Make It Cheesy: Dub Shack BBQ Presents Ham Macaroni and Cheese

When I was a younger man struggling to not only find my place in adulthood as well as something I can reliably cook and eat for my own sustenance, I began throwing cubed ham into my macaroni and cheese with English peas on the side. In my weathered state - and somewhat still in the struggle - comes a better M&C recipe than the best I could afford out of a Kraft box in the early to mid-aughts. I should have smoked it, and if you happen to read the comments section or my own notes, I'll suggest that as it is my preferred method.

Wanna see how I made this? 

INGREDIENTS 

1 lb macaroni noodles

1/2 c butter

1/2 flour

(2) 8 oz cubed ham

16 oz cream cheese

8 oz each shredded cheddar, Colby jack, Gouda, Parmesan cheeses

1 lb cubed Velveeta cheese

6 cups milk

Salt 

Black pepper

Fire and Smoke Society's Pork Perfect rub 

STEP ONE. Cook macaroni noodles to al dente per package. Drain and set aside.

STEP TWO. Melt 1/2 cup of butter and add the flour, making a paste. Be sure you stir in all of the flour to prevent clumping.

STEP THREE. Slowly add milk to the mixture. As we build flavors, be mindful of the flour and keep stirring until the milk begins to bubble up. 

STEP FOUR. The next invitations to the party are the cubed block of cream cheese, one-half of the shredded cheeses, 8 oz. of Gouda, and half a pound of cubed Velveeta and one of the cubed packages of ham. Continue to stir until the creaminess is to your satisfaction.

I like my M&C creamy and full of cheesy flavor but adjust to your own preferences. 

STEP FIVE. Using a disposable pan (this travels well, freezes even better), spray the pan - or cast iron skillet for today's dinner - with extra virgin olive oil on all sides. Add the pasta, the rest of the cheeses, the other package of cubed ham, salt and pepper, and a moderate shaking of Pork Perfect throughout the mixture. 

We're not done yet...and this is where we veer.

STEP SIX. Because time got away from your friendly pitmaster, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Once it is ready, cook uncovered for 45 minutes and let it sit afterwards for ten minutes before jumping into the casserole dish and burning your mouths. 

On the barbecue side, set your grill up for a two-zone fire and cook it over direct coals for roughly an hour stirring every twenty minutes to prevent noodles from sticking until everything is ooey, gooey. Like the indoor version, wait ten minutes before devouring dinner!

I should have taken pictures of everything else I cooked and shared them to the barbecue groups I participate in but trust me when I say everything was great the first time around! As always, thanks for reading this post: In addition to trying it out for yourselves, be blessed, be safe, be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ!