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    You are here: Home » Food » Grilling » Smoked Tri Tip Mac and Cheese cooked on the grill

    Smoked Tri Tip Mac and Cheese cooked on the grill

    January 26, 2018 By Mary 9 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe
    Tri Tip Mac and Cheese Pin
    Tri Tip Mac and Cheese Pin
    Tri Tip Mac and Cheese Pin
    Tri Tip Mac and Cheese Pin

    Smoked Tri Tip Mac and Cheese is cooked on the grill with perfectly smoked and tender tri tip, mixed with an ultra creamy cheese sauce.

    It is sure to up your mac and cheese game… by about a million percent.

    Smoked Tri Tip Mac and Cheese in a cast iron skillet

    Mac & Cheese Recipe Inspiration

    If a winery could be my spirit animal it might be  Barton Family Winery and Grey Wolf Cellars  in the Paso Robles Wine Region. In addition to a wide range of tasty wines, they offer a casual and friendly environment, plus they’re family AND dog friendly (something that is important to me as we frequently travel with our children and I want them growing up understanding wine is not just an alcoholic beverage, but a culture).

    But the bigger connection I found with this winery is their Barton’s Kitchen Widow, a sort of built-in, casual, food cart style restaurant, offering some killer smoked meals you can pair with their wines.

    Jump to:
    • Mac & Cheese Recipe Inspiration
    • Smoked Tri Tip Mac & Cheese on the Grill
    • What Pasta to Use for Steak Mac and Cheese
    • How to Smoke Tri Tip on a Kettle Grill
    • Cheese Sauce for Smoked Tri Tip Mac & Cheese on the Grill
    • Other Mac and Cheese Recipe Inspirations
    • Smoked Tri Tip Mac and Cheese
    Barton's Kitchen Window in Paso Robles

    It’s very similar to the philosophy behind Ember and Vine, our own wood-fired wine country catering company, which is why I connected so quickly with this place.

    Good wine + BBQ inspired food and wine pairings + family friendly + great people = my idea of a great overall hospitality experience.

    And that’s what you get when you visit Barton Family Winery and Grey Wolf Cellars and their Kitchen Window as I experienced on a press trip last year.

    I also found my dream mac and cheese. You see, Chef Jeffry (the chef behind the Kitchen Window) is also a mac and cheese master, and has won awards left and right for his creative concoctions. This one was called Paso Mac & CheeseSteak, which included a roasted garlic-provolone cheese sauce, smoked tri-tip, sautéed peppers & onions, tossed with mini shell pasta.

    Paso Mac & CheeseSteak at Barton's Kitchen Window

    I knew the moment I took my first bite that we had to re-create it.

    Our version…

    Smoked Tri Tip Mac & Cheese on the Grill

    I couldn’t remember the exact cheese blend Jeffry used (and you know I fo-sho asked him!), but I do remember him saying he makes the cheese sauce so creamy and extra liquidy, so liquidy that you question yourself before going in to bake. So don’t question it! That’s how it gets so indulgently creamy after it’s baked. Some of that liquid will evaporate, and some will soak into the pasta.

    Our version is pretty simplified from his. We used just two cheeses (I’m pretty sure I remember him saying he used four or five?). And we stuck to red bell peppers instead of going for that full cheesesteak onion-pepper-provolone inspiration. And you know we had to add a smoked Tri Tip for an extra layer of unbelievable flavor!

    You guys. It. Is. Insane!

    What Pasta to Use for Steak Mac and Cheese

    Speaking of pasta, this is obviously not macaroni, as the name “mac & cheese” would suggest. Instead we use the shell pasta to better get pools of that rich cheese sauce in the shell pockets, so that each bite bursts with that heavenly cheese blend. (Inspired by Jeffry, Genius!)

    You will cook the shells to an al dente and set them aside until you are ready to mix everything together and cook on the grill.

    Smoked Tri Tip Mac and Cheese cooked on the grill.

    How to Smoke Tri Tip on a Kettle Grill

    We used a kettle grill for this to show that you don’t need a fancy smoker to get great smoked tri tip.  Simply prepare your grill for indirect cooking, and add some wood chunks into your coals. Simple.

    Direct vs Indirect Heat Cooking on a Grill
    • Prep your tri tip simply by rubbing it in a salt/pepper/garlic powder blend.
    • Smoke it at 250 for about an hour (or until the meat has an internal temperature of 135 F). We are cooking it more to medium because we are adding into the mac and cheese. A rare steak would be a little too tender. 
    • When it’s done, let it cool enough to handle, then cut about 1 ½ heaping cups full of the smoked brisket into small bites. This will get mixed into your cheese sauce.
    Tri Tip smoked on a Weber Kettle Grill

    Cheese Sauce for Smoked Tri Tip Mac & Cheese on the Grill

    1. Start by softening the vegetables in a cast iron pan until soft, then remove them and set aside.
    2. In the same pot, make a standard béchamel sauce (combining butter, flour, and then milk).
    3. Add crème fraîche, which adds extra richness.
    4. Add the seasonings and cheeses. We like sharp cheddar for flavor and color and Gruyère for more incredible flavor, and because it melts so ridiculously well.
    5. Add back the reserved chopped vegetables and 1 ½ cups of the chopped Tri Tip, and the noodles. Mix together. Making creamy Mac and Cheese
    6. Transfer to baking dish (or if using cast iron, leave it in there). Top with breading mixture. 
    7. Increase grill temperature to 350 degrees, prepped for indirect cooking.
    8. Place the skillet directly on the grill, over indirect cooking, and cook 20 minutes. (Alternatively you can cook this in the oven set to 350 degrees as well). Remove and serve. 
    The perfect bite of Super Creamy Smoked Tri Tip Macaroni and Cheese

    I know it may seem like a lot of work to go through for Mac and Cheese, but it’s so worth it!

    And if you should find yourself in Paso Robles, go check out the folks that inspired this recipe and try their version.

    • Barton’s Kitchen Window is open Thursday through Monday, 12pm – 4pm.

    It’s incredible. And to top it off you’ll get this view!

    Vineyard at Barton Family Winery

    Other Mac and Cheese Recipe Inspirations

    • Smoked Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
    • Grilled Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Panko Crust
    • Poblano Mac and Cheese from our Cookbook Fire + Wine

    If you like this recipe we’d truly appreciate it if you would give this recipe a star review! And if you share any of your pics on Instagram use the hashtag #vindulge. We LOVE to see it when you cook our recipes.

    Smoked Tri Tip Macaroni and Cheese, Cooked on the Grill

    Smoked Tri Tip Mac and Cheese

    Smoked Tri Tip Mac and Cheese is made with perfectly smoked and tender tri tip, mixed with an ultra creamy cheese sauce and cooked on the grill.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 1 hour
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
    Servings: 6 Servings
    Calories: 807kcal
    Author: Mary Cressler | Vindulge
    Cost: $15.00

    Ingredients

    For the Tri Tip

    • 1 ½ pound Tri Tip
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons salt, pepper, garlic powder, (equal parts of each, mixed together. Combine and use to coat the meat)

    For the Mac and Cheese

    • 12 oz macaroni or shell noodles (approximately 4 cups, but will vary based on the size and thickness of your noodles. In this picture we specifically used a thick shell.)
    • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • 2 cups milk, (we use 2%)
    • 1 cup crème fraîche
    • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, grated
    • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
    • 1 ½ cups gruyère cheese, grated
    • 1 ½ heaping cups smoked (cooked) tri tip, cut into small bite-size pieces

    Topping

    • ½ cup panko bread crumbs
    • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    To smoke the Tri Tip:

    • Prep smoker to 250 degrees (F)
    • Trim any excess fat or silver skin. Coat with olive oil and generously coat with dry rub (dry rub is equal parts salt/pepper/garlic powder.
    • Place on smoker, over indirect heat, until 135 degrees F internal temperature. Roughly 1 hour. Remove and let sit 20 minutes, until cool enough to handle. 
    • Cut into small bite size pieces and reserve 1 ½ cups for the mac and cheese. Feel free to much on the rest 😉 

    For the Mac and Cheese

    • Prepare noodles according to package instructions, draining them when they are still slightly firm (al dente). Set aside. 
    • In a large saucepan or oven proof skillet (like a large 9" cast iron skillet like you see in the photos) set to medium heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (just enough to coat the pan), and add the chopped red bell pepper. Cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Remove the bell pepper from the pan and set aside. 
    • Add butter and flour and whisk together for 1-2 minutes. 
    • Add milk, whisk together a and let thicken (about 4 minutes), stirring consistently.  
    • Add the crème fraîche, mix. Next add the nutmeg, Dijon mustard, salt, and the cheese and mix to combine. Once the cheeses have melted add in the cooked bell pepper, and 1 ½ cups of the smoked tri tip, and the noodles, and mix together. Transfer to baking dish (or if using cast iron, leave it in there). Top with breading mixture. 
    • Increase grill temperature to 350 degrees prepped for indirect cooking.
    • Place the skillet directly on the grill, over indirect cooking, and cook 20 minutes.  (Alternatively you can cook this in the oven set to 350 degrees as well). Remove and serve. 

    Video

    Notes

    Note: We intended this recipe to be cooked on a smoker or grill. The instructions and video show a kettle grill, set to indirect cooking, with wood chunks mixed with charcoal. 
    You can cook the Mac and Cheese directly on your smoker or grill, or you can do this part in the oven. Since we use the grill to smoke the tri tip, it’s easier to keep using it for the Mac and Cheese. But if you want to skip this part and cook it in the oven that’s fine. The dish won’t take on much more smokiness during this part of the cooking process. 
    Find the perfect wine pairing at the Vindulge Wine Shop

    Nutrition

    Calories: 807kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 168mg | Sodium: 1402mg | Potassium: 769mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1715IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 813mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe? We would love to see!Mention @vindulge or use the hashtag #vindulge
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kyle Sauve says

      April 07, 2019 at 9:42 pm

      5 stars
      I made this tonight and it turned out great! I’ll be making it again for sure. I loved the smoky flavor it had.

      Reply
      • Mary says

        April 08, 2019 at 11:35 pm

        That’s so great to hear! Glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Carl says

      July 18, 2018 at 3:49 pm

      What type of wine do you recommend pairing this the Tri Tip Mac n cheese?

      Reply
    3. Charlene says

      February 18, 2018 at 5:25 pm

      Do you know how many servings this recipe is? We are trying to type this out to enter into our weightwatchers account. And you are using a 12 lb tri tip?
      Thank you, cant wait to try it!

      Reply
      • Mary says

        February 19, 2018 at 6:11 pm

        This is roughly 6 servings, depending on how hungry everyone is. And I updated the recipe to make it more clear about the size of the tri tip. Most tri tips come between 1-2 lbs. You want something in that general size. You won’t use the entire tri tip for the recipe, but that’s the size you’ll find them.

        Reply
    4. Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says

      January 26, 2018 at 9:58 pm

      That’s some fancy mac & cheese and a huge tri tip! Impressive! Gruyere is SO good, and amazing in mac & cheese. What a beautiful dish, Mary!

      Reply
      • Mary says

        January 31, 2018 at 12:01 am

        Thank you!!

        Reply
    5. Pech says

      January 26, 2018 at 4:31 pm

      This looks incredible I have to admit when I have leftover bbq putting it with Mac and Cheese is my favorite way to have it!

      Reply

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    Mary-Cressler-Sept-2015-smI'm Mary, a wine/food/travel writer, Certified Sommelier, mom of twins, former vegetarian turned BBQ fanatic, runner, and founder of Vindulge and author of Fire + Wine cookbook.  Thanks for stopping by!

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