Our Ultimate Traeger Smoked Mac and Cheese

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 3 hours

Ingredients

1 pound Elbow Macaroni

4 cups Half and Half

2 cups Whole Milk

8 oz Cream Cheese

4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

4 oz Colby Jack or Sharp Cheddar, freshly grated

4 oz Gouda or Gruyere, freshly grated

1 Tablespoon BBQ Rub (I used Killer Hogs AP Rub)

4 oz Diced Pancetta or Bacon

4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Directions

Preheat your Traeger grill or pellet smoker to 225ºF with Super Smoke, if your grill has the capability. (We used Traeger Signature pellets.)

Combine all the mac and cheese ingredients in a 9x13 grill pan or baking dish.

Cook for 90-120 minutes until the macaroni is tender, stirring about halfway through.

In the final 20 minutes, prepare the topping by cooking the pancetta or diced bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Once cooked, transfer to a paper towel, draining most of the grease.

Add the olive oil and butter to the same skillet. Once the butter is melted, add the panko breadcrumbs and stir everything together. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, stirring often. Toss the toasted bread crumbs and cooked pancetta together before adding to the top of the smoked mac and cheese.

Cook the topped mac and cheese for an additional 30 minutes and serve warm.

Nutrition

• Calories: 408
• Total Fat: 31 g
• Saturated Fat: 17 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 85 mg
• Sodium: 350 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 19 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 6 g
• Protein: 14 g