Any Tips For Smoking Mac N Cheese?


 

ChristopherC

TVWBB Super Fan
Will be smoking some ribs and mac n cheese today on the WSM (18).

Any tips for smoking the mac n cheese? I already have a recipe I will be following sorta...just wondering on actual tips once the food goes into the WSM? What wood is best? Temp? Time?

Will either be putting a 12" cast iron pan or a aluminum drip pan with the Mac N Cheese into the WSM on the top rack after the ribs are foiled and go into the oven inside.

Thanks in advance!
 
Hey Chris, my plan for Saturday was also pork ribs and mac n cheese............I can share how I was going to go about it, but I don't really know if I am right......
Its my first time Weber and ribs but I have a pretty good idea....It's like a rib and mac n cheese cook off, our fellow members can vote 😉
I may just mess it all up but according to my potential recipes I'm going to use as a guide, well mac n cheese recipe anyways it should be about an hour on the smoker. I'm just going to wing the ribs, I have made them tons of times before.
I can't use a WSM like you can so I have to navigate 2 racks of babies and 1 12" cast for the mac.........
 
Lol!

I am heading to Costco today to get more meat for Fri-Sun. Want to take advantage of this hot nice weather coming. But have 2 nice St Louis racks of ribs that I am doing today. Mother-in-law’s fave ... oh joy ... she is visiting today.

So my plan is to smoke the ribs for about 2-3 hours on the WSM. Then wrap and into the oven for an hour or 2. Then open and glaze and let set again to eat.

Gonna try the Mac n cheese while the ribs are in the oven. I was thinking 1 hour as well at about 275-300 with a chunk or couple small pieces of either apple, pecan or cherry. Just not sure which!
 
Similar plan here except I have to use my oven, not much choice.
How come the MRS. doesn't seem to understand I need another grill, like cmon' I have had this on since OCT. 9th......
Anyways I was going to try and hold a steady 250, time depends on colour I would assume 3 hours minimum maybe closer to 4
The ribs are thicker than a St.Louis style.
Get them in foil, not much else in there I always use to much apple juice and the bark goes soft, so I was thinking maybe just a mist of juice maybe A bit of honey and butter. I have never used butter but does it make anything bad?
Once foiled just add to the oven at a fairly low temp, no higher than 200, give it an hour
Get the grill up higher temp, I think I want something around 350 for the mac.
It is ready to go on by now of course and get it on there for the hour it needs.
the ribs have been unwrapped by now and got some sauce on them
Either put the mac n cheese in the oven to hold the cook and get the ribs back on the grill to set the sauce
Or switch, set sauce in oven while mac stays on the grill.......
Sounds like a bunch of work.....but easily do-able.
It also could not work out so easy........
 
I think cherry and or applewood is the bomb and cast iron for sure. Just watch it. Lower temps like 250 to 300 will just take longer but thats not bad because it will be exposed to smoke that much longer.
Good luck and post pics!!!!!
 
Chris, I have found that Malcom at How to BBQ Right tends to have some good recipes and videos. Here is his Smoked Mac and Cheese. Not sure his recipe for MnC is what I would use, but the technique, times, temps, etc should translate to any MnC recipe you want to use. Let us know how it goes!!

R
 
I would vote cherry too Chris, While I plan on using cherry with the ribs I will just keep it going for the mac as well.
Have to make up my mind tonight as the ribs are in the freezer.
I was going to combo up 1 pc alder and 2 pc of cherry.........I noticed under " all about smoke woods " that there was not a combo for alder and anything, and I am not sure why that would be.
 
Well...no Mac N Cheese til the weekend...couldn’t find the ingredients I needed while I was out.

So, just doing the ribs with some pasta with peppers and onions.

Only ended up getting some nice beef ribs at Costco. Will also be doing wings this weekend. Everything was so expensive in the meat dept at Costco today in my opinion.

Here is a pic of the ribs I am doing today:

CCA04CDC-6F73-4469-B5D9-7AB9B51FED75.jpeg
 
I was going to combo up 1 pc alder and 2 pc of cherry.........I noticed under " all about smoke woods " that there was not a combo for alder and anything, and I am not sure why that would be.
Alder pairs well with fruitwood. I use it straight up on poultry and love it, but I get mine from the right coast, compared to the PNW area which has a cedar smell.
I'm allergic to cedar so I avoid that.
 
Alder pairs well with fruitwood. I use it straight up on poultry and love it, but I get mine from the right coast, compared to the PNW area which has a cedar smell.
I'm allergic to cedar so I avoid that.
Appreciate someone mentioning something on the alder, the stuff I picked up has great moisture to it, burns excellent. I will pair it with the cherry on the cook Saturday.
 
So I came home to check what I had for the weekend and found 2 racks of babies from 2 different purchases. Different thickness on them but I have it all planned out and the ribs and Mac is a go for me on Saturday. I work till noon but will get the ribs prepared before I leave in the morning. So home buy just after 12 and get the fire started.
Looking to eat between 6 and 7, meat should hit the grill by 1.
It’s my first go does this sound crazy?
What temp you smoking at 250?
I hope you can share some pics Chris.
 
I might have done a “ Garde d’ Honore”, putting the small ends up interlacing them. But, that’s really kind of gilding the lily. As for the smoke on the M&C, don’t be bashful! I use quite a bit on mine.
 
You and your late night meals, looks great. The neighbors must go crazy, if I could smell someone cooking up some ribs around 10 at night, or other meats on a regular basis around 10 at night I would have to go make new friends.
 

 

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