Josh and Korey

I am a really, really big fan of macaroni and cheese. I like to make it from scratch, and never the same way twice. This time, I did something new and it was THE BEST EVER. Not even kidding. It was cooked on our Traeger wood pellet grill, and I will try to explain how it can be adapted for a regular grill or oven.

To begin with, here is my basic mac and cheese recipe:

Recipe for basic mac

This smoked mac recipe was based on these two Traeger recipes:

Traeger “regular” mac

Traeger “smoky” mac

Either recipe will be great; I combined the two based on what I had in the fridge, and built this adapted recipe.

Smoked Mac ‘n Cheese

Ingredients:

1.5 cups Milk (I used 1%!)

One package macaroni (I used a fancy shaped organic version from Trader Joe’s)

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

One 16 oz. package Velveeta*

1 cup smoked mild cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Bread crumbs**{See below for my recipe}

Large cast-iron skillet or other grill-proof pan

Stoneware or cast iron baking dish or other grill-proof dish

Directions:

Put milk, Velveeta, and mustard in the cast-iron pan and place on preheated grill at 275*. Close lid and smoke for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally with a whisk.

{If you’re making the breadcrumbs yourself, start them as well}

Boil salted water and cook macaroni for 2 minutes less than the time on the package. When it’s finished, drain and rinse it with cold water. Toss it with both shredded cheeses, place in buttered/greased baking pan (I greased mine with coconut oil spray from Trader Joe’s because yum). Take it outside and set it on the grill. Pour the sauce over the noodles and top with breadcrumbs. Close the lid and smoke for 40 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are toasty and cheese is bubbling. I did this at the recommended 350*, but found it worked better around 400-450* to get toasty crumbs.

Remove from grill and sprinkle with paprika (optional: finely minced parsley) and serve!

*Normally I wouldn’t use yucky processed foods like Velveeta, but darn was it tasty. Don’t make a habit of it, folks! My own recipe (the first link) includes everything made from scratch and just as unhealthy as all the delicious stuff God made–which means no crazy sodium levels or chemicals. 🙂

**Smoked Bread Crumbs

Toss cubed white/French/Italian/sourdough bread or baguette with 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place in a small grill-proof baking dish and smoke for 30 minutes or until toasted and warm. (This can be done in the oven as well). Then blend them up in a blender or food processor to get yummy crumbs. Stale bread works best!