Texas-Style Sharp Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese
Chapter 3 — The Sides
Temperature control matters just as much for the sides as the meat. Early Central Texas meat markets simply handed you a sleeve of saltines, a raw onion, and a hunk of cold cheddar alongside your brisket, but this cast-iron skillet must withstand the intense physical demands of a slow bake at 250 degrees. Fortified with a block of sharp cheddar and cream cheese matrix to withstand ambient pit heat, the dairy fat absorbs the sweet, vanilla-scented draft of burning post oak; when your brisket finally hits that 203-degree probe-tender mark and goes into the cooler to rest, slide the pan into the ambient wood smoke and let the edges blister.
Before you start
Grate all block cheese ahead of time.
Having your cheddar and Monterey Jack processed before you start the roux ensures you can fold them into the béchamel quickly without the pan losing its residual heat.
Warm your milk and half-and-half before whisking them into the roux.
Cold dairy hitting hot butter and flour will cause the fats to seize and create a lumpy sauce.
Ingredients
- elbow macaroni or cavatappi1 lb
- unsalted butter1/2 cup
- all-purpose flour1/4 cup
- whole milk2 cup
- half-and-half1 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 ground black pepper1/2 tsp
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- panko breadcrumbs1 cup
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Fire up your smoker, pellet grill, or charcoal kettle for indirect cooking at 250 degrees.
Add a few chunks of post oak for that authentic Central Texas flavor. If you are stuck indoors, preheat your kitchen oven to 300 degrees.
- 02
Build a blonde roux in a large cast-iron skillet.
Melt the half-cup of butter over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook continuously for two minutes until it smells slightly nutty and loses its raw flour taste.
- 03
Whisk in the warmed dairy to create the béchamel.
Slowly stream in the warm whole milk and half-and-half while whisking vigorously to prevent lumps, continuing for about five minutes until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 04
Season the sauce and melt the cream cheese.
Drop the heat to low and whisk in the dry mustard, smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cubed cream cheese until perfectly smooth and stabilized.
- 05
Remove the skillet from the heat entirely to incorporate the remaining cheese.
This is crucial to prevent the sauce from breaking; gently fold in the grated sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack by the handful until you have a silky, homogeneous emulsion.
- 06
Fold in the cooked macaroni and top with buttery panko.
Ensure every noodle is heavily coated in the cheese sauce, then toss the panko breadcrumbs with the two tablespoons of melted butter and scatter evenly over the top.
- 07
Smoke the macaroni for forty-five minutes to an hour.
Place the uncovered skillet into the smoker, allowing the dairy fat to absorb the post oak smoke until the edges bubble and the panko turns golden brown.
- 08
Let the dish rest for ten to fifteen minutes before serving.
Pull the skillet from the heat and give it time to tighten up, ensuring the sauce clings to the noodles rather than pooling on the plate.
Notes
Never use pre-shredded cheese in a smoked macaroni.
Bagged cheeses are coated in anti-caking agents like cellulose and potato starch, which will refuse to melt smoothly and completely ruin your emulsion.
To execute the smoke kiss on a charcoal kettle, use the snake method.
Arrange unlit briquettes in a semi-circle along the edge, place your post oak chunks on the first half, and light the head of the snake to maintain a steady 250 degrees while the skillet sits opposite on indirect heat.
For the indoor cook, the oven requires a liquid smoke workaround.
If you are using a standard kitchen oven at 300 degrees, fold a quarter-teaspoon of high-quality liquid smoke into the cheese sauce off the heat to mimic the pitmaster results.
Fold in leftover smoked brisket point for a true Texan heavyweight side.
To make this a meal unto itself, stir a cup and a half of chopped fatty brisket directly into the macaroni before topping with the panko and sending it to the smoke.
From Cook BBQ at Home.