Pork Mac and Cheese
A mac dish that packs in the pork: Keystone Pork plus crumbed bacon, it’s so good you’ll be in hog heaven!
Ingredients
- 1/2 can (28 oz) Keystone Pork, drained and shredded
- 1 lb elbow macaroni noodles or small seashell pasta
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 Tbsp. mustard powder
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup half & half
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened and cut into 10-12 pieces
- 3 1/2 cups cheddar, grated
- 1 1/2 cup gouda, grated
- 1 cup Parmesan, shredded
- Topping
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup bacon cooked and crumbled
Steps
- Cook the pasta to al dente
- Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet, then whisk in the flour until it’s smooth. Whisk in the mustard powder. Whisk in the milk and half & half, bring it just to a boil, turn off the heat and stir in the softened cream cheese. Add the shredded cheese in small handfuls and whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Mix the pasta, Keystone Pork, and sauce together until all of the macaroni noodles are coated.
- Pour the mixture into the large pan (or keep in the cast-iron skillet).
- Prepare the topping: Mix panko breadcrumbs with 1/4 cup melted butter and crumbled bacon.
- Sprinkle evenly over the top of the mac and cheese mixture. For the smoker: Place the pan into the smoker and keep it at a steady 225 F temperature for an hour.
- For the grill: Add a few pieces of smoking wood to the charcoal. Keep the temperature at 225 F and cook over indirect heat for an hour.