• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
Fox Valley Foodie
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About the Fox Valley Foodie
  • Subscribe
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Smoking Grilling & BBQ

    Smoked Mac and Cheese

    Published: May 9, 2023 by Fox Valley Foodie · This post may contain affiliate links

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Smoked Mac and Cheese.

    Smoked mac and cheese takes everyone's favorite comfort food to the next level! Best of all, it gets smoked at the same temperature as your favorite BBQ meats, making it the perfect side dish for any barbecue. Your family and friends will be raving about the deliciously smoky flavor in this over-the-top homemade mac!

    Smoked mac and cheese.

    Ingredients & Substitutions

    • Elbow macaroni noodles
    • Mild cheddar cheese - You can also use smoked cheese. Smoked cheddar is perfect. Pre-shredded cheese will be easiest for prepping.
    • Gouda cheese -You can substitute a different type of cheese too, I like Monterey Jack or Colby Jack cheese for this recipe.
    • Sour cream
    • Cream cheese
    • Milk - Whole milk is great, otherwise heavy cream is a wonderful substitute.
    • Dry mustard - You can substitute prepared yellow mustard if needed.
    • Panko breadcrumbs - Plain breadcrumbs can be substituted.
    • Butter - Olive oil can also be used, but butter has the best flavor.
    • BBQ Seasoning Rub - Your favorite rub from the grocery store, or homemade BBQ dry rub can be used.
    • Wood chips for smoking - I like using mild wood like fruit wood for this smoked mac n cheese recipe, but you can use any wood pellets you choose.
    • Customize this recipe - You can add additional ingredients like hot sauce, crumbled bacon, or even BBQ brisket!
    Showing ingredients for smoked mac and cheese.

    How to make it

    To make this easy smoked mac and cheese recipe, begin by preheating your smoker or pellet grill to 225 degrees. Add your wood chips right away to get a steady stream of smoke going.

    While your smoker is heating up, cook pasta in a large pot of water according to the package instructions, until al dente.

    In a separate saucepan set over medium low heat, prepare your cheese sauce by combining the sour cream, cream cheese, milk, and mustard powder until melted together and creamy. Then add the shredded cheese in small batches, stirring each handful into the sauce before adding more. Repeat until all of the cheese has been added.

    Prepare your topping by melting butter in a large skillet set over medium heat and stir in the panko and dry rub seasoning. Cook for a couple of minutes, while stirring, until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown, then set aside.

    Toss together the cooked macaroni noodles with your cheese sauce, then pour the macaroni and cheese into an oven-safe skillet, then sprinkle your breadcrumb topping generously over the top of the mac.

    Set the skillet in your smoker, uncovered, for one hour. Then remove and serve immediately while the sauce is warm, creamy, and delicious!

    Serving smoked mac and cheese.

    Storing and Reheating Leftovers

    The thing I love about my mac and cheese recipe is how well it reheats! Traditional roux-based macaroni and cheese never reheats well because the cheese breaks down into an oily mess when reheated. I add cream cheese to the cheese sauce which acts as a binder that holds the sauce together even when reheated. So all you need to reheat leftover mac and cheese is to microwave it until it is warm!

    The leftovers will have a strong smoke aroma so it is important to store any leftovers in an airtight container or your whole refrigerator will smell like a smoker!

    Smoked mac and cheese recipe.

    Smoked Mac and Cheese

    Smoked mac and cheese takes everyone's favorite side dish to the next level, and is the perfect addition to any barbecue!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 428kcal
    Author: Fox Valley Foodie

    Equipment

    • 9" Cast Iron Skillet
    • Saucepan
    • Smoker

    Ingredients

    • 12 ounces elbow macaroni noodles
    • 8 ounces mild cheddar cheese shredded
    • 4 ounces gouda cheese shredded
    • ¼ cup sour cream
    • 4 ounces cream cheese
    • ½ cup milk or as needed
    • ¾ teaspoon ground mustard

    Topping

    • ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 1 tablespoons BBQ dry rub
    • Wood chips for smoking

    Instructions

    • Preheat smoker to 225 degrees and add wood chips to create a steady stream of smoke.
    • In a large pot of salted water, boil the elbow noodles until al dente.
    • While the noodles are boiling, prepare your cheese sauce by melting the sour cream, cream cheese, milk, and mustard powder together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Then add the shredded cheese a handful at a time, and stir the cheese into the sauce until melted. Repeat until all of the cheese has been added and the sauce is smooth and creamy. Additional milk can be added if the sauce is too thick.
    • Melt butter in a cast iron skillet and add the panko bread crumbs and BBQ dry rub seasonings. Stir together and cook until the panko turns golden brown. Then remove the seasoned breadcrumbs and set aside in a small bowl.
    • Combine the noodles and cheese sauce together then pour into a 9" cast iron skillet, or baking dish, and sprinkle the breadcrumb topping generously over the top.
    • Place mac and cheese in the smoker for one hour. Then remove and serve immediately.

    Nutritional Information

    Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 428mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 724IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 353mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it Today!Mention @FoxValleyFoodie or tag #foxvalleyfoodie!

    More Mac and Cheese Recipes

    • Homemade Mac and Cheese
      Mac and Cheese with Cream Cheese
    • Mac and Cheese recipe without milk.
      Mac and Cheese without Milk
    • Seafood mac and cheese recipe.
      Seafood Mac and Cheese
    • Cajun Mac and cheese
      Cajun Mac and Cheese

    Get My FREE eCookbook

    mailer

    Subscribe to FoxValleyFoodie.com and get each tantalizing new post sent directly to your inbox, along with my complementary eCookbook just for signing up!

    « Old Fashioned Ham Salad
    Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad »

    Reader Interactions

    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Subscribe

    15834

    Get each tantalizing new recipe

    sent directly to your inbox.

    AND GET MY eCOOKBOOK FREE!

    Search for your favorite post!

    Popular Recipes

    Homemade mozzarella sticks with string cheese

    Homemade Mozzarella Sticks with String Cheese

    Venison Meatloaf Recipe

    Venison Meatloaf

    Big Mac Sauce Copycat Recipe

    McDonald's Big Mac Sauce (Copycat Recipe)

    Brown Sugar Meatloaf with Secret Ingredient

    Brown Sugar Meatloaf - With a Secret Ingredient

    How to make paprika

    How to Make Paprika

    Close up Sloppy Joes

    Homemade Manwich (Sloppy Joes)

    Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs - Bone In

    Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs (Bone-In)

    Fried chicken gizzards recipe.

    Fried Chicken Gizzards

    As featured in yahoo, buzzfeed, oprah, msn and more!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Fox Valley Foodie, LLC

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.