Recipe: Smoked 6 Cheese Macaroni & Cheese

In our house, we always have Mac & Cheese around due to the fact that we have a toddler running around. But after seeing Jeff’s Ultimate 5 Cheese Mac & Cheese recipe, I decided I wanted to create my own that I would smoke on the egg. This version of the recipe is not for the faint of heart and is not a “light” dish – almost 5lbs of cheese to 2lbs of pasta – plus sausage or bacon. You won’t regret making it for a second though.

Smoked 6 Cheese Macaroni & Cheese

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs. Elbow Macaroni
• 5  Smoked Sausage Links (precooked) – diced to ½ inch bite sized pieces or 5 pieces of Bacon, diced and cooked crisp (I split mine and did ½ of each per pan)
• 1 lb. Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 lb. Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 lb. Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 lb. American Cheese (ask the for a large cut in the deli counter area if your store does not have the blocks)
• ¼ cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
• ¼ cup Fresh Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
• 3/4 stick salted butter + more for the pan
• 4 Cups Whole milk
• 2 Cups Heavy Cream
• 8 large eggs
• 8 tsp. Sea Salt (not kosher)
• 6 tsp. white sugar
• Optional: Kurobuta Bacon

DIRECTIONS

• Big Green Egg Cooking Setup: Get your Big Green Egg setup for an indirect cook – target temperature is 350 degrees. Plate Setter legs up, grid on that (no drip tray). Go light on the wood chunks, this will absorb a lot of smoke flavor very easily – so go light the first time around and then ramp up later. I used 1 chunk of pecan – put that on as the egg was coming to temp and let the egg settle into temp while I prepared the recipe.
• Grate you cheese. Keep the Parmesan & Pecorino separated from the other (4).
• Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add 3 tsp. of sea salt. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente – then remove, drain and set aside to cool. While the pasta is cooling, stir in the ¾ stick of butter (to melt & coat the pasta)
• Generously coat your pan with butter. I used (2) disposable aluminum trays for this cook – so this will create a lot of mac!
• Once the pasta has cooled to the touch (as in, it’s not going to melt your cheese), toss with the (4) shredded cheeses (not the parmesan or the pecorino), ¾ of the diced sausages (or Kurobuta Bacon would work awesome) and put into your pan(s).
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the 8 eggs, then add in the 4 cups of milk, 2 cups of heavy cream, 6 tsp. sea salt, and 6 tsp. white sugar.
• Pour the milk/egg mixture (1/2 per pan if doing two pans) slowly into the center of the macaroni. The liquid should fill your dish just below the top of the pasta.
• Once the liquid has been added, top with the remaining sausage and/or bacon, the Pecorino Romano and the Parmesan cheese.
• Cover the dish with a lid or foil, and put on your smoker for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, remove foil and cook an additional 30 minutes. You’ll know the mac & cheese is done when it reaches a golden brown and delicious stage – but be careful not to over smoke.
• Allow the dish to rest for 10 minutes or so before serving if you can, so you don’t melt your face off, but if you are like me, you’ll dive right in. Makes righteous leftovers and great for potlucks

Smoked 6 Cheese Mac & Cheese Recipe Photo Gallery

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