It sounds as if Kraft suddenly discovered its test kitchens hadn’t churned our something new for Summer 2025. And fast-tracked what may have seemed an obvious winner to the shelves. But Smoky BBQ Mac and Cheese may prove to be a really bad idea…
I remember when the boutique cheese people first started to offer ‘Smoked Cheddar’ and other selected ‘smoked’ cheeses. As a member of a family who had made cheese – in particular, Cheddar – for a few hundred years in it’s original British home place, I couldn’t help by be curious. And at first I thought it was a good idea. But then, I tasted it. And immediately changed my mind.
Not what I was expecting
Odd, I thought. Smoked meats of all kinds really do appeal to me (and millions of other umami addicts). But this cheese… The zippy, salty, brand of umami most cheeses offer clashes so horribly with classic smokiness, I can hardly put my feelings about it into words.
On reflection, I think it has to do with a difference in types and degrees of umami. Imagine, for a moment, the umami experience can be represented as a musical scale. The foods I’ve always felt married most harmoniously with smoke are the solid-bottomed, bold, earthy ones. Predominantly meats, but also a few ‘big’-flavoured veggies such as asparagus and chili peppers.
But the umami scale also has an exciting top end, populated by lighter-flavoured foods, most fresh veggies (particularly tomatoes and mushrooms), virtually all fresh fruits, cheeses, and fermented foods. None of which take smoke at all well!
Specific drawbacks
When you smoke cheese, you risk drying it out. And there’s nothing yukkier than ‘chalky’ cheese.
The colour of most smoked cheese is also a problem for me. The smoking process generally turns the outer surface layer(s) of a block into a dirty grey-brown disaster. Not appetizing, to say the least.
In general, mixing smoke with the subtle flavours and delicate, high-end nuances of most cheeses, just turns the whole flavour complex to mud.
Finally… Smoked cheese doesn’t really go with any other foods. I tried a smoked-cheddar grilled cheese once, thinking the caramelized flavour of the toasted bread might unite the essential char-acteristics of the cheese and smoke in some previously unknown, unappreciated way. No way. Actually a worse idea than previous failed inspirations.
Viable options…
Fortunately for Mac and Cheese lovers, there are a couple of viable options hitting supermarket shelves for the same limited-time summer run.
Jalapeño and Ranch have been offered previously, and passed fan scrutiny with flying colours. This time around, they’ll be offered as single-serving cups rather than full-sized boxes.
My take
So… I’m not sanguine about Smoky BBQ Mac and Cheese. Even if the ‘masters of the art’ came up with it, and blessed it with their most valuable brand name.
~ Maggie J.