Matt Horn’s Mac & Cheese
This recipe was created by renowned pitmaster Matt Horn, owner of Horn Barbecue in Oakland, California. His homemade mac and cheese is gooey, melty and irresistible. Heavy cream, generous seasonings and four types of cheese create comfort food perfection. The dish includes his special “Horn rub,” an all-purpose seasoning blend that adds loads of flavor to just about anything you put in the smoker. The recipe below makes more rub than you’ll need for the mac and cheese. Keep the rest handy to use for other dishes; we think it will become your go-to rub. If you’re feeding a crowd—and who doesn’t, at a barbecue—double or triple the recipe and cook as directed.
Ingredients:
For the Horn rub:
- 4 Tbs. (2 oz./60 g) dark brown sugar
- 2 Tbs. coarse salt
- 1 Tbs. coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing- 6 slices (5 1/4 oz./160 g) white bread or bread of choice, torn into 1/4-inch (6-mm) pieces
- Kosher salt
- 1 lb. (454 g) dried penne or elbow macaroni
- 3 cups (24 fl. oz./720 ml) heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups (12 fl. oz./360 ml) whole milk
- 1/4 cup (1 oz./32 g) cornstarch
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./120 ml) water
- 1 cup (3 3/4 oz./115 g) packed shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup (1 3/4 oz./57.5 g) packed shredded provolone cheese
- 1/2 cup (1 3/4 oz./57.5 g) packed shredded smoked Gouda cheese
- 1/4 cup (1 oz./25 g) packed grated Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp. onion powder
- 3/4 tsp. Horn Rub
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbs. fresh herb leaves, such as thyme, minced sage or minced rosemary (optional)
Directions:
To make the Horn rub, in a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and cayenne. You will need 3/4 tsp. of the rub for this recipe; save the rest for another use.
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 3- to 4-qt. (3- to 4-l) casserole dish with butter.
In a medium bowl, stir together the bread pieces and melted butter. Set aside.
Fill a large pot about three-fourths full of water, generously season the water with salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and transfer the pasta to the prepared casserole dish.
To make the cheese sauce, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the cream and milk and heat just until boiling.
While the milk mixture heats, make a “slurry”: In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until combined.
When the milk is steaming and about to come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and whisk in the slurry. Whisk until the sauce is smooth and has thickened (the bubbles should be slowing), about 2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cheddar, provolone, Gouda and Parmesan until melted and smooth. If desired, use an immersion blender to blend the cheese until silky smooth. Whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder, Horn rub and black pepper. Then whisk in 1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste.
Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir to coat. Top the mac and cheese with the bread crumbs and garnish with the herbs. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Serves 10 to 12.
Adapted from Horn Barbecue by Matt Horn (Harvard Common Press, 2022)
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