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This easy brisket mac and cheese recipe is made with smoked leftover brisket and a homemade cheese sauce. Cheesy, creamy, and full of flavor, this smoked mac and cheese will be your new favorite way to use up leftover brisket!
When I mention leftover brisket recipes on our grilling and smoking YouTube channel, the comments section is usually filled with “what’s leftover brisket”? And while a perfectly smoked brisket probably doesn’t garner much leftover, there are times that I like to smoke a brisket just for the wife and I so that we have extra meat to use for a variety of recipes like chili, brisket queso, Texas Twinkies, and of course, macaroni and cheese.
This easy brisket mac and cheese recipes combines two of our favorites – homemade creamy, cheesy macaroni and chopped smoked brisket – into the ultimate comfort food dish. And our kids love it too, so that’s a huge bonus!
Ingredients for Smoked Brisket Mac and Cheese
- leftover brisket – The star of the show! Chop it into small, bite-sized cubes. We used two pounds of leftover brisket in our recipe.
- dried elbow macaroni pasta – We used the classic elbow-shaped noodles for our dish, but you can substitute your favorite dried pasta.
- butter and flour – Unsalted butter and all-purpose flour are the base for a classic roux, a must for homemade cheese sauce.
- half and half – I like half and half because heavy cream can make things too thick. Whole or 2% milk also works if you have that on hand. If using milk instead of cream, you can reduce the amount of pasta water added to the sauce.
- cheeses – The secret to the best mac and cheese is the variety of cheeses that you use. Our three cheese blend includes gruyere, sharp cheddar, and white American (not the individually wrapped slices, but the fresh-sliced American that you get from the deli counter). The gruyere is a great melting cheese for mac and cheese.
- spices – Garlic powder, paprika (or smoked paprika if you have it), salt, pepper, and our secret ingredient, mustard powder, give the cheese sauce great flavor.
Prepping the Leftover Brisket
Before you make the cheese sauce, you’ll need to prep the brisket. We like to remove the fat cap and any excess fatty areas because the cheeses have plenty of fat content.
Also, be sure to taste your brisket for saltiness. The exterior of the brisket holds a lot of seasoning, so depending on the blend that you used when smoking the brisket initially, you may need to adjust the salt and pepper measurements in the recipe so your mac and cheese doesn’t get too salty.
Then chop the brisket into small bite-sized cubes about 1/2″ to 3/4″ square.
How to Make Brisket Mac and Cheese
Step 1: Boil the elbow macaroni. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your elbow macaroni according to package instructions, but reduce the cooking time by about 2 minutes so that the pasta is just al dente.
Before draining the noodles, save about one cup of that starchy pasta. The pasta water can be added to the cheese sauce to thin it out if needed.
Step 2: Make a blond roux. Melt half a stick of butter in a large saucepan. When it’s bubbling (but not browning), whisk in half a cup of all-purpose flour. Stir until it’s smooth, about a minute. Then slowly pour in the half and half while still whisking. Don’t rush this part, and be sure to keep the heat low; we want flavor, not lumps!
Step 3: Season the roux. Keep whisking, and add your seasonings: a pinch of smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and dry mustard.
Step 4: Add the shredded cheeses to the roux to make the cheese sauce. With the heat still on low, add your grated Gruyere and sharp cheddar, reserving about a quarter cup of each for topping. Once melted, fold in your American cheese slices a few at a time, stirring until all of the cheeses are fully melted.
Step 5: Add pasta water to the cheese sauce to thin if needed. Turn off the heat and let the sauce cool just a touch. We want it thinner than you think – mac and cheese sauce thickens up fast, especially after baking. If it gets too thick, add a splash of that reserved pasta water.
The starchy pasta water is great to thin out the cheese sauce to a more runny consistency. Remember, the smoked mac and cheese will thicken as it cools and as the cheeses set up, so you want the sauce to be fairly loose for the next step.
Step 5: Combine brisket, cheese sauce, and pasta in a baking dish. Put your drained pasta in a big mixing bowl. Add about three-quarters of your brisket, saving the rest for topping. Pour in the cheese sauce, reserving about 1 cup for the top. Mix everything together so the noodles are evenly coated.
Step 6: Add the mac and cheese mixture to a casserole dish. Add the mac and cheese to a grill-safe casserole dish. Top with the reserved shredded cheeses and chopped brisket.
Step 6: Bake or smoke the brisket mac and cheese. Place the casserole dish on your grill grates, close the lid, and let it bake at around 350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and golden brown.
You can also bake the brisket macaroni and cheese in your indoor oven at 350°F for approximately 25-30 minutes.
Then, remove the mac and cheese and allow it to sit for about 10-15 minutes before serving – it will continue to firm up as it cools.
Recipe Tips
- Keep your sauce loose – Don’t worry if the cheese sauce looks a bit runny before baking. The pasta will absorb more liquid, so it’s better to err on the side of a looser sauce to avoid a “hockey puck” texture.
- Fat cap caution – Brisket fat cap holds a lot of seasoning and extra fat. If using, taste and adjust your salt and pepper so your mac and cheese doesn’t get too salty.
- Brisket preparation – Chunked brisket works best for texture; shredded blends in but doesn’t offer those tasty, crispy edges.
Absolutely! We like to use freshly grated Gruyere, sharp cheddar, and deli slices of American for a classic melt and flavor, but feel free to mix in mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or your favorites for variety.
Not at all! Any cooked brisket – fresh or leftover – will work. You can also use store-bought brisket in a pinch, or even substitute pulled pork, smoked sausage, or rotisserie chicken. The most important thing is to taste your brisket for seasonings, and adjust the amount of salt and pepper that you add to the cheese sauce as needed.
Keep your cheese sauce looser than you think you need before baking. Pasta absorbs liquid as it bakes and cools. Adding a bit of starchy pasta water helps keep it creamy.
Brisket Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb box dried elbow macaroni
- 2 lbs leftover brisket, chopped into ½" cubes
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups half and half
- 2 cups gruyere, freshly grated (about 8 oz)
- 2 cups sharp cheddar, freshly grated (about 8 oz)
- ½ lb white American cheese, *see notes
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package directions, but reduce the cooking time by about 2 minutes for just al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about ¾-1 cup of the pasta water.
- In a large saucepan or skillet over low to medium-low heat, melt ½ cup butter. When it’s bubbling (but not browning), whisk in the all-purpose flour. Stir until it’s smooth, about a minute. Then slowly pour in the half and half while still whisking.
- Keep whisking, and add the seasonings – dry mustard, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- With the heat still on low, add the grated Gruyere and sharp cheddar, reserving about a ¼ cup of each for topping. Once melted, fold in your American cheese slices a few at a time, stirring until all of the cheeses are fully melted.
- Turn off the heat and let the cheese sauce cool briefly. Then whisk in about ¾ – 1 cup of the reserved pasta water so that the sauce is a loose, pourable consistency. *Mac and cheese sauce thickens up fast, especially after baking, so you want the sauce thinner than what you might expect.
- Heat smoker or oven to 350℉.
- Add the drained pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped brisket, reserving about ½ cup of brisket for topping. Pour in the cheese sauce, reserving about 1 cup for the top. Mix everything together so the noodles are evenly coated.
- Add the mac and cheese mixture to a large casserole dish (about 9" x 13"), and spread it out in an even layer. Pour the remaining cheese sauce evenly over top. Then sprinkle the reserved cheeses and brisket on top.
- Place the casserole dish on the grill grates, close the lid, and let it bake at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and golden brown. *You can also bake the brisket macaroni and cheese in your indoor oven at 350°F for approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Allow the brisket mac and cheese to rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving – it will continue to firm up as it cools.
Notes
- For the American cheese – The fresh-sliced white American from the deli counter is recommended. We prefer to use slices because they melt easily into the cheese sauce.
- Keep your sauce loose – Don’t worry if the cheese sauce looks a bit runny before baking. The pasta will absorb more liquid, so it’s better to err on the side of a looser sauce to avoid a “hockey puck” texture.
- Fat cap caution – Brisket fat cap holds a lot of seasoning and extra fat. If using, taste and adjust your salt and pepper so your mac and cheese doesn’t get too salty.
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