Four-Cheese Mac & Cheese with BBQ Steak Bites
Journey to Texas with a bowl that does not believe in restraint: Four-Cheese Mac & Cheese topped with BBQ Steak Bites, finished with extra BBQ sauce and a pickle slice. Rich, smoky, cheesy, and unapologetically hearty.
RECIPESFIJI CRAFTUSA
7/4/20262 min read
Journey to Texas with a bowl that does not believe in restraint: Four-Cheese Mac & Cheese topped with BBQ Steak Bites, finished with extra BBQ sauce and a pickle slice. Rich, smoky, cheesy, and unapologetically hearty.
Ingredients
For the Four-Cheese Mac & Cheese
Elbow macaroni
Butter
Flour
Whole milk
Sharp cheddar
Monterey Jack
Colby
Parmesan
Garlic powder
Paprika
Salt
Black pepper
For the BBQ Steak Bites
Sirloin steak, cut into bite-sized pieces
Oil
Garlic powder
Smoked paprika
Salt
Black pepper
BBQ sauce
Dill pickle slices
For Dr. “USA”
Dark sweet cherries
Water
Sugar
Vanilla extract
Almond extract
Cinnamon stick
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Ground nutmeg
Club soda or sparkling water
Ice
Maraschino cherries
Instructions
Cook the elbow macaroni until just tender and drain.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook for about one minute.
Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until slightly thickened.
Reduce the heat and add the cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, and Parmesan a handful at a time, stirring until smooth.
Season with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper, then fold in the macaroni. For the full Fiji Craft Texas experience, another spoonful of butter at the end is completely appropriate.
Season the steak bites with garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
Sear the steak over high heat until browned, then toss with BBQ sauce just before serving.
Spoon the mac and cheese into a bowl, top with BBQ steak bites, drizzle with additional BBQ sauce, and finish with a dill pickle slice.
For the Dr. “USA,” simmer cherries, water, sugar, and cinnamon for 10–15 minutes, gently crushing the cherries as they soften.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, almond extract, lemon juice, lime juice, and a tiny pinch of nutmeg.
Strain and chill the syrup. Add 3–4 ounces to a 16-ounce glass filled with ice, top with club soda, stir, and garnish with a cherry.
Fiji Craft Flight Notes
Texas food has a well-earned reputation for going big, and this bowl leans all the way in: smoky beef, BBQ sauce, four cheeses, butter, and a pickle for good measure.
For the drink, Dr. “USA” takes inspiration from the old-fashioned Texas soda fountain tradition with cherry, vanilla, warming spice, citrus, and bubbles. It is not intended as a Dr Pepper copycat—just a playful Fiji Craft nod to a famously Texan idea.
For this Fiji Craft flight to Texas, we paired Osterfeld Ranches beef with ridiculously creamy mac and cheese and a cherry-forward house soda, because subtlety was not invited on this flight.
