BBQ Brisket Sliders with Jalapeno Mac & Cheese

Description

Tangy fall-apart brisket drizzled with BBQ sauce on soft pillowy honey slider buns, topped with creamy and spicy jalapeno mac & cheese.

Scale

Ingredients

BBQ Brisket

3–4 lb. Beef Brisket
3/4 cup barbecue sauce (I use Stubb’s Sweet Heat)
- Plus more barbecue sauce for basting and topping sliders
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup of water

Skillet Jalapeno Mac & Cheese

- 1 box (16 oz) dry cavatappi
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 teaspoon each fine sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
- 1 can (4 oz) of pickled jalapenos (the kind for nachos)
- 1 small jalapeno, diced (remove the seeds for less heat)
- 2 1/2 cups of shredded cheese (plus a little more for sprinkling on top) – I like Sharp Cheddar, Swiss and Pepper Jack
- Butter for greasing the cast iron skillet
- Wonder Bread’s Honey Slider Rolls (or slider rolls of your choice)

Instructions

Brisket

Preheat oven to 300ºF
Make the sauce: In a bowl, mix together the barbecue sauce, soy sauce, and water.
Roast the brisket in the oven: Place a large piece of aluminum foil in a roasting pan. Add the brisket and spread the BBQ sauce mixture generously over meat. Wrap the brisket in the aluminum foil so it’s well sealed like a package.
Bake for 3 hours for a 3 pound roast and 1 more hour for every additional pound of meat.
Turn oven to broil, open up the foil so meat is exposed, baste the top of the brisket lightly with BBQ sauce and broil for a few minutes.
Allow brisket to rest for 20 minutes before carving. Carve against the grain in 1/4 inch strips.

Skillet Jalapeno Mac & Cheese

- While the brisket is resting, prepare the mac & cheese
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a generous sprinkling of salt to the water. Cook pasta until al-dente, drain and set aside while you prepare cheese sauce.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet or pot. Add the flour and stir over medium heat until the mixture is lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the milks slowly as you whisk to remove any lumps. Add the salt and pepper.
- Cook over medium-high heat until the sauce thickens and starts to bubble. About 6 minutes.
- Stir in the cheese and whisk until smooth and melted. All canned and fresh jalapenos. Turn off the heat. Stir the pasta into the sauce, and place in a well-buttered cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with a bit more cheese and bake for 20-25 minutes until browned and bubbly. Turn oven to broil and place skillet under the broiler for just a few minutes to lightly brown the top.
- You can also skip baking it if you want it super creamy and just put it under the broiler to brown the top (keep an eye on it) and then serve.
Assemble Sliders
- Optional: lightly toast the slider buns by placing them face down on a buttered skillet over medium-low heat for a few minutes
- Start by adding pieces of the brisket, a dollop of BBQ sauce, then a good scoop of mac & cheese.

Notes

I use a cast-iron skillet and roasting pan for this recipe. Those items are very helpful for making this recipe and are highly recommended. You can use replacement items as needed.