Recipe | BBQ Mac & Cheese
My family is in a super busy season of life and for some reason, they insist on being fed every single day! I have finally accepted that I have to sit down for 10 minutes each week and put together a menu for the following week to eliminate overspending on drive-thru meals and rushing around. If I have an idea of what I'm making ahead of time, we can slow down and enjoy a meal together. My favorite thing is when I can turn one meal into three and the best way to do this in our home is with a pork butt (also known as a pork shoulder or Boston butt)!
For Labor Day weekend, my husband smoked a 5 lb. pork butt from Tink and we had pork sandwiches the first evening, pork ramen the second, and finished strong with BBQ mac & cheese! Now, mac & cheese is serious in the South. You need at least three references in order to be trusted to make it for a gathering. I like a creamy mac & cheese - I don't want a dry, overcooked casserole with a crust on top. No thank you. You probably already have your own recipe so feel free to use it but my recipe is below!
To start, we cook our pork butt (usually 4-5 lbs) either on the smoker or in the crockpot on high for 8-9 hours.
This recipe includes ingredients from Tink's Beef, Haven's Eggs, and Southern Swiss Dairy which can be purchased from the Augusta Locally Grown online farmers market every week!
Ingredients:
1 lb dry pasta (any kind like elbows, penne, shells)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3-4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp paprika
2 cups leftover shredded pork (from a pork butt from Tink)
Your favorite BBQ sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Cook your pasta until firm (boil no more than 8 minutes), then drain.
In the pan that you used to boil the pasta, melt the butter then add in flour, whisking over medium-low heat for a couple minutes.
Add milk, whisking until smooth and very thick, about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to low.
Beat egg in a small bowl. Pour a 1/4 cup of the sauce very slowly into the bowl, whisking the entire time to avoid cooking the egg. Once smooth, pour into the pan with the sauce.
Add cheese to the pan, stirring well until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the cooked and drained pasta into the sauce, mixing everything well.
Pour mac and cheese into a greased baking dish (9×13 is what I typically use), sprinkle with paprika.
Add leftover pork on top of the mac & cheese, then top generously with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven to cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!