Smoked mac and cheese with lobster takes our potluck favorite and kicks it up several notches. This smoked gouda mac and cheese is rich and full-bodied and has the added decadence of lobster!
Mac and cheese is one of my favorite dishes because you can go as simple or as involved as you like. For this recipe, my husband and I decided to get a little fancy and a little smoky!
Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
This was inspired by my other mac and cheese recipe on this site. I figured if I could get as creative as combining BBQ with mac and cheese in one dish, then I could definitely make this ultra-rich mac and cheese work. And I did!
Ingredients
It takes quite a few ingredients to make this dish, but don't let that throw you off! Although the ingredient list looks long, if you really look at it, you'll see that it's mostly made up of seasonings and cheeses that you'll be melting.
- Noodles
- Lobster tails
- Salted butter
- Smoked paprika
- Lemon juice
For the Bread Crumb Topping
- Panko bread crumbs
- Shredded parmesan cheese
- Melted butter
- Horseradish
- Lemon juice
- Old Bay seasoning
For the Cheese Sauce
- Shredded white cheddar
- gouda, shredded
- Shredded gruyere
- Whole milk
- Heavy cream
- All purpose flour
- Salted butter
- Diced yellow onion
- Minced garlic cloves
- Minced shallot
- Sun dried tomato paste
- Bay leaves
- Coarse black pepper
How to Make Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese
If you were looking at the ingredient list and feeling overwhelmed, don't worry. This recipe is actually very straightforward.
Step 1: Prep
Boil the noodles per package directions and drain them. While the noodles are boiling, prepare the vegetables and cheeses, and measure out your ingredients.
Step 2: Make the Sauce Base
Set the smoker to 350 degrees and preheat it for 15 minutes. Add butter to a Dutch oven without the lid and melt it in the smoker. Then once, the butter is melted, add onions, garlic, and shallot. Saute for 5 minutes.
Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Then, add the milk, cream, sun-dried tomato paste, and pepper, whisking well to combine. Top with bay leaves and place the lid on the Dutch oven. Cook in the smoker for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Grill the Lobster
While the sauce base is cooking, place the lobster tails directly onto the grill grate and cook for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Smoke the Lobster
Cut a slit down the tail of the cooked lobster and pry the meat out. Chop the meat and add it to a small cast-iron skillet along with butter, smoked paprika, and lemon juice. Place it in the smoker for 5 minutes. Then, remove it and set it aside.
Step 5: Make the Cheese Sauce
Add the shredded cheeses to the Dutch oven and stir until melted. Remove the Dutch oven from the smoker.
Step 6: Make the Crumb Topping
In a small mixing bowl, combine melted butter, panko, parmesan cheese, horseradish, lemon juice, parsley, and Old Bay seasoning.
Step 7: Put it all Together
Add cooked noodles to the cheese and stir to coat. Then, top with the lobster meat and bread crumbs. Place the Dutch oven without the lid back into the smoker and smoke for 15 minutes.
Hint: Never open the smoker lid until you're ready to add ingredients or remove the pot or the skillet. Keep that smoke where it belongs!
Substitutions
Don't have the correct ingredients on hand or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this smoked gouda mac and cheese with lobster.
- Any Small Noodles - If you don't have macaroni any small noodle like ziti, penne, and the like will do.
- Imitation Lobster - If you don't have lobster or don't want to pay for lobster, you can use imitation lobster. It tastes surprisingly good!
- Grated Parmesan Cheese - If you don't have shredded parmesan cheese, you can use the grated parmesan available in the tubes.
Variations
Want to personalize this smoked mac and cheese with lobster recipe? Here are some of my tried and true tips for changing up this recipe.
- Spicy - Add chili pepper flakes to the sauce base for an extra kick of flavor and heat.
- Shrimp - Add some shrimp and make this dish a shellfish delight.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy this shrimp pasta salad.
Equipment
IT doesn't take a lot of equipment to make this recipe. You'll only need the standard cooking fair.
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Tongs
- Mixing bowls
- Spoon
- Smoker
- Dutch oven
- Cast iron skillet
Storage
This mac and cheese will keep well in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for three to five days. For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to three months.
Tips
This is a fairly simple recipe, mostly involving basic sauteing and some melting. Even so, I have some tips here that will help you make the best dish possible.
- Don't open the smoker lid unless you have to. The smoke and heat should stay inside the smoker where they can do their thing.
- When shredding your cheese, use the fine side of the cheese grater. This will allow the cheese to melt faster.
- Use an oven glove or let the lobster cool a bit before attempting to cut the shell and remove the meat.
More Smoked Recipes
Do you like cooking with a smoker? Here are some recipes you may also like to try
FAQ
Do you have questions about smoked gouda mac and cheese? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about smoked mac and cheese.
This mac and cheese will last for three to five days in the refrigerator. You can freeze it for up to three months.
Mild wood works best. Use cherry, apple, maple, or pecan.
Chill the mac and cheese completely. Then place it in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
Place the mac and cheese in an uncovered baking dish in a 350-degree oven for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until heated through.
Place it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.
Bake covered for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
Smoked Mac and Cheese with Lobster
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Smoked Mac and Cheese with Lobster
Equipment
- smoker
- Dutch Oven or oven proof soup pot or deep oven proof skillet
- Scissors
- small cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb noodles
- 2 8 oz lobster tails
- 4 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Fresh parsley chopped as garnish
Bread Crumb Topping
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon horseradish
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon old bay seasoning
Cheese Sauce
- 4 oz block sharp white cheddar shredded
- 2 oz block Gouda shredded
- 4 oz block gruyere cheese shredded
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 4 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon sun dried tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
Instructions
- Get out and measure your ingredients.
- Set the smoker to 350 degrees and preheat for 15 minutes.
- Boil and drain the noodles.
- Add butter to a Dutch oven without the lid and melt in the smoker.
- Once melted, add onion, garlic, and shallot. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes.
- Then, add sundried tomato paste, and pepper.
- Followed by milk and cream.
- Whisk well to combine. Top with bay leaves.
- Place the lid on the Dutch oven. Cook for 20 minutes.
- At the same time, place lobster tails directly on the grill grates and cook for 10 minutes.
- And bright colored.
- Cut a slit down the tail and pry the meat out. If you need more information on how to do this check out our how to cut a lobster tail post.
- Chop lobster meat.
- Add lobster meat to a small cast iron skillet with 4 tablespoon butter, smoked paprika, and ½ tablespoon lemon juice.
- Place back into the smoker for 5 more minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add panko, parmesan cheese, horseradish, lemon juice, and old bay seasoning in a small mixing bowl.
- Add parsley and stir until combined.
- Add melted butter.
- Stir until blended.
- Remove Dutch Oven from the smoker.
- Add shredded cheese to the Dutch oven.
- Stir until melted.
- Add noodles to the cheese sauce.
- Stir until coated.
- Top with lobster meat.
- And crumb mixture to top and place back into smoker without lid for 15 minutes.
- Remove from smoker.
- Serve.
- Enjoy!
- Every creamy bite!
Notes
- Don't open the smoker lid unless you have to. The smoke and heat should stay inside the smoker where they can do their thing.
- When shredding your cheese, use the fine side of the cheese grater. This will allow the cheese to melt faster.
- Use an oven glove or let the lobster cool a bit before attempting to cut the shell and remove the meat.
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