Macaroni and cheese is an American favorite. But have you smoked one before? Today we are going to take this American classic and send it to another level. Bring on the BBQ Smoked Macaroni Cheese!

Now you have probably done macaroni and cheese before on the grill or the Weber kettle but maybe you have never smoked one before. It’s my understanding that macaroni and cheese became very popular during the Great Depression period when a lot of people didn’t have a lot of money. In order to feed the family, they just started mixing the ingredients they had together. Maybe they had some pasta which is pretty inexpensive. They could get some inexpensive cheese at the time, mix it together, and serve it up.

There are lots of different recipes for macaroni and cheese this one was my mama’s recipe. She got it from somebody else a long time before I was born. When I was a kid she used to make it and I loved it. I would go to stay at other people’s houses and their mama would pull out a blue box and mix it in the stove and I said that’s not macaroni and cheese. That’s macaroni and yellow powder, macaroni, and cheese has cheese in it!

BBQ Smoked Macaroni Cheese! Method

Let’s get started, You need a pound and a half (24 ounces) of sharp cheddar cheese. I chose the extra sharp because that’s what I like. If you really don’t like too sharp, I guess you could buy the medium. You should shred up the cheese with a grater. Then put two eggs into the cheese along with two cups of cottage cheese, 2 cups of ricotta cheese, and 1 cup of sour cream. The recipe calls for you to add salt and pepper to taste, personally I like to use Cajun Creole seasoning as I prefer the taste. Grab a spoon and mix it all up.

Next, you are going to add a pound of cooked macaroni. Cook the macaroni so that it is al dente. You definitely don’t want it to be mushy. With this done you can just dump it all into a cast-iron skillet. You are going to need two more ingredients later. These are paprika and parsley. But, now is not the right time for these.

Time for the Smoker!

With everything ready, it is time to get it on your smoker. Your smoker should be at about 275 when you open it to put the smoked macaroni and cheese on. Just set it inside the drum and you are good to go.

I try to crank the temperature up to about 325 and smoke it for about an hour. If you go up to 375 you will get some burnt bits on top. Some people like that so it’s whatever you like. Just before the top gets to browning you are going to sprinkle some paprika and some parsley on top. If you want, now is also a good time to sprinkle some parmesan on top. Keep it in the smoker until it is firm, but not too firm that it slices like a pie.

You can do this in an oven but if you do it in a smoker then it’s much, much better. You can taste the richness of all three cheeses, the sharp cheddar, and that paprika on top. When it is all crusted together it’s absolutely fabulous

If you are looking for more sides then these delicious Smoked Deviled Eggs are amazing!

Check out our YouTube channel.