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A large tray tray of cheesy elbow noodles and a spoon.
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5 / 2 votes

Smoked Mac and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is a very traditional accompaniment to great BBQ. This recipe simplifies the process of making this extra-cheesy dish by using only one pan for the cooking.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Calories: 932

Equipment

  • Gas grill, pellet grill, or smoker
  • Wood chips, wood chunks, or pellets (optional)

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup cottage cheese, preferably full fat
  • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, preferably full fat
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups canned chicken broth or homemade chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon ground mustard
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon store-bought or homemade hot sauce
  • 1 1/2 pounds Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 pound small pasta, such as elbows, shells or bowties
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat your smoker or grill to 400°F (204°C), using pellets or a smoke pouch, if desired. Coat the bottom and sides of a grill-proof baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon butter.
  • In a large blender or food processor, combine the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, milk, chicken broth, ground mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and hot sauce. Blend it on high until smooth and frothy, about 30 seconds. Stir in the shredded cheese and blend again briefly just to incorporate.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: If your blender can't hold the full volume of the sauce ingredients, prepare two batches of the sauce, using half the ingredients in each batch.

  • In a large bowl, combine the dry pasta and sauce and mix gently. Pour into the prepared dish. Alternatively, the pasta and sauce can be mixed directly in the prepared dish. Spread evenly in the dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
  • Bake in your preheated grill for 45 minutes, rotating the dish and stirring the contents once after 30 minutes. Continue cooking and check the pasta for doneness every 15 minutes until it is al dente, about 1 hour total. Stir the mixture if parts look dry or the pasta has popped out of the sauce.
  • When the pasta is al dente, remove the foil cover, arrange bits of the remaining 2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter on top of pasta and return the baking dish to the grill, uncovered, until bubbly and golden, 8 to 10 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Notes

*How do I make smoked mac and cheese gluten-free?

This recipe could absolutely be made gluten free, and easily too. Rather than making a roux for the cheese sauce, which traditionally has flour in it, this recipe uses the pasta to absorb the liquid from the mix, leaving behind the creamy melted cheese. Substitute gluten-free pasta and adjust the cook time based on when the pasta gets al dente. That's it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servings | Calories: 932kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 971mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g