Garlic Herb Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese

Every holiday table has a mac and cheese, and most of them taste the same. This one comes from the Feast Mode BBQ Box, our holiday lineup, and it earns its spot next to the ham and the prime rib. Smoked Gouda and sharp cheddar make it creamy and a little tangy, a light apple wood smoke adds a second layer on top of the Gouda, and a buttered panko crust gives every scoop some crunch.

The ingredient that keeps it from tasting like ordinary mac and cheese is Garlic & Herb Seasoning by Rainier Foods. Two teaspoons stirred into the sauce add savory garlic depth and an herb finish that cuts through all that cheese.

Why Garlic & Herb Seasoning Belongs in Mac and Cheese

A rich cheese sauce needs something savory to keep it from tasting flat by the third bite. Rainier's Garlic & Herb leads with garlic, followed by sea salt, herbs, spices and red bell pepper, with no sugar and no filler. In the sauce, it does the job of a few cloves of garlic, a pinch of dried herbs and some of the salt, all in one measured spoonful.

Because the blend is already salted and the cheeses bring plenty of salt of their own, taste the sauce before you reach for the salt shaker. Most batches won't need any.

Smoked Gouda and Sharp Cheddar: Why the Blend Works

Smoked Gouda melts smooth and creamy and carries its own smoky flavor. Sharp cheddar brings the tang and that classic mac and cheese color. Use equal parts and you get a sauce that's rich without being heavy, with enough bite that it doesn't disappear next to a glazed ham.

Shred both cheeses yourself. Bagged shredded cheese is coated with starch to keep the shreds from sticking, and that coating can make a sauce gritty. A block and a box grater take five minutes and make a smoother sauce.

Undercook the Pasta

The pasta keeps cooking on the smoker as it soaks up the sauce. Pull it 1 to 2 minutes before the package says it's done, while it still has a firm bite. If you cook it all the way on the stove, it turns soft and the dish goes dry and stodgy by the time it comes off the smoker. Elbow macaroni is the classic. Cavatappi holds more sauce in its spirals and stands up better on a holiday buffet.

Why Apple Wood

Apple is a light, slightly sweet fruitwood, and that's exactly what this dish wants. The smoked Gouda already brings smoke flavor, so the wood's job is to add a gentle second layer, not take over. An uncovered pan of cheese sauce also picks up smoke fast. Heavier woods like hickory and mesquite can push it bitter in half an hour, while apple stays mellow and pairs naturally with the ham or turkey on the same table.

Whatever you're cooking on, let the fire settle first. Put the skillet on once the smoke runs thin and clean, not while fresh wood is still throwing off thick white smoke. That heavy smoke is what makes cheese taste acrid on a short cook like this one.

Setting Up the Smoker or Grill

This cook runs at 300F, hotter than most low and slow cooks, so the panko browns in the same window it takes the sauce to start bubbling.

• Pellet grill: Set it to 300F with 100% Pure Almond Wood Pellets by Knotty Wood. Almond gives a mild, slightly sweet smoke in the same family as apple.
• Offset or charcoal smoker: Bring it to 300F and add a small handful of Apple Wood Smoking Chips by Camerons to the coals.
• Charcoal grill: Build an indirect zone, scatter a small handful of apple chips over the hot coals on one side and set the skillet on the other side. Aim for 300F under the lid.
• Gas grill: Put the apple chips in a smoker box over a lit burner and set the skillet over the unlit side. Aim for 300F under the lid.

Use a deep 12-inch cast iron skillet or a 9x13 grill-safe baking dish. Cast iron holds heat evenly, goes straight from the smoker to the table, and gives you crispy cheese edges around the rim that people will fight over. Baked-on cheese comes right off afterward with a Chain Mail Cast Iron Scrubber.

For the skillet and the cleanup

Cast Iron Mastery Bundle

12" skillet, care set, and grilling gloves. Ships free in the US.

This bundle has the 12-inch skillet, a soap, scrub and oil care set, and gloves rated to 850F, so you can cook the mac, pull the hot pan, and clean it afterward.

$179.99 $149.99

Code HOLIDAY10 takes 10% off at checkout ($134.99). For one-time shop orders on eligible items. Does not stack with other discounts.

Get the Cast Iron Mastery Bundle →

Make It Ahead for the Holiday

Smoker space and oven space both run short on a holiday. You can build this one the day before: make the sauce, fold in the pasta, spread it in the skillet, cover it and refrigerate. Leave the panko off. When it's time, toss the panko with melted butter, scatter it over the top and smoke at 300F. Plan on 10 to 15 extra minutes because the dish starts cold, and go by the bubbling edges and golden top rather than the clock.

If your smoker is already holding a ham at a lower temperature, you can run the mac alongside it. It'll take longer and the top won't brown as much, so finish it for a few minutes on a hotter grill or under the oven broiler for color.

What to Serve It With

This is a side built for the Feast Mode lineup. It sits right next to a ham lacquered in Drunken Pineapple BBQ Sauce by Whiskey Bent BBQ, where the creamy, savory mac balances the sweet glaze. It's just as good next to a coffee-crusted prime rib seasoned with Rufus Teague Steak Rub, with a spoonful of Smokey Horseradish Sauce by Torchbearer Sauces on the side.

Cooking turkey this year? The same seasoning goes under the skin in our Garlic Herb Spatchcocked Smoked Turkey with Lemon-Shallot Butter, and the two share one smoker at 300F to 350F. For the centerpiece timing, see the smoked ham cheat sheet and the reverse sear for holiday roasts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What temperature do you smoke mac and cheese?

300F over indirect heat, uncovered, for 25 to 35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling at the edges and the panko is golden. That's hotter than a typical low and slow cook, so the top browns before the pasta soaks up all the sauce.

Can you make smoked mac and cheese on a gas or charcoal grill?

Yes. Set the grill up for indirect heat at about 300F and put the skillet on the cool side. On charcoal, scatter a small handful of apple wood chips over the coals. On gas, put the chips in a smoker box over a lit burner. Close the lid and cook as you would on a smoker.

Can you make smoked mac and cheese ahead of time?

Yes. Assemble it in the skillet up to a day ahead, cover and refrigerate without the panko. Add the buttered panko right before it goes on the smoker and plan on 10 to 15 extra minutes, since it starts cold.

Why is my cheese sauce grainy or oily?

The sauce got too hot after the cheese went in, or the cheese was pre-shredded. Take the pan off the heat before adding cheese, stir it in gently, and shred your own Gouda and cheddar from the block.

What wood is best for smoked mac and cheese?

Apple. It's a light, slightly sweet fruitwood that complements smoked Gouda without overpowering it. An uncovered pan of cheese sauce picks up smoke fast, so heavy woods like hickory and mesquite can turn it bitter. On a pellet grill, almond pellets give a similarly mild smoke.

This recipe comes from the box

Feast Mode BBQ & Grill Box

Garlic & Herb Seasoning, plus four more holiday products and a printed recipe booklet. Free US shipping.

The same Garlic & Herb Seasoning in this mac and cheese is one of five products in the Feast Mode BBQ & Grill Box.

$70.00 $49.99

Code HOLIDAY10 takes 10% off at checkout ($44.99). For one-time shop orders on eligible items. Does not stack with other discounts.

Shop the Feast Mode BBQ & Grill Box →

Want more ways to use it between holidays? A Grill Masters Club subscription brings 5+ full-size sauces, rubs and tools you typically won't find at the supermarket, with recipes like this one written around each box.

Discover. Refine. Master.