Time for another thread revival. I finally found an excuse to try this recipe (modified) in my Weber 26.75" Kettle, using a 1/2 size stainless steel steam table pan and indirect heat with fires on both sides using the Weber charcoal baskets. My (almost) 2 year-old grandson is addicted to mac & cheese...talked to my daughter about making this yesterday for a trial-run before his birthday. Well, it's now a must-do for his birthday, and I'm sure for other occasions, as well.
I made a double-batch, cut the butter to 1.5 sticks instead of 2, used 1lb shredded cheddar, 2 cups mozz, double the milk (2% milk fat) and mac, but used large elbow. Smoked with hickory and cherry, fired with KB. Started at ~250* for about the first hour, then increased to ~350* over about 15-20 minutes for a total cooking time of 2.25 hours. I added fried bacon chips the last 10 minutes and lightly folded into the dish. Thinkin' next time I'll add the bacon at 1 hour, fold it in, then toss on some seasoned bread crumbs for the topping and let it ride to the finish. Anyway, the pasta was just getting tender when I removed it and built the fire up for searing meats.
I'm my own worst critic, and thought I used too much milk for a deeper pan, but, to my surprise (because it's been a l--o--n--g time since I've made any cheese dishes), once it started to cool before serving, the cheese set-up a bit and thickened nicely. It wasn't a creamy texture because of the mozz, with very small crumbs mingled throughout the dish, but everyone raved about it. I must say, with a little more modifications for this cooking method it should be perfect. I like the idea of adding some cream cheese, but also, the use of a bit less fats seemed to make a good impact as well. There was a bit of butter in the bottom of the pan after we started serving it, but nothing serious. I think the layering might work better for my pan if I just smear the butter inside the pan, then layer the rest, as I waited too long to check it, and the mac was starting to stick to the bottom...easily lifted it away with a stainless spoon when I added the bacon, though. Overall, very easy, and with a little forethought, the blends of cheeses you can use for this is virtually endless. Oh, and the smoke flavor? Yeah baby, it's in there, and not too strong, either...a nice, mellow smoke flavor in every bite.
Thumbs up here!!! My daughter said she wants me to make it for his birthday party in early September, so I take that as a big, HUGE approval. Everyone else who stopped by had samples and gave me the thumbs-up. I'm sure it will be a requested side dish for many years to come!!!
Thanks for posting this recipe!!! And thanks to everyone for their input on modifying it to suit their wants and needs...gave me some insight on where to start!!!
Eric
