumbs on top of the final shredded cheddar cheese to add a crunchy bite.
Mix in leftover chopped brisket or pulled pork – Add when you are combining the cheese sauce and cooked macaroni.
Add some spice – Dice up some jalapeños and add them to the mix.
Use a BBQ seasoning – Swap out our seasoning for a more typical bbq rub like our ultimate rib rub.

What to serve with smoked mac and cheese recipe?

Mac and cheese is one of the most popular barbecue side dishes, so you can’t go wrong serving it staples like smoked brisket, pulled pork or ribs.

You could also make the mac and cheese the main event, and serve it with a simple salad.

dish of smoked mac and cheese with spoon scoping some out

The Best Smoked Mac And Cheese Ever

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 30

Servings people

Calories 931kcal

Author Breanna Stark

Ingredients

32 oz velveeta cheese cubed
8 oz gouda cheese cubed
8 oz cheddar cheese cubed
8 oz cheddar cheese shredded
8 oz cream cheese
16 oz elbow macaroni cooked and drained
3 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp onion powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1½ cups whole milk

Instructions

Preheat your smoker to 250°F.
Chop the Velveeta, Gouda, and 8oz of the sharp cheddar cheese into cubes.
Add the cubed Velveeta, Gouda, and sharp cheddar cheese to a 9×12 baking dish. Place the block of cream cheese on top.
Sprinkle the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper over the top of the cheese.
Place on the grates of the smoker for one hour.
In the meantime, shred the remaining 8oz of cheddar cheese and boil the macaroni until al dente (about 10 minutes).
After one hour, stir the cheese mixture until well combined and creamy. If the mixture looks too thick, add more milk as needed.
Pour the al dente macaroni into a large bowl and add the cheese mixture. Give it a good mix until all the noodles are coated in the cheese sauce.
Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the same baking dish, then top with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese and place back on the smoker, increasing the temperature to 325°F.
Let it smoke for another 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and melted on top. Serve immediately and enjoy!