Smoked Mac-N-Cheese with Bourbon and Bacon

This last Saturday I smoked my latest batch of maple cured bacon. This is what it looked like Sunday morning after cooling off overnight in the fridge.


I knew I was planning an entry into the BBQ Brethren Cheese Throwdown. I figured I'd do a Smoked Macaroni and Cheese and use some bacon to kick it up a notch. So I cut 4 thick slices.


But that made me hungry so I cut 4 more, not quite as thick and gently fried them up.


Added some eggs


and a plate for the missus.



After Breakfast I assemble the rest of the ingredients: noodles, Asiago cheese, nutmeg, Tabasco, Maker's Mark (to give it another little kick - I find that bourbon goes well with smoke)



I cook up the noodles and I heat up 3 cups of cream and add the nutmeg, Tabasco, fresh ground pepper, and Maker's. Just as it comes to a simmer, I turn off the heat and stir in the cheese.



I leave that to cool for a bit while I fire up the ProQ and grill up the bacon. I start the grill up one one stacker, but as soon as the fat starts to drip, I add a second stacker to keep the bacon above the flare ups. Even at 24 inches above the coals, the temp shows 450 degrees.

The fifth piece is the end trimming. I'm grilling it up to snack on.


Here's the bacon off the grill along with some Colby/Jack cheese and some pepper shells to stuff with mac and cheese.



I mix the cooked noodles with the creamy bourbon asiago cheesy sauce and fill the peppers and the baking dish. I choose a shallow baking dish to get more surface for more smoky goodness in every bite.



I top the cooked noodles and creamy bourbon asiago cheesy sauce with the Colby Jack cheese and chop up the bacon.



Just before I top it with the bacon, I sense something is missing. I search through the fridge and find some jalapenos. I slice them into thin rings and remove the seeds. Now it's starting to come together.



I top the mac and cheese with the bacon and start to head for the smoker, but a last minute inspiration strikes and I grab some 7 year aged sharp cheddar and chop it into cubes. Add that on top of the bacon and it's off to the smoker.



Here it is on the smoker after an hour or so.



Here it is off the grill. This is the picture I decide to use for my entry into the BBQ Brethren Cheese Throwdown.


Here is an attempt at a plating picture:

It looked good on the 2 inch camera lcd, but full size on the monitor... Something's not quite right.

Anyway I hope you enjoy my pictures and that that you check out the BBQ-Brethren Cheese Throwdown (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=90503) whether you vote for my entry or one of the other great entries.

Smiter:

Here's my try:
I went into photoshop and opened the picture then hit Image->Adjustments->Hue/Saturation. I chose the Blues From the list of colors and the saturation to -100. Is that what you did?

I've got Photoshop CS3 here. I really should have used it at least for the entry photo.


Thanks for the idea!

Hope everyone votes in the Cheese Throwdown!

@Smoothsmoke: No milk this time. Just heavy cream and a shot of Maker's. I thought the bourbon worked great in this recipe. But I've been studying different techniques for Mac and Cheese and sometimes I do use milk. Years ago, I started with Mom's recipe, plain milk and butter. Then I mastered the bechamel cheese sauce and about a month ago, I started playing with heavy cream based cheese sauce. Next to try is the "custard style" with eggs and milk or cream.

@Smiter: Thanks for the photo tips. A lot of those pictures I posted could have been made better with a few minutes in photoshop. I'll try that next time.

@Paulmark: If only I could have found a way to incorporate the ooze factor you have working in your Fried Cheese Fritters Picture, I might have caught up to you in the polling. Those btw look really excellent! And they look easy to make. I'll have to give them a try!