Smoked Mac and Cheese With a Cast Iron Crust
Smoke turns mac and cheese from a side into the thing people remember. Build a real bechamel with sharp cheddar, gouda, and cream, pour it into cast iron, and smoke it uncovered at 225F with hickory. The open top takes on a smoky, browned crust. Add breadcrumbs if you want the crunch.
- Method
- Low & Slow smoke
- Total time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Target internal temp
- bubbling, browned crust
- Gear
- BLCK ANVL Cast Iron Pan, pellet grill, saucepan
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 1 lb elbow macaroni, boiled 2 min short of done
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar
- 2 cups shredded gouda
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Salt and black pepper
- Optional: 1 cup panko tossed in 2 tbsp melted butter
The Cook
- 01
Set the pellet grill to 225F with hickory.
- 02
Melt the butter, whisk in the flour, and cook the roux 1 to 2 min. Slowly whisk in milk and cream until smooth and thickened.
- 03
Off the heat, stir in the cheddar and gouda a handful at a time until the sauce is glossy. Dumping it all at once breaks the sauce.
- 04
Season with mustard powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Fold in the par-cooked macaroni.
- 05
Pour into the cast iron. Top with the buttered panko if using.
- 06
Smoke uncovered 1 to 1.5 hr until bubbling at the edges and the top is browned and set.
Doneness
The edges should bubble and the surface should set into a browned, slightly crusty top, around 1 to 1.5 hr. Underneath stays creamy. If it looks loose in the center, give it another 15 min.
Pro Tip
Pull the pasta two minutes short of package time. It keeps cooking in the hot sauce and smoke, and fully cooked pasta turns to mush after an hour on the grill.
Questions
Cooked By Our Readers
Real cooks, real fire.
Build The Kit
Two or more pieces.
10% off your order.
Every BLCK ANVL piece is built in the same shop that runs ATV parts. Run two or more in your cart and the discount applies on its own. No code.
