Texas-Style Sharp Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese
Chapter 3 — The Sides
A proper Texas barbecue joint doesn't bury its sides under pretension. It serves unapologetic, heavy-hitting comfort meant to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a slice of fatty brisket. This is a robust, smoke-kissed sharp cheddar emulsion stabilized with cream cheese to survive the ambient heat of a pit without breaking. It slides into the smoker exactly when your meat comes off to rest, absorbing that sweet post oak vapor until the edges bubble into a golden, savory crust.
Before you start
Bring a large pot of aggressively salted water to a rolling boil.
The pasta will absorb some of the surrounding liquid while smoking, so cooking it just shy of al dente ensures it retains a dense bite rather than turning to mush.
Ingredients
- elbow macaroni or cavatappi1 lb
- unsalted butter1/2 cup
- all-purpose flour1/4 cup
- whole milk2 cup
- half-and-half or heavy cream1 cup
- extra sharp cheddar cheese8 oz
- Monterey Jack cheese4 oz
- cream cheese4 oz
- dry ground mustard1 tsp
- smoked paprika1 tsp
- garlic powder1/2 tsp
- coarse black pepper1/2 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- panko breadcrumbs1 cup
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Prepare your smoker or kettle grill for indirect cooking at 250 degrees using post oak, or preheat a kitchen oven to 300 degrees.
- 02
Melt a half-cup of butter in a large cast-iron skillet or heavy pot over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook for two minutes until it turns golden blonde.
You want to cook out the raw flour taste until the roux smells slightly nutty.
- 03
Slowly stream in the warm milk and cream while whisking vigorously.
Simmer for four to five minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 04
Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the dry mustard, smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and softened cream cheese until perfectly smooth.
The cream cheese acts as an emulsifier, stabilizing the sauce so it will not break or become oily under the ambient heat of the smoker.
- 05
Remove the skillet from the heat entirely and gradually fold in the grated sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack by the handful.
Off-heat melting prevents the cheese from splitting and releasing grease into your pristine emulsion.
- 06
Stir the undercooked pasta into the cheese sauce until heavily coated.
If you built your sauce in a standard pot, transfer the mixture into a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or a disposable aluminum pan now.
- 07
Toss the panko with the remaining two tablespoons of melted butter and scatter it evenly across the surface of the pasta.
- 08
Transfer the uncovered skillet to the smoker for forty-five minutes to absorb the post oak vapor.
If using an oven, bake for thirty minutes until the edges bubble and the crust is deeply golden.
- 09
Remove the skillet from the heat and let it sit for ten minutes before serving.
This brief rest allows the sauce to tighten up slightly, ensuring it clings to the pasta rather than pooling on the plate.
Notes
Utilize the kettle grill snake method if you lack a stick burner.
Arrange unlit charcoal in a semi-circle along the outer edge of a kettle grill, place a few chunks of post oak on the first half, and light the front with a few hot briquettes to maintain a steady 250 degrees.
Hack the kitchen oven method with liquid smoke and smoked cheeses.
For those cooking entirely indoors, swap the Monterey Jack for smoked Gouda and add a quarter-teaspoon of high-quality liquid smoke to the béchamel to mimic the pitmaster touch.
Grate your cheese directly from the block.
Pre-shredded bagged cheeses are coated in anti-caking starches like cellulose that will cause your sauce to turn grainy and ruin the emulsion.
Time the sides to cook while the meat rests.
Slide the macaroni and cheese into the smoker the exact moment your brisket hits 203 degrees probe-tender and comes off to rest in a cooler.
From Cook BBQ at Home.