Sunday Supper {3 Beer Rub & Mac & Cheese}

This classic Southern summer meal is a favorite for the boys in the house: ribs, baked beans and mac & cheese.

Honey has perfected his ribs this summer and, with our friends still running their weekly meat sale, I actually had ribs for the first time in forever. I have a real aversion to anything eaten off of a bone, but the bones literally fall out of these and I’m left with just the meat. After some experimentation with different recipes and brands, Honey solely uses the 3 Beer Rub on ribs now. It is brown sugar based and is delicious. We find it in the local foods section at Publix.

For beans, I have also experimented a LOT over the years. I now simply crack open a can of Bush’s vegetarian baked beans.

While Ina’s macaroni and cheese is my hands-down favorite, Whit made Bobby Flay’s mac and cheese as part of his summer cooking class and the boys loved it. He’s since made it two more times, including this weekend. If someone else is going to do the cooking, I’m willing to let my favorite slide.

My favorite:

Bobby Flay’s Real Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 1 box Barilla® Medium Shells
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for greasing the baking dish
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups whole milk, heated
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 12 slices American Cheese (8 ounces), torn into pieces
  • 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 3-quart baking dish and set aside.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta for 6 minutes or until slightly under al dente. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan until it begins to bubble but do not let it brown. Whisk in the flour to create a roux for the Bechamel sauce. Cook the flour and butter over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk in a steady stream. Keep whisking the warm milk until the sauce is thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and whisk in the salt and pepper to taste, American cheese and 3/4 cups of the Parmigiano Reggiano until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes.
  4. Drain the pasta and place into a large bowl. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and stir to combine. Transfer the pasta to the prepared pan. Sprinkle the panko breadcrumbs and reserved 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano over the top. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until the top is well browned and crusty. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

I hope y’all had a great weekend! We went out with friends for dinner Friday night and Sister’s family spent the day with us at Whit’s baseball game Saturday. I am off to a lacrosse mom birthday brunch, Whit has a baseball tournament, and John’s high school youth group kicks off tonight. Things are seeming (sort of) normal here.

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4 thoughts on “Sunday Supper {3 Beer Rub & Mac & Cheese}

  1. Hey there! We usually add ground beef, and a bit of ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and chili powder to our canned Bush’s baked beans. It darkens the flavor and takes it to another level without a lot of extra work! Looks like a yummy Sunday evening treat! My boys (16 & 19) LOVE grill nights and is still the most requested thing when my college boy comes home!

    1. I think it was more the quality of the meat! Our neighbors own a meat business and during the pandemic they have done a weekly sale in their driveway.

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