Make an easy side dish with this Smoked Mac and Cheese made on a pellet grill!
As we head into the summer season, the grill and smoker get used the most around our home. This Smoked Mac and Cheese made on the pellet grill is another great recipe to add to your list of Pellet Grill Recipes!
This recipe can be made gluten-free as well by swapping the pasta for a gluten-free variety.
If you are looking for a Ninja Foodi version, be sure to check out this Ninja Foodi Mac and Cheese.
What cheese should you use for Smoked Mac and Cheese?
It’s best to use a block of cheese instead of pre-shredded cheese. The pre-shredded cheese has extra ingredients in it to keep it fresh longer, which makes it not melt as well as blocks of cheese.
It’s also best to use a variety of cheese, not just cheddar.
In this case, we added Muenster Cheese too.
If you want to use something other than Muenster, you could use Mozzarella, but do not use fresh mozzarella as it is too watery, you would want to use a block of low-moisture mozzarella.
How do you make this gluten-free?
The only swap needed will be the pasta, this would need to be swapped with gluten-free pasta.
Our favorite gluten-free pasta is Barilla; however, any of your favorite varieties would work.
Tips for Making Smoked Mac and Cheese:
Any pellets can be used for this recipe, we used oak pellets for ours. We typically prefer to use a mixed variety of pellets for some variations of flavor.
The sauce will also thicken as it cooks, it’s not going to be a soft, creamy mac and cheese, it will be more of baked macaroni and cheese with a smoked flavor.
This also works the best in an aluminum pan, plus it’s easier for serving at picnics.
Are you ready for a great side dish? Whip up this Smoked Mac and Cheese alongside your favorite Smoked Meats!
Pellet Grill Smoked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz Elbow Macaroni or Gluten-Free Elbow Macaroni
- 2 1/2 Cups Whole Milk
- 12 oz Can Evaporated Milk
- 1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Unsalted Butter, Cubed
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, Cubed
- 8 oz Muenster Cheese (Shred)
- 16 oz Colby Jack Cheese (Shred)
- 2 Tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 Tsp Ground Mustard
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted water according to package, then drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking process.
- Start your pellet grill and set the temperature to 180*F. Any pellets can be used, we used oak pellets.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, milk, evaporated milk, cubed butter, cubed cream cheese, Muenster and Colby Jack cheeses, reserve a little cheese for topping.
- Sprinkle seasonings on top and mix in well.
- Lightly spray a square foil pan with cooking spray and transfer the mac and cheese to the aluminum square pan.
- Place the pan on the pellet grill and smoke for 30-45 minutes depending on how smoky you want the cheese to be.
- Stir to blend the melted mac and cheese and sprinkle the reserved cheese on top.
- Cover with foil.
- Increase the temperature to 400*F and cook until the sauce is thickened about 20-30 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until the top is browned.
- Remove from the smoker and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Store leftovers in fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Hi what size of aluminum pan do you use 16oz of dry pasta fills an 8×8 x 1-3/4 ” cake pan so I put it into 2pans I”ll have keep an eye on temp. Take Care
This was done with an 8×8, I try to get them with the tallest sides I can find to make it easier to stir up.