# No boil Macaroni Mac & cheese



## bpopovitz

I've been using this mac & cheese recipe for years.  Doesnt even reuitre you to pre-cook the mac .  Takes a bit longer but hey we all like food that takes awhile.  Only 1 dirty dish and it's delicious.

*Basic recipe:*

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1 stick butter

12 ounces yellow cheddar cheese

4 Ozs. mozzarella cheese

5 cups milk

 salt and pepper to taste

Pre heat oven 350,

Layer macaroni, butter, and cheese in the order given in a 9-by-13 dish.  Pour milk over the top layer. Bake 1 hr. do not cover.

To prevent this dish from becoming too brown and crusty, cover with foil for the last 15 min. of baking.

*Additions:*

I have experimented with other cheeses, provolone, co-jack, pepper jack, parm.  All good.  I've also added some pre-cooked chicken in at the last 15-20 minutes.  I'm tinking some smoked chicken next time.  Could be good.

On the cheese substitutions just remember the total cheese amount needs to be 16 ounces.


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## rdknb

that sounds good I will have to give it a try


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## adiochiro3

I'm thinkin this might work great in the smoker!


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## wildflower

going to give this a try  thanks


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## duffman

Wonder how long that would take in the smoker? Regardless I am going to be trying it.


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## bpopovitz

I'm betting on about 2 hours.  I know I should have tested it on the smoker first, but I figured there are plenty of peopl out here who love to experiment.


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## bpopovitz

Okay, I finally got around to trying this int the smoker.  Took 1 hour 40 minutes at 250 (I ran a bit hotter than usual today for some reason)

Here are some pics. First one is proof that we start with uncooked macaroni, second - layered remaining ingredients, then finally the finished product.  I also made only half the recipe as it was just me and the kids last night for dinner.


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## wildflower

so, how was it?????


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## lucky13

Thanks!  With 3 small kids in the house Mac & Cheese is a staple around our place.  Gonna have to give it a try.


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## bpopovitz

Wildflower,

It was delicious, the smoke flavor was present in every part of mac & cheese.  I think that the smokiness penetrated the food even better since the mac was uncooked when it went in that gave time to soak up even more flavor.

I used a mixture of hickory and apple.


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## pandemonium

looks good!!


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## sqwib

Will try this, thanks for sharing


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## jirodriguez

Man.... my kids are gonna love this!.... and it gives me yet one more reason to fire up the smoker!


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## jirodriguez

Well the expirement is in progress. I did the same recipe Bpopovitz has at the top of the page, but added to it. The layers in order are 1 box dry mac., 1 stick butter sliced into pats and spread on noodles, about 1 lb. smoked pulled pork, salt & pepper, 2 cups broccoli florrets, cheese, and milk. Hope it turns out well... will post a pic when its done :)


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## jirodriguez

Can you say CHEESE! lol.... man this made for a super simple easy dinner, definately on my go-to list! Will have to play with the mix of cheeses a bit, something with less oil in it than the chedder, but other than that it was really, really good! Thanks for a great recipe Bpopovitz.

... on to the pics!


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## bpopovitz

Way to go Johnny, I love taking simple things and kicking them up.  I never even thought about adding some pulled pork, wow, great idea.


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## sqwib

Hopefully will be able to do 2 batches this weekend

1 with precooked bacon

1 with a cup of mini marshmallows.

This would be a good for breakfast with JD hot sausage, would precook the sausage to remove the grease.


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## sqwib

Awesome Johnny is that "red hot" sprinkled on top...

Hey how about a Crab mac and cheese with a bit of old bay


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## sqwib

bpopovitz have you tried heavy cream or cream cheese in this recipe, was wondering if it would make it too rich.

I always add cream cheese to my mac and cheese to make it creamier


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## jirodriguez

SQWIB said:


> Awesome Johnny is that "red hot" sprinkled on top...
> 
> Hey how about a Crab mac and cheese with a bit of old bay


No... hadn't gotten the hot sauce on mine in that picture, that was actually just the browned cheese - it looked beutifull when I pulled it out of the oven!


 


SQWIB said:


> bpopovitz have you tried heavy cream or cream cheese in this recipe, was wondering if it would make it too rich.
> 
> I always add cream cheese to my mac and cheese to make it creamier


That is what I am thinking as well, I like a real creamy texture. I was half tempted to make a roue with the butter and some flower and sprinkle that over the noodles. This will definately be a fun recipe to play with.


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## lucky13

FYI - follow the directions on the 9 x 13 pan!  My wife saw the recipe laying on the counter and thought it would be good for supper last night.  When I went to foil it 45 minutes into it I found she had put it in a casserole bowl (and they say men don't read directions???).
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






   Had a nice 1 inch layer of liquid on top.  So, i dumped it into the 9 x 13 pan (uncovered) for an additional 15 and most of the liquid evaporated.  Still tasted good, just pretty runny.


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## sqwib

Agreed on the 9 x 13, I believe the reasoning behind that would be more surface area for evaporation, and plus you get more smoke


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## bpopovitz

SQWIB,

I haven't tried much variation from the recipe other than the cheese types.  My personal fav is 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 oz co-jack, 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 of mozz, 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 parm and 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 provolone.  But I like the idea of using cream cheese / heavy cream, that's how I make the base to my alfredo sauce, wonder why i dint think of that sooner.... DOH.   Something to add to the to do list.....


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## sqwib

Doing a batch this weekend...hopefully.

I will post some Q-View


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## westsidebbq

Interesting! I'm gonna have to give this a try.

Darren


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## gatorfan316

I made mine and added bacon bits (the real kind) to it and it was good. I had left overs the next day and it was GREAT. I guess that the sitting and melding together makes it just phenomenal.


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## mnjosh

Just rocked this out today and it was great!

Tnx  JIRodriguez for the brocolli idea (picked up at the farmers market this AM)

Added some morels and other wild mushrooms to make it even better.


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## jirodriguez

Man... those shrooms look awesome!


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## lugnutz

OMG!!! Really thats all I can say.


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## shtrdave

Made this tonight for the GF had a 10 x 15 dish so I used about 3.5 cups of pasta shells medium. and 6.5 milk, added some chopped onion and topped it with peperoni.

She loved it took a bunch with her for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for the recipe, going to try some other things with his.


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## gatorfan316

WOW great pics Josh. Looks like you rocked that mac & cheese with your veggie additions. I will have to give that a shot next time.


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## sqwib

mnjosh said:


> Just rocked this out today and it was great!
> 
> Tnx  JIRodriguez for the brocolli idea (picked up at the farmers market this AM)
> 
> Added some morels and other wild mushrooms to make it even better.


Damn! that dish looks like "Chicken Divan"


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## carson627

Folks,

I'm here to testify.  This stuff rocks.  Onions, shrooms, broccoli and pulled pork.  I substituted a can of cream of mushroom for a cup of milk.

We have a new family favorite.

Thanks a million!


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## circuit theory

This looks SOOOoooooo good !  I just put mine in the smoker and will hopefully be done with it in 2 or 2 and a half hours. 

I can't find macaroni style pasta out here so I just went with a different tube type pasta.  I mixed in some half cooked bacon and some eggplant.

I used velvetta (SP?) and "natural cheese" which is what they call almost every type of cheese in japan.  I took a tip from this post and substituted 1 cup of milk for 1 cup of cream.

I will get some pics for you all up before I and the wife eat it.

Tom


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## dtcunni

Just the recipe I was looking for! I think i'll add some jalopenos though :cool:


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## jeeplj

So I tried bpopovitz’s recipe last night with a few tweaks to try and make it creamer. First I used 6 oz Velveeta and 10 oz of cheddar cheese. Next I used 2 cups of heavy cream and 3 cups of milk. For extra kick, topped it with chopped jalapenos. Thought it was really good it did not get creamy. Basically the ingredients don’t blend on their own and I think that is what is needed to make the mixture creamy. However it was very good and is defiantly a dish I will repeat often, but if you want it smooth and creamy texture you will need to melt and blend your ingredients which puts an end to the one dish method. 

So it may look a little chunky, but the taste is perfect. I say leave it unblended!


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## bpopovitz

JeepLJ said:


> So I tried bpopovitz’s recipe last night with a few tweaks to try and make it creamer. First I used 6 oz Velveeta and 10 oz of cheddar cheese. Next I used 2 cups of heavy cream and 3 cups of milk. For extra kick, topped it with chopped jalapenos. Thought it was really good it did not get creamy. Basically the ingredients don’t blend on their own and I think that is what is needed to make the mixture creamy. However it was very good and is defiantly a dish I will repeat often, but if you want it smooth and creamy texture you will need to melt and blend your ingredients which puts an end to the one dish method.
> 
> So it may look a little chunky, but the taste is perfect. I say leave it unblended!


The last time I tried ths again I simply stirred it a bit more often, I know that goes against the leave the smoker door closed rule, but it did turn out a bit creamier.  Personally I like the chunkier Mac.  I'll say it again.  I love this place for the simple reason of sharing ideas and what grows from that.


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## solaryellow

I started playing with this on Friday evening and was very impressed. I am on my fourth iteration of messing with the recipe and I can tell you cream cheese will make it creamier but you do have to mix it in. Thanks for posting it bpopovitz!


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## SmokinAl

Somehow I missed this thread.

I will definitely give this a try!


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## daveomak

Amazing recipe and mods to it... Like Al, I just found this... It is already in the SMF cook book and all the comments are added as well...  Dave loves mac & cheese...  Thanks all


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## oufan75

Thanks for posting this thread. I was looking for a yummy side to go with the boneless ham I was smoking for Turkey Day this year. I made a few mods myself to get the creamy texture.

- 2 cups elbow macaroni

- 3 cups milk

- 8oz Velveeta Cheese

- 4oz Cream Cheese

I melted the velveeta and cream cheese in the microwave and poured it over the milk and macaroni in an aluminum pan and put it on the smoker opposite of the firebox for a total of 2 hours. Make sure and check it every half hour or so and stir. You may need to add more milk as needed so it does not dry out.

I will post a pic later, but the family has loved the samples so far....

Happy Thanksgiving and thanks to bpopovitz


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## ellymae

Just saw this one - will be taking it for a test drive - love mac & cheese.


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## n2 bbq

Hey this looks just like what the doctor ordered.  Been wanting a good Mac N Cheese recipe for a while now.  I'll have to try this one soon.


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## oldschoolbbq

I'll have to try this too,I do my Lazanga the same way,start dry,set in cooler all night and bake next day.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





. I like simple recipies........


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## bpopovitz

Just did this as a "gluten free" version a couple of weeks ago using the gluten free shells.  Worked real well.


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## solaryellow

bpopovitz said:


> Just did this as a "gluten free" version a couple of weeks ago using the gluten free shells.  Worked real well.




My wife is sensitive to gluten and I have tried it with some spiral rice noodles and it worked out well. One other thing I am doing a bit differently now is since I am mixing everything up a few times throughout the cook is to reserve some shredded cheddar to toss on top for the last 20 minutes with no more stirring. We plan on serving this at festivals this year.


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## daveomak

Brian, evening..... This looks killer.... Don't know how I missed it.... I even sent it to the kid.... the grand kids like mac n cheese just like gramps...  Dave


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## steel hauler

This recipe was awesome. I smoked it for about 2 hours at 250 over a split of pecan. I did 8oz Mozarella, 8oz Cheddar, and added about an extra 1/4 cup of macaroni. The family loved it!!


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## solaryellow

We have sold out of this two weeks straight at festivals. We most likely will have to adjust our prices because the margin isn't there with our current prices, but it is a big hit. People are amazed when we tell them it is no boil.


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## mneeley490

This will be dinner tonight. Thanks!


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## diggingdogfarm

Very cool!

The Mac & Cheese pie that i did for the April throwdown was also no boil, but a totally different recipe.

Smoked Cheddar, Bacon and Jalapeno Popper Mac & Cheese Pie topped with Buttery Smoked Cheddar Cracker Crumbs






~Martin


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## solaryellow

That looks awesome Martin.


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## supercenterchef

so I'm guessing ya'll are shredding the butter for that layer?

anybody tried the shell macaroni?


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## solaryellow

SupercenterChef said:


> so I'm guessing ya'll are shredding the butter for that layer?
> 
> 
> anybody tried the shell macaroni?



I am cutting them in 1/8" thick strips.

Haven't tried shells yet but have done rice noodles for gluten free.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2


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## baja traveler

I cut my butter up into 1/8" pads and spread them out - figured I'd give the whole thing a nice stir at 45 minutes anyway. Glad I did, everything was a perfect finish in the end. I added a panko crust after I stirred it, and it tasted awesome. Turned on the broiler the last 5 minutes to give a nice crunch.


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## supercenterchef

sounds good, thaks for the tip!

is that a stone dish?...man I've been wanting one of those!


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## baja traveler

Yep, wife picked it up a few years ago. Everything tastes better in a stone casserole dish!


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## jd on ice

I'm going to give this a try today, I am going to try and substitue some of the milk with heavy cream and some of the chedder with Velveeta, I'm with Sqwib I like my mac and cheese creamy.  I will post pics and let you know how it works out.  Thanks for the recipe, it looks great.  I love all of the variations.  I am doing up a lot of pork today, now I have another dish for later in the week as well.


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## mneeley490

Be sure to give it a stir. I didn't, and it came out a bit watery. Didn't really mix well. Now I know.


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## jd on ice

OK so I made a few changes and I have to say it was awesome. 

1.  2 cups of uncooked elbow noodles.

2.  1 stick butter.

3.  Shredded Chedder Cheese, about 10 ounces.

4.  Velveeta cheese

5.  Mozerella Cheese

6.  2 cups heavy cream

7.  3 cups milk

I layered the cheese and the butter on the elbow noodles, then I poured the milk and heavy cream over everything.  I only put the mozerella on top and put it all in the smoker at about 230 for 2 and 1/2 hours.  Then I moved it to a 375 oven for about 20 minutes so the mozerella would brown up.  It came out awesome.


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## cuse3378

Gonna give this one a try today.


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## solaryellow

cuse3378 said:


> Gonna give this one a try today.



Good luck cuse3378! Once you have it nailed, you won't go back to traditional mac and cheese.


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## angiem

I am definitely giving this a try. Maybe with a smoked meatloaf...


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## ellymae

Just tried this - Big Al has told me 4 times how good it is...

Thanks!!!!


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## angiem

I made this yesterday! Was awesome. Pics will be under Chicken and Fish Dinner!


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## ellymae

OK - this is so good I just made it again... made a few changes...

Increased the pasta by about a cup or so ( I was also using penne, not elbows cause I didn't have any)

20 oz of cheese - 4 os of mozzarella and 16 oz of a cheedar mix.

4 cups whole milk, 1 cup 1/2 and 1/2.

Amazingly good!


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## flyinion

Wow I'm going to have to try this (the smoking it part).  I think I'll use my favorite baked mac & cheese recipe.  It starts out semi cooked (about 6 minutes on the pasta vs. 9-10 if you cooked all the way).  It normally bakes for 30 mins at 350 (IIRC) so it would probably go a solid hour in the smoker.


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## freakynorm

I tried it today and it came out pretty awesome. I used about 20oz of cheese, 3 cups elbow mac, 1 stick of butter, 4 cups milk and one cup half and half and tossed in some broccoli. Next time I will use a sharp cheddar and add more broccoli and maybe some bacon.

After about 3 hours in the smoker it was ready, then I tossed some Italian breadcrumbs on it and hit it up in the broiler for a bit to crisp it up.













macncheesesmoked02.jpg



__ freakynorm
__ Nov 2, 2012






Everything in the dish waiting to jump into the smoker.













macncheesesmoked03.jpg



__ freakynorm
__ Nov 2, 2012






Nice and chewy, not soggy, mushy or runny at all. Good stuff!













macncheesesmoked01.jpg



__ freakynorm
__ Nov 2, 2012


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## goodbeer

I am going to give this a try today.  I was wondering if anyone has mixed this up in the morning and put it in the fridge and then pulled it out to throw in the smoker later in the day?  I was just wondering if the pasta would turn out funky sitting in milk for several hours.  I will try and post pics.


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## james bradley

Gotta say this is the easiest and best mac and cheeses ever. You can tweak it however you like from mild to spicy and it always turns out great.Today I put fresh tomatoes,jalopenos and bacon into the original recipe and it turned out great. Thank You Bpop for the start up recipe!!!


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## roadkill cafe

Gonna give this a try tomorrow in the smoker (MES 40). Quick question though....I'll also be smoking 3 racks of baby backs 2-2-1. How far along in the smoke would you suggest I put it in to be done close to the same time as the ribs? I know the added mass will drop the temp some and which rack would you place it on. Planned on using top rack and a pyrex glass dish.


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## bluto

Ok, now my mouth is watering.  Time to raid the pantry and see what I have.  Thanks!


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## smokey bill

Going to try it with crab looks good:sausage:


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## freaky

Glad I found this thread! I'm gonna try it this weekend!


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## driedstick

Very nice will put on my to do list


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## mrt86er

Look Good, I am definatly trying this this weekend. Thanks of the recipe!!


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## freaky

I tried the oven version with mixed review. The best part of the recipe was that it was EASY!!

We went with 12 oz of Cheddar and 4oz of cream cheese (because that's what I had on hand). After 45 minutes added some nice crispy bacon and topped it with a layer of cheddar. The texture was a little off due to the cream cheese. Overall the taste was good, but greasy. I'm thinking about using a ricotta or something that melts a little better than cream cheese. Thanks for the recipe! Once I get it dialed in in the oven, I'll smoke it!

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2


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## flyinion

freaky said:


> I tried the oven version with mixed review. The best part of the recipe was that it was EASY!!
> We went with 12 oz of Cheddar and 4oz of cream cheese (because that's what I had on hand). After 45 minutes added some nice crispy bacon and topped it with a layer of cheddar. The texture was a little off due to the cream cheese. Overall the taste was good, but greasy. I'm thinking about using a ricotta or something that melts a little better than cream cheese. Thanks for the recipe! Once I get it dialed in in the oven, I'll smoke it!
> Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2


Did you use the pre-shredded in a bag type cheddar?  If so try a good quality sharp cheddar block and grate it yourself.  I seem to remember reading cheap stuff tends to be really oily like that because it's partly made with oil/fat as a filler instead of just milk.  I make a baked mac & cheese that uses 12 ounces of cheddar, 3 cups milk, etc. and it never turns out oily/greasy.  It also only uses 3 tablespoons of butter & flour combined into a roux though.  Since the OP's recipe is using nearly 3x that amount of butter (one stick 8 tablespoons) that could be partly it, especially if you used a margarine type product instead of real butter.


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## freaky

OK, thanks. This time I might cut down the butter and try some good quality cheddar. 

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2


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## ellymae

goodbeer said:


> I am going to give this a try today.  I was wondering if anyone has mixed this up in the morning and put it in the fridge and then pulled it out to throw in the smoker later in the day?  I was just wondering if the pasta would turn out funky sitting in milk for several hours.  I will try and post pics.


Sorry for the late response... I would put it all together, but leave the milk out till you are ready to cook it.


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## swechef

Alright here's another believer. 2 hours on the RFS while smoking a ham. It was gone before I managed to snap any pics! Thanks for a great base recipe! This goes into the favourite file!

Cheers /Wes


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## roadkill cafe




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## amper

Im just curious how to place the stick of buter on this. Just lay a stick down and hope it spreads evenly or chop butter into pieces and lay it over mac evenly?  Or melt it and pourit over mac evenly?


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## roadkill cafe

Cut into pieces and place evenly. At least that's what I do. I've cut back on the amount that I use also. I use about 1/2 to 2/3 of a stick. Don't forget to stir it up about an hour into the cook.


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## bgaviator

I made this recipe exactly following the directions last night to go with our smoked turkey legs.  The taste was good, but the texture was not quite right.  It seems like we ended up with a gob of melted cheese on top, with just buttered noodles on the bottom layer, because the elbow pasta was just basically in a pool of butter on the bottom, with the cheese melted on top.  I didn't stir the dish during the cook....maybe stirring halfway through to mix the cheese in?

I used a whole stick of real butter.  I used a grated block of cojack cheese, and a block of medium cheddar. 

It tasted good, but just didn't come out like I had hoped. Thanks.


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## gmosmoke

I stir at least three times during the smoke.

I like to add a cup of pulled pork after the first hour (about time of first stir)

-Gmo


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## greg b

I'll be making a couple batches tomorrow for church fish fry and to go with the pulled pork I'm doing for dinner at Granny's! Can't wait!


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## usmcrob

This is sooooooo going on the pit tomorrow!!!  Got a big ole beautiful packer that's starting here in a couple hours, and I think the mac n' cheese will go great!!!!


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## goodbeer

I love how easy this recipe is and if you already have the smoker going why not throw some mac n cheese on!

I made a few small changes to the recipe:

*Basic recipe:*

2  1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1/2  stick butter (cut into thin slices)

12 ounces yellow cheddar cheese (Buy a brick and shred it yourself it seems to melt better than the pre-shredded)

4 Ozs. mozzarella cheese (I used Velveeta instead, I'm not a huge fan of Velveeta but it helps with making it creamy)

5 cups milk

 salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

I need to get better at snapping before and after pics!


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## tomnt369

Cooked this Saturday and it was great. Now I'm gonna have to try every recipe on here. lol  I did add some real bacon bits and broccoli.


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## redwood carlos

This is great!!! Just made another batch everyone loves it.

Mac
Butter
4oz cheddar
8oz mozzerella
4oz cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream
4 milk

Stir at 30 mins and add:
8oz cooked chopped bacon
Half a bunch asparagus cut to 1"

Stir at 45 mins

55mins added jalepeno slices and panko bread crumbs.

Broil to color.












20131019_145109.jpg



__ redwood carlos
__ Oct 19, 2013


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## rokems

I recently made a version of this for a lady-friend I had over and we were very pleased with the results.  Here's the recipe as I saved it on my computer:

*One-Dish, No-Boil Mac & Cheese*

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1 stick butter (cut into thin pats or shredded)

16 oz sharp cheddar (chunk is less greasy)

4 oz mozzarella cheese

4 oz sharp cheddar Velveeta (cut into thin squares)

4 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

Salt and pepper

Real bacon bits (1 lb pre-cooked)

Pre-heat oven to 350º

Layer macaroni, butter, cheeses (sans half the cheddar), and spices, in that order, in a 13x9" dish

Pour milk/cream over the top layer

Bake half hour, stir

Bake another half hour, stir again

Top with bacon, and then the remaining cheddar

Broil until golden brown

It's a great dish to make ahead of time.  Just get everything ready to go, but leave the milk/cream out.  When you're ready to cook, pour it over the top and pop it in the oven.  It couldn't be much simpler!

With the bacon, it wasn't truly a one-dish side, but if you were to buy pre-cooked bacon, it would be.


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## swartzster

This sounds good. I'm gonna try it tonight with some ribs


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## forluvofsmoke

Time for another thread revival. I finally found an excuse to try this recipe (modified) in my Weber 26.75" Kettle, using a 1/2 size stainless steel steam table pan and indirect heat with fires on both sides using the Weber charcoal baskets. My (almost) 2 year-old grandson is addicted to mac & cheese...talked to my daughter about making this yesterday for a trial-run before his birthday. Well, it's now a must-do for his birthday, and I'm sure for other occasions, as well.

I made a double-batch, cut the butter to 1.5 sticks instead of 2, used 1lb shredded cheddar, 2 cups mozz, double the milk (2% milk fat) and mac, but used large elbow. Smoked with hickory and cherry, fired with KB. Started at ~250* for about the first hour, then increased to ~350* over about 15-20 minutes for a total cooking time of 2.25 hours. I added fried bacon chips the last 10 minutes and lightly folded into the dish. Thinkin' next time I'll add the bacon at 1 hour, fold it in, then toss on some seasoned bread crumbs for the topping and let it ride to the finish. Anyway, the pasta was just getting tender when I removed it and built the fire up for searing meats.

I'm my own worst critic, and thought I used too much milk for a deeper pan, but, to my surprise (because it's been a l--o--n--g time since I've made any cheese dishes), once it started to cool before serving, the cheese set-up a bit and thickened nicely. It wasn't a creamy texture because of the mozz, with very small crumbs mingled throughout the dish, but everyone raved about it. I must say, with a little more modifications for this cooking method it should be perfect. I like the idea of adding some cream cheese, but also, the use of a bit less fats seemed to make a good impact as well. There was a bit of butter in the bottom of the pan after we started serving it, but nothing serious. I think the layering might work better for my pan if I just smear the butter inside the pan, then layer the rest, as I waited too long to check it, and the mac was starting to stick to the bottom...easily lifted it away with a stainless spoon when I added the bacon, though. Overall, very easy, and with a little forethought, the blends of cheeses you can use for this is virtually endless. Oh, and the smoke flavor? Yeah baby, it's in there, and not too strong, either...a nice, mellow smoke flavor in every bite.

Thumbs up here!!! My daughter said she wants me to make it for his birthday party in early September, so I take that as a big, HUGE approval. Everyone else who stopped by had samples and gave me the thumbs-up. I'm sure it will be a requested side dish for many years to come!!!

Thanks for posting this recipe!!! And thanks to everyone for their input on modifying it to suit their wants and needs...gave me some insight on where to start!!!

Eric


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## daveomak

Good job Eric.....


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## buzzard

I looked and did not see the answer to my question.   Waht is meant by 2 cups of elbow macaroni?  are we saying 16oz? or pouring the noodles on a measuring cup and actuially using two measued cupsw?


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## daveomak

Use a measuring cup....   The volume of noodles has a direct effect on the amount of cheese, milk etc.


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## tumbleweed1

I made this in the smoker yesterday to go with some Faux Burnt Ends (chuck roast).

I tweaked it a little- very good!

Thanks.

TW


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## bpopovitz

Good to see this thread / recipe is still alive...  I've used and modified this recipe probably 30 -40 different times since I originally posted it.  Mac & cheese is so much up to individual taste but this is a good blank canvas and so easy.


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## bpopovitz

Good to see this thread / recipe is still alive...  I've used and modified this recipe probably 30 -40 different times since I originally posted it.  Mac & cheese is so much up to individual taste but this is a good blank canvas and so easy.


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## gen lees bbq

Was thinking about adding corn and cream corn to this recipe. Would I need to change anything?


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## 3montes

Gen Lees BBQ said:


> Was thinking about adding corn and cream corn to this recipe. Would I need to change anything?


Whole corn just probably a bit more cheese. Cream corn may need to add more flour as it could make things a bit runny.


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## 88rxna

What can I add to this to make it a little creamier? Cream of mushroom soup work?


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## 3montes

88rxna said:


> What can I add to this to make it a little creamier? Cream of mushroom soup work?


Cream cheese should work. Last time I made it I put crushed Chili Cheese Fritos on top. Excellent.


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