Smoked Mac and Cheese

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb elbow macaroni noodles or small seashell pasta

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1 tbsp mustard powder

2 cups whole milk

1 cup half & half

8 oz cream cheese, softened and cut into 10-12 pieces

3 cups grated cheddar

1 cup grated gouda

1 cup shredded parmesan

Choose one of these (see the post for more suggestions):

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs mixed with 1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs mixed with 1/4 cup melted butter + 1/2 cup cooked and finely crumbled bacon

1-2 cups shredded cheese

Directions

Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce: You can make the sauce in a saucepan (easiest but one more dish to clean) or right in a large cast iron skillet that can go straight from stove to smoker.

Melt the butter then whisk in the flour until it's smooth. Whisk in the mustard powder. Whisk in the milk and half & half, bring it just to a boil, turn off the heat and stir in the softened cream cheese. Add the shredded cheese in small handfuls and whisk it until the sauce is smooth and creamy.

Toss the pasta and sauce together until all of the elbow macaroni noodles are coated. If you're using any mix-ins, add them now (see the post for suggestions). Pour the mixture into the pan you're using to go on the smoker.

Prepare your chosen topping and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the mac and cheese mixture.

For the smoker: Place the pan into the smoker and keep it at a steady 225F temperature for an hour. You can leave it up to 2 hours if you prefer a stronger smoke flavor.

For the grill: Add a few pieces of smoking wood to the charcoal. Keep the temperature as close to 225F as you can and cook over indirect heat for an hour. If you have trouble keeping the temperature that low, check it often to be sure the mac and cheese isn't drying out.