Smoked Mac And Cheese With Gouda Recipe | Sip Bite Go
You’ve never tried a smoker side dish so tasty!! This Traeger smoked mac and cheese is loaded up with gouda, cream cheese, cheddar, gruyere, and a crispy panko topping. And I share how to add bacon on top, too… Let’s smoke it…
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Total Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, BBQ
Diet: Vegetarian
Keyword: smoked gouda mac and cheese, smoked mac and cheese, traeger smoked mac and cheese
1tbspsaltmore or less depending on taste, for seasoning water
½cupbuttersalted
½cupflourall purpose
1tbspmustarddijon (or 1 tsp mustard powder)
1.5cupsheavy cream
½cupmilkmore as needed
4ozcream cheesefull fat
1cupgouda cheesefresh grated
1cupGruyere cheesefresh grated
2cupscheddar cheesefresh grated
For the panko bread topping
¼cupbuttersalted, melted
1tbspbbq rubor your favorite seasoning
1cuppanko bread crumbs
Instructions
Boil pasta noodles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt to the water with pasta noodles. Boil pasta to al dente, or a minute shy of the cook time on the box (because the cooked macaroni noodles will continue cooking in the smoker). Drain and set aside.
Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 225 degrees F.
Make the roux. Add butter to a large cast iron skillet on Medium-High temperature. Once butter is melted, add flour. Stir regularly. When the roux starts to bubble, turn the burner down to Medium heat. Continue stirring (literally: don’t leave it to sit!) until mixture is smooth, about 5-7 minutes, until it turns light brown.
Finish making cheese sauce for smoked mac and cheese. To the cast iron skillet over medium heat, add mustard. While whisking, slowly pour in heavy cream. Once it comes up to a boil, turn down to medium-low to get a simmer. Add in milk and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add 1-2 tbsp more of milk as needed to get the sauce to the consistency of smooth pancake batter.
Add cheese and noodles. Turn the burner to low and add cream cheese. Whisk until combined. Then slowly add in grated cheeses, stirring regularly until combined. Turn off the burner and add cooked pasta. Stir to combine and fully mix pasta with smoked mac cheese sauce. (Ours almost overflows in our large skillet, it always looks like it’s too much pasta, but once we get in there with a little muscle, it always works out!)
Make the crispy bread topping. To a mixing bowl, add melted butter, bbq rub / seasoning, and panko bread crumbs. Whisk to combine. Add a layer of crispy topping on smoked mac and cheese prepared in the skillet.
Smoke mac and cheese with gouda, gruyere, and cheddar for 1-2 hours as desired. Mac and cheese is done smoking when the panko topping is lightly browned and crispy. The longer you leave it on the smoker, the more smoky it will taste. (We usually can’t wait and take it off around 60-90 minutes,)
Serve. Mac and cheese will be hot. To serve immediately, leave uncovered and let it cool until it’s safe enough to eat. To keep it warm for longer, add foil on top while resting. Enjoy!