Our Ultimate Smoked Mac and Cheese

My wife and I recently tested 5 of the most popular recipes for smoked mac and cheese (   • We Tested the Internet's Best Smoked Mac a...  ). This recipe combines our favorite ingredients and techniques to make what we feel is the best smoked mac and cheese we've ever had. We wanted our smoked macaroni and cheese to have an extra crispy topping made with panko breadcrumbs and a creamy cheese sauce that stayed creamy throughout the cook. Many of the recipes we tested resembled a macaroni casserole instead of creamy mac and cheese. And we also wanted it to be an easy recipe that didn't require cooking the macaroni beforehand or making a cheese sauce with a roux. I think we ticked all those boxes! Here's everything you need to make the mac and cheese: 1 pound Pasta Elbows 8 oz Cream Cheese 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter 4 oz Colby Jack or Sharp Cheddar Cheese, freshly grated 4 oz Gouda or Gruyere, freshly grated 1 Tablespoon BBQ Rub (we used Killer Hogs AP Seasoning) 2 cups Whole Milk 4 cups Half and Half For the topping: 4 oz Pancetta or Bacon 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs Mix all the mac and cheese ingredients together in a grill pan or baking dish and smoke at 225ºF for 90 minutes, stirring halfway through. (We used a Traeger Ironwood and Traeger signature pellets.) In the final 15-20 minutes of the cook, make the topping by cooking the pancetta or bacon in a skillet, draining the grease, and adding the olive oil (or swap for the rendered bacon fat), unsalted butter, and panko breadcrumbs. Cook for 2-3 minutes to toast until golden brown. Add the topping to the mac and cheese and cook for another 30 minutes. Printable recipe: https://withthewoodruffs.com/ultimate... Hope you enjoy this one. I know we did!