Smoked 4 cheese and macaroni

Macaroni and cheese has always been my thing. I've tweaked the recipe over the years, finally perfecting it (or so I thought). Here I was, thinking it couldn't possibly get any better when my husband suggested that I *gasp* SMOKE IT!

I immediately scoured the web for guidance and found this recipe from Dad Gum That's Good! that seemed to fit the bill. We embarked on this little experiment as any good food scientist would; with great vigor and hope!

Melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup of flour. It will turn into a paste; don't worry, this is the good stuff! The roux you are making is the very foundation of a good mac and cheese.

Working a quarter cup at a time, slowly whisk in 3 cups of milk. I used whole milk but you can use whatever percentage you like. In my experience, the thinner the milk, the less creamy the sauce. On the flip side, you can even use heavy cream to create the ultimate sauce but this bumps up the fat content (just a tad, hee hee). The roux will begin to thin, little by little. Let this warm over medium-low heat, for about 10 minutes. It will thicken as it cooks.

After the roux has thickened a bit, whisk in 8 ounces of cream cheese. When this has melted, remove from heat. Grab your pan of cooked macaroni...

Oh! I forgot the macaroni! You will want to boil this ahead of time, just until al dente. Drain and set aside till the sauce is ready.

Now, back to the sauce. Pour the milk roux over the macaroni and add 1 cup of grated cheddar (the sharper, the better), 1 cup of grated gouda and 1/2 a cup of grated parmesan. This will melt as you stir.

 Pour the whole mess into a 9x11 foil pan (you can use your own dish but keep in mind, it will get smoky!) 

Top with another cup of each cheese. You can't have too much cheese. I will probably have this engraved on my headstone...

 I can't wait...

But i'll have to...

For an hour.

Slide the pan of cheesy goodness into your smoker for an hour at 225.

Pay no attention to the Bratwurst on the top rack; that's a post for another time.

At the end of the hour, your patience pays off. Cheesy, smoky, cheesy, yummy macaroni and (did I mention) CHEESE!

We devoured this along with Buffalo Hot Potato salad and smoked Brisket. The food coma may last for days!