Let’s face it you, and I have probably never eaten lousy macaroni and cheese. There is just something about the pasta combined with the creamy, cheesy greatness that makes everything better! I’m always looking for ways to incorporate leftover brisket into dishes. I’ve been to restaurants that have different combinations of meat in their mac and cheese dishes, so I decided to make my first ever homemade brisket mac and cheese dish but add some leftover brisket to it.
As I typically do with all new things, I start out by doing some research. Since I’ve only ever made mac and cheese from a box, I thought I’d better do some looking at how others make mac and cheese. After doing some research, I discovered mac and cheese is pretty easy to make, and it’s all about the types of cheeses you use.
So with that, I went to the grocery store to find the two kinds of cheese I would use in this Texas Brisket Mac and Cheese recipe. Wow, there are a lot of cheeses out there. After spending about 25 minutes looking at all the different flavors and varieties of cheese, I landed on these two. Kerrygold Aged Cheddar imported from Ireland would be the main cheese I use, and Tillamook Sharp Cheddar would be the second cheese. I gathered the rest of the ingredients I needed for the dish and headed back to the house to start preparing it.
This dish is straightforward to make, and if you don’t have brisket, you can toss in something else like chicken, pork, green chilies just about anything you want to. If you try this dish out, please add a comment we would certainly like to hear how you enjoyed it.
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Creamy Texas Brisket Mac And Cheese
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Smoked
- Cuisine: American
Description
My favorite Brisket Mac and Cheese ever! Excellent creamy cheese sauce combined with smoked brisket, for a smokey cheesy mac and cheese. It’s southern food perfection!
Ingredients
- 8 oz dry macaroni
- 2 cups chopped smoked brisket
Cheese Sauce:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk recommend
- 7 oz aged white shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 oz aged orange shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt little less if using table salt
- 1/4 tsp regular chili powder
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
Toppings:
- 1/2 oz aged shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
Instructions
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Add water and a bit of salt to a large pot and place over high heat for the pasta. While it’s heating, prepare the cheese sauce.
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For the cheese sauce: In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk and cook for about 2 minutes.
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Very slowly add the milk, a little at a time, continually whisking until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. (Don’t rush this step. The mixture will not be thick, but will noticeably thicken after 8-10 minutes of cooking).
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Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the cheese, brisket, salt, chili powder and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese melts, and all the ingredients are incorporated (about 3 minutes.) Set aside for a minute.
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Preheat oven to 350F (175C) with rack in the center of the oven. Oil or butter an 8-inch square baking dish, an 8-inch cast-iron skillet or individual baking dishes.
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When the pasta water is boiling, add the macaroni and cook for 2 minutes less than the package directions indicate. (The noodles will finish cooking in the sauce in the oven). Cook the pasta, drain and immediately rinse thoroughly with cold water. Make sure your pasta is well drained.
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Add the cooked pasta and to the brisket cheese sauce and mix gently, but thoroughly. (It might look like too much sauce or too little pasta, trust me, it will all be excellent in the end). Spoon the mixture into a prepared baking dish or individual dishes. Sprinkle the top of each with a bit of additional grated sharp cheddar cheese, then sprinkle with the chipotle chili powder.
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Bake in the preheated 350F (175C) oven uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes until the sauce has bubbled up around the edges and the top has a nice golden crust. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love!
- Use cheddar cheese for this, as well as whole milk, if you can. It will make all the difference with the taste of the dish. I like to use two cheddars, a great aged one for most of it and then another one, a bit milder but still sharp, for a bit of depth of flavor. Experiment and find your favorite combinations and let us know what you come up with.
Keywords: best brisket macaroni and cheese recipe, creamiest brisket mac and cheese, creamy brisket mac and cheese
Mac and Cheese is great, but then you add Brisket and now it’s awesome. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
★★★★★
Best Mac and Cheese…in Texas!
★★★★★
Can you use gluten free pasta?
I don’t see why not.