Chef Tom's recipe for Barbecue Brisket Smoked Mac & Cheese is a delicious way to enjoy the smoky flavor with kamado-style cooking. The Kettle Joe creates an intense heat and smoky flavor that can't be replicated indoors.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- The pasta cooks directly in the smoker, absorbing smoke as it softens. Combining raw macaroni with half and half and cheese in one skillet means the pasta picks up smoky flavor throughout the entire cook, not just from a quick finish at the end.
- A mid-cook stir prevents scorching on the bottom. Scraping the pan after 45 minutes redistributes the thickening sauce, keeping it creamy rather than letting it stick and burn against the hot cast iron.
- Brisket goes in only after the pasta's fully cooked. Adding it late keeps the meat from drying out or overcooking during the long stovetop-style simmer, so it stays tender in the finished dish.
- A final cheese layer creates a bubbling, browned top. Sprinkling the reserved cheese over the assembled dish and finishing it uncovered gives the mac and cheese a golden, slightly crisped surface rather than a uniformly melted one.
Barbecue Brisket Smoked Mac & Cheese
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.5 stars by 20 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
4
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 3 minutes
Calories
1256
Chef Tom fires up the Kamado Joe Kettle Joe for Barbecue Brisket Smoked Mac & Cheese!
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta shells (or your favorite pasta)
- 4 1/2 cups half and half, plus more as needed
- 8 oz white cheddar, grated, divided
- 8 oz pepper jack cheese, grated, divided
-
Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub
- 2-3 cups chopped smoked brisket, divided
-
Big Rick’s Original Bar-B-Q Sauce
Directions
- Preheat your Kettle Joe to 300ºF, set up for smoking/indirect cooking with the SloRoller in place.
- In a 12” cast iron skillet, combine the uncooked macaroni, half and half, about 6 ounces of each cheese and about 1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub. Carefully mix the ingredients with gloved hands. Place the pan in the grill.
After 45 minutes, stir the ingredients with a spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan. Close the lid and continue cooking another 30 minutes, about 1 hour 15 minutes total. You should have a creamy mixture with little standing liquid. If the mixture is beginning to dry out and is not creamy, add more half and half until you have a creamy texture.
- Add the chopped brisket and mix well. Sprinkle the remaining 4 oz of cheese over the top, and cook an additional 15-30 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted and the liquid is bubbling.
- Serve the smoked Mac and cheese topped with Big Rick’s Original Bar-B-Q Sauce.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why cook the pasta directly in the smoker instead of boiling it first?
Combining raw macaroni with the half and half and cheese in one skillet lets it absorb smoke flavor throughout the entire cook, rather than just picking up a hint of it at the very end.
Why stir and scrape the pan partway through cooking?
Scraping the bottom after 45 minutes redistributes the thickening sauce and prevents it from sticking and scorching against the hot cast iron.
Why add the chopped brisket only after the pasta has cooked?
Folding it in later, rather than at the start, keeps the already-smoked meat from drying out or overcooking during the long simmer.
Why add more cheese on top at the end instead of mixing it all in at once?
Reserving some cheese for a final layer creates a bubbling, browned top once it melts, giving the dish a more textured finish than if everything were mixed in together from the start.
What if my mixture looks dry before it's done cooking?
Add more half and half as needed to keep it creamy — this can vary depending on your grill's exact temperature and how much liquid evaporates during the cook.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — the pasta and cheese sauce can be cooked in an oven at a similar temperature; the smoke flavor built into the pasta itself is the one thing you'd be missing indoors.
Recipe Highlights
Cooking pasta in the smoker: This lets the macaroni absorb smoke flavor throughout its entire cook rather than picking it up only briefly.
The mid-cook scrape: Stirring and scraping the pan keeps the sauce creamy instead of letting it scorch on the bottom.
Late-added brisket: Folding it in after the pasta is done keeps the already-cooked meat tender rather than drying it out.
A reserved cheese topping: Finishing with an extra layer of cheese creates a browned, bubbling top for textural contrast.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 25.58 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 1256
- Carbs
- 65 grams
- Protein
- 60 grams
- Fat
- 82 grams
- Sodium
- 2433 milligrams
