A cast-iron skillet is a good way to bring mac and cheese to the lot. The iron holds heat on the ride, and it goes from the oven to a towel-lined cooler to the grill without changing pans. Use corkscrew pasta, which holds sauce in the twists, and shred your own cheese: a sharp cheddar for flavor and Monterey Jack for melt. Crisp bacon goes in, and buttered crumbs with Parmesan go on top. Keep the sauce a little looser than you think, because it tightens as it sits.
Cook ahead: Bake it at home, wrap the skillet in foil and towels in a preheated cooler, and check that it reads 140°F or above at the lot. At the lot: Build it at home the night before, carry it cold, and finish it covered and then uncovered on a lidded grill over indirect heat until the center reads 165°F; plan on about an hour from lighting the grill to serving. Homegating: Bake it in the oven and set the skillet on the table.
2 MIN
Pull the pasta early
140°F+
Check it at the lot
165°F
Center, reheated on the grill
10
Serves
Ingredients
Pasta and bacon
- 1 lb cavatappi
- 1 tbsp kosher salt for the pasta water (Diamond Crystal; 2 tsp if Morton)
- 8 oz thick-cut bacon, diced
Cheese sauce
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3½ cups whole milk, warmed
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; ½ tsp if Morton)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 12 oz sharp white cheddar, shredded (about 3 cups)
- 6 oz Monterey Jack, shredded (about 1½ cups)
Topping
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp dried parsley
Steps
At home
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Cook the bacon in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Lift it onto paper towels. Pour off the fat and wipe the skillet, leaving a thin film.
- Meanwhile, boil the pasta in well-salted water 2 minutes less than the package says. Drain it.
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes without letting it brown. Slowly whisk in the warm milk and simmer, whisking, 5 to 6 minutes, until it coats a spoon. Take it off the heat, whisk in the mustard, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper, then stir in the cheeses a handful at a time until smooth.
- Stir the pasta and bacon into the sauce and spread it in the skillet.
- Toss the panko with the melted butter, Parmesan and dried parsley and scatter it evenly over the top.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges bubble and the crumbs are light golden. Rest it 5 minutes.
- To carry it hot, fill a cooler with hot water for 10 minutes, then pour it out and line it with a towel. Cover the skillet with foil, wrap it in a second towel, and set it on a folded towel in the cooler; the iron stays hot enough to scorch a cooler liner. Cover it with one more towel and close the lid. Nothing cold goes in it.
At the lot
- Keep the cooler shut until you serve. Check the center of the skillet: it should read 140°F or above.
- Set the skillet on a trivet or a cutting board and serve it with a big spoon. The handle stays hot, so put a pot holder over it. Mac and cheese sits out no more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.
Cook ahead
- To finish it on the grill, make it the night before through step 4, but stir ½ cup more milk into the sauce, since it thickens in the fridge, and spread it in a 9-by-13-inch foil pan instead of the skillet. Let it sit uncovered 20 minutes, then refrigerate it uncovered and cover it once it's cold; it has to be in the fridge within 2 hours. Mix the topping in step 5 and keep it in a bag.
- Carry the pan in the cooler at 40°F or below, above any raw meat, with the bag of topping beside it.
- At the lot, heat the grill to about 375°F and set it up for indirect heat. Cover the pan with foil, set it on the cool side and close the lid for 25 minutes. Take off the foil, scatter the topping and close the lid 10 to 20 minutes more, until the edges bubble and the center reads 165°F. Rest it 5 minutes, then serve as in step 9.
Pack for the lot
What cheese is best for mac and cheese?
A sharp cheese for flavor plus a cheese that melts smoothly. This one uses sharp white cheddar with Monterey Jack. Shred it yourself; bagged shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking starch that can make the sauce grainy.
Why is my cheese sauce grainy?
Usually the sauce was too hot when the cheese went in, or the cheese was pre-shredded. Take the pot off the heat and add the cheese a handful at a time.
Can you make skillet mac and cheese ahead of time?
Yes. Build it the night before without the topping, refrigerate it, and bake or grill it covered until the center reads 165°F, then add the topping for the last 10 to 20 minutes.
How do you keep mac and cheese hot at a tailgate?
Bake it right before you leave, wrap the skillet in foil and towels in a preheated cooler, and check that it reads 140°F or above at the lot.
Can you make mac and cheese on the grill?
Yes. Use indirect heat at about 375°F with the lid closed. From cold it takes about 35 to 45 minutes; go by the thermometer, 165°F in the center.
What if I don't have a cast-iron skillet?
Use a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or a deep foil pan. The bake and grill times are about the same; check the center.
Another mac and cheese: Cougar Gold mac and cheese. Next to it on the plate: pulled pork sliders, smoked chicken quarters and 3-2-1 ribs. More sides: cola baked beans and collard greens. Carrying it hot? See how to keep food hot at a tailgate. Cold-weather tips are in our cold-weather tailgating guide.
