Crunchy Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe
Gasser BBQ vs Oven vs Smoker: One of the most common questions I get is which produces the best mac and cheese and what if I don't have one or the other. Simple answer - smoker will produce the greatest depth of flavour, but the oven and gas barby will still produce great results. Try adding a piece of cherry wood on the grill above a lit burner for a touch of smoke on your gas grill.
Crunchy and Creamy Homemade Mac and Cheese
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Sides
Cuisine
Western
Author:
John from AUSSIEQ BBQ
Servings
8
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Calories
436
Difficulty
Easy
Fun fact: Mac and Cheese origins trace back to cheese and pasta casseroles dating to the 14th century in Italy and medieval England.
What cheeses work best for Mac and Cheese you ask:
1. Cheddar
2. Parmesan
3. Gruyere
4. Brie
5. Smoked gouda
6. Monterey Jack
8. Pecorino as a topper
**Top tips for Mac and Cheese down the bottom of the recipe
Ingredients
-
400gm grated sharp cheddar
-
150gm grated Gruyère
-
Juice of ¾ lemon
-
½ tsp baking powder or bi carb
-
300ml milk (have 200ml spare if you want to thin it out)
-
1 tbsp custard powder
-
½ tbsp curry powder
-
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
-
2 tbsp HealthIER rub
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½ cup panko crumbs
-
3 rashers of diced bacon
-
400g macaroni pasta (use Conchiglioni to hold the sauce better)
-
rushed CCs or Doritos
Directions
fry off bacon until crispy and put to the side
to make sodium citrate, add lemon juice and bi carb to a pan, and mix
pan on low-medium heat, then add milk and stir through
add custard powder, curry, and cracked black pepper
add grated cheese and stir thoroughly until smooth
pan remain on low heat with lid on, and add pasta to boiling, salted water. Cook until slightly undercooked (it will cook further in barbecue)
once pasta is just undercooked (slight chew when you bite it), drain the water and add pasta and cheese sauce to a ceramic heat proof dish
add a light coat of panko crumbs
then your crushed CCs or Doritos
lastly diced bacon and a light coat of grated cheddar with some pecorino
bake or smoke at 180C/356F until slightly golden and crispy on top
Recipe Video
Recipe Note
TOP TIPS FOR YOUNG PLAYERS:
1. Use freshly grated cheese: Don’t use pre shredded cheese. They have anti-caking agents that can make the sauce grainy
2. Type of pasta: Traditionally you use macaroni elbows for mac and cheese but the shell type aka Conchiglion is awesome as it acts like a soup bowl for the cheese sauce!
3. Viscosity of the cheese sauce: All I will say is make it runnier than what you think it should be, as it can dry out, especially if you reheat it.
4. Meal prep: If you are meal prepping your mac and cheese, place it into your containers unbaked, bang them into the freezer and bake when required
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Serving Size
- Tiny Serving (1 cup)
- per serving
- Calories
- 436
- Carbs
- 36.7 grams
- Cholesterol
- 67 milligrams
- Fat
- 23.7 grams
- Protein
- 19.5 grams
- Sodium
- 1180 milligrams
