Smoked Mac & Cheese Bake
Barbecue has many delicioussides, but a classic favorite is mac & cheese. It attracts all ages, andwhile grabbing the boxed version is tempting, making it from scratch is not asdifficult as it seems. Try out this recipe to wow your guests at your nextbackyard fireup!
Servings: 10 people
Equipment
- 1 Traeger Timerline XL
- 1 Medium Sauce Pan
- 1 Medium Bowl
- 1 whisk
- 1 8x5 Aluminum Pan
Ingredients
Noodles & Cheese Sauce
- 1 Cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 1 Cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 Cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 Cup Half & Half
- 1 tbsp Smoked Q Rock's Big Easy Spice Blend
- 1 tbsp Smoked Q Rock's Bourbon Brisket Rub
- 1 lb uncooked Macaroni elbows
Cracker Crumble Topping
- 1 Cup Crackers
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup salted butter
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water up to a boil, and don’t forget to add a pinch of salt to the water before adding your macaroni noodles and boiling for roughly 7 minutes until the noodles are soft, yet still slightly crunchy.
- In a medium saucepan, add the butter and allow it to melt. Once melted, whisk in the flour and mix until in becomes a paste.
- With the roux formed, add in the half & half and sprinkle in some Smoked Q Rock’s Big Easy Spice. Allow that to warm and thicken slightly, then layer in each of the cheeses and allow to melt while stirring continuously.
- With the cheese sauce melted and the noodles cooked, start by placing half the noodles in the base on the pan then layer on half the cheese sauce. Fold the noodles, don’t stir them, they may break up. Then layer on the remaining noodles before pouring on the rest of the cheese sauce. Finally, layer in the Smoked Q Rock’s BourbonBrisket Rub and the Smoked Q Rock’s Big Easy Spice blend, then mix it all together to incorporate.
- Begin by melting the remaining butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat on the Timberline XLs induction top. With the butter melted, add the crushed crackers and the parmesan cheese and allow them to toast over medium heat.
- The final step can be done right away, or pull the aluminum pan out of the fridge and smoke this to temp right next to the protein you have going. But if you are doing it by itself, I run this at 225º for about 30-45 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 462mg | Potassium: 217mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 812IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 360mg | Iron: 1mg