Chef Tom makes his deep-fried Bacon Mac & Cheese recipe on the Napoleon Prestige P500 Gas Grill! Enjoy a delicious, mouth-watering party dish made with roasted bacon and pimento mac and cheese.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Rendering the bacon low and slow before it goes into the mac: Cooking the bacon over indirect heat until crispy at the edges builds better rendered flavor than a quick pan-fry, and dicing it afterward distributes that flavor evenly through the cheese sauce.
- Chilling the mac and cheese solid before shaping it: Letting the mixture set completely in the fridge means it holds together as balls instead of falling apart the moment it hits hot oil.
- A double dip through flour and egg wash: Going flour → egg → flour → egg → panko builds a thicker, more secure breading than a single pass, so the coating survives frying instead of falling off in the oil.
- Holding the fried balls in the grill to finish carryover heating: Transferring fried balls to a low-heat zone in the grill after frying lets the center catch up to a safe temperature without over-browning the crust further in the oil.
Fried Bacon Mac & Cheese
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Appetizer
Cuisine
American
Servings
20
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 18 minutes
Calories
335
Chef Tom fires up the Napoleon Prestige P500 Gas Grill for Fried Bacon Mac & Cheese! Roasted bacon & pimento mac and cheese formed into balls, breaded and deep fried on the side burner. This is party food magic!
Ingredients
- 1 lb thick cut bacon
-
8 oz macaroni elbow pasta
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp flour
-
1 tbsp Yoder Smokers Beef Rub
- 2 cups half and half
- 8 oz (1 scant cup) pimento cheese spread
- 4 oz (12 slices) American cheese
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 - 3 qt vegetable oil for frying
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup flour
-
3 tbsp Yoder Smokers Beef Rub, divided
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 3/4 cup Buttermilk Ranch (recipe below)
-
3/4 cup Big Rick’s Original Bar-B-Q Sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3-4 tbsp buttermilk
- 1/4 cup parsley, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
-
Noble Saltworks Hickory Smoked Salt
- Black pepper, to taste
For the breading:
For the BBQ Ranch:
For the Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:
Directions
- To make the Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, combine all ingredients and whisk well to combine. To make the BBQ Ranch, combine equal parts Buttermilk Ranch Dressing and American Stockyard Kansas City Barbecue Sauce and whisk well to combine.
- Place bacon on wire rack over foil lined sheet pan. Cook inside the Napoleon Prestige P500RSIB-3 Propane Grill over indirect heat (low heat under pan, medium-high heat on opposite side - about 500ºF) for about 45 minutes, until rendered and crispy around the edges. Remove and dice.
- Fill a Staub Dutch Oven on the side burner filled 2/3 full with water. Bring to a simmer. Add the elbow macaroni and cook until just tender, about 6 minutes. Strain. Place pasta in a medium bowl and toss in a little oil to prevent clumping/sticking.
- To make the pimento cheese sauce, return the dutch oven to the side burner and preheat over medium-low heat. Add the butter and melt. Add the flour and Yoder Smokers Beef Rub. Stir/whisk for about 60 seconds. Slowly pour in the half and half, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. When all of the half and half is incorporated, bring to a simmer. Then, add the American and cheddar cheeses, a handful at a time, whisking constantly. When one handful of cheese is melted, add the next until all shredded cheese is incorporated, then whisk in the pimento cheese. Remove from the heat.
- Combine the pasta, pimento cheese sauce and diced bacon and stir well. Spread in a quarter sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap, with the plastic directly on the surface of the mac and cheese. Chill in fridge until solid, about 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Uncover the mac and cheese. Scoop out 1/4 cup at a time and form into balls. Cover and chill for another 30-60 minutes.
- Prepare for three stage breading. In a wide bowl, combine 1 cup flour with 1 tbsp Yoder Smokers Beef Rub and stir. In a second bowl combine 3 beaten eggs with 1/2 cup half and half and whisk. In a third bowl, combine 2 cups panko bread crumbs and 2 tbsp Yoder Smokers Beef Rub and stir.
- Take a ball of bacon Mac and cheese and roll it in the flour. Shake off excess flour, then roll in the egg wash, coating the entire surface. Return to the flour and repeat the process. Then back into the egg wash again, and finally into the panko. Press the panko into the mac and cheese ball, then transfer back to the pan/tray. Repeat this process with all of the mac and cheese balls.
- Place the Finex 5 Quart Dutch Oven on the side burner of the grill. Fill with 2-3 quarts vegetable oil. Stabilize the temperature of the oil around 350ºF.
Place a wire rack over a sheet pan inside the main cooking chamber of the grill. Set the heat under the pan to low. Set the heat on the opposite side of the grill to medium-high, stabilizing the grill around 450ºF.
- Carefully place 5 Mac and cheese balls in the hot oil (one at a time). Fry for about 3 minutes, until golden brown in color. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon and transfer to the wire rack over the sheet pan inside grill. Let the internal temperature come up to 165ºF inside the grill. Repeat the frying process with the remaining mac and cheese balls.
- Serve the Fried Bacon Mac & Cheese with the BBQ Ranch Sauce for dipping.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why render the bacon over indirect heat instead of pan-frying it?
Cooking it low and slow on a wire rack builds crispy edges and rendered flavor throughout, which distributes more evenly through the cheese sauce once it's diced and mixed in.
Why chill the mac and cheese until it's completely solid before shaping it?
A fully set mixture holds together as balls. If it's still soft, the balls will lose their shape and fall apart the moment they hit the hot oil.
Why double-dip through the flour and egg wash instead of coating once?
Going flour → egg → flour → egg → panko builds a thicker, more secure breading than a single pass, so the coating stays intact in the fryer instead of cracking off.
Why transfer the fried balls to the grill instead of serving them right out of the oil?
Frying browns and crisps the outside, but a few extra minutes in a low-heat zone on the grill lets the center of each ball catch up to a safe internal temperature without over-darkening the crust in the oil.
What internal temperature should the mac and cheese balls actually reach?
This recipe holds them in the grill until they reach 165°F internal — that's a safe target given the dairy, cheese, and bacon inside, and matches the same benchmark used for reheating dairy-based fillings.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — the bacon can be baked in the oven, and the frying and breading steps work just as well on a stovetop with a deep pot or fryer; the grill mainly adds convenience for an outdoor party setup.
Recipe Highlights
Slow-rendered bacon: Builds deeper flavor than a quick pan-fry.
Solid-chilled mixture: Lets the balls hold their shape through frying.
Double-dip breading: Creates a sturdier coating that survives the fryer.
Grill-finished balls: Brings the center up to temperature without over-browning the crust.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4.58 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 335
- Carbs
- 24 grams
- Protein
- 11 grams
- Fat
- 20 grams
- Sodium
- 540 milligrams
