Smoked Mac and Cheese

Smoked Mac and Cheese

This creamy, smoky mac and cheese is made entirely on the Z Grills 7052B pellet grill. Loaded with rich cheeses, crispy bacon-panko topping, and slow-smoked over cherry wood, it’s the ultimate comfort food with a backyard BBQ twist. One pan, big flavor—taste the smoke!
Servings 4 people
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Equipment

  • Z Grills Multitasker 7052B
  • Z Grills cherry pellets

Ingredients

Ingredient list

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
  • 4 cups  light cream
  • 2 cups  whole milk
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • freshly grated cheese 3 oz Jack Cheese, 3oz Sharp Cheddar cheese and 4 oz Guda cheese…
  • Freshly graded parmesan cheese

Topping

  • 3-5 oz pancetta or bacon
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1 tbsp franks hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Instructions

Topping

  • Cook your pancetta or bacon(diced)
  • Add the butter to the skillet on low keeping some of the bacon fat in there.  add the panko breadcrumbs and Franks Hot sauce and Garlic Powder and stir everything together. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown,
  • Once cooked browned add to a bowl to cool..

Mac and cheese recipe

  • Preheat your Z grill or pellet smoker on the super smoke (160f) or as low as your grill goes. 
  • Combine all ingredients in a time(doubled for safety)
  • Cook for 90 minutes stirring halfway through.
  • after the 90 minutes grate some fresh parmesan cheese and add your topping.
  • cook for about 15 minutes until firm but still creamy.

Video

Notes

Ingredients for smoked mac and cheese, including elbow macaroni, whole milk, light cream, cream cheese, butter, and seasonings.
Prepping the essentials for smoked mac and cheese—quality ingredients make all the difference.
A bowl of freshly grated cheese being added to a creamy mac and cheese mixture in a foil pan.
Hand-grated sharp cheddar, jack, and guda cheeses about to take this mac and cheese to the next level.
Cream cheese and shredded cheese being stirred into a mac and cheese mixture before smoking.
Cream cheese, cheddar, jack, and guda get mixed into the creamy base—ready for the smoker.
Butter and seasoning being added to a pan with pancetta drippings to prepare mac and cheese topping.
Butter, garlic powder, and pancetta drippings coming together to create a golden, savory breadcrumb topping.
Golden brown smoked mac and cheese with a crispy panko and bacon topping on the grill.
Fresh off the smoker—this golden topping adds the perfect crunch to creamy mac and cheese.
Fully cooked smoked mac and cheese with golden bacon-panko topping, served in a foil pan on a Z Grills cutting board.
Golden, smoky, and loaded with flavor—this mac and cheese is ready to serve straight from the Z Grills.
Cost: 30
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cheese, Cheesy

About The Author

Picture of Z Grills

Z Grills

Z Grills is a grill manufacturer with over 30 years of experience within the industry. With over 650,000 pellet grills sold and 85 million cooks made, trust us.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Keep Up with What's Hot!


Get recipes, smoking tips and tricks, and how-to guides delivered straight to your inbox.

What's New

Find Your Grill

Best-Ever Grill Recipes

Like
Close
© 2022 Z Grills
Close