1Slice the smoked sausage into angled, irregular pieces.
2Combine barbecue sauce, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, a heaping tablespoon of gochujang, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and some black pepper in a pot.
3Add the sliced sausage to the sauce mixture and let it simmer.
4Melt two tablespoons of butter in a separate pot.
5Add two tablespoons of flour to the melted butter to make a roux; let it toast for a minute or two until it darkens slightly.
6Start cooking the pasta in plenty of salted water.
7Add the first can of evaporated milk to the roux, then have the second can ready.
8Add Dijon mustard, paprika, garlic powder, a couple big pinches of salt, and black pepper to the sauce and whisk in.
9Begin adding the four cheeses (Gouda, fontina, sharp yellow cheddar, and yellow American) a handful at a time, whisking and letting each batch melt before adding more.
10Carefully toss the pasta with the cheese sauce.
11Add a tablespoon of salted butter to the shells and cheese and let it melt in.
12Serve the stovetop shells and cheese with the simmered sausage and barbecue sauce.
Ingredients
pork kielbasa smoked sausage
barbecue sauce
yellow mustard
Worcestershire sauce
brown sugar
1 tbsp gochujang
splash apple cider vinegar
black pepper
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
pasta
salt
2 cans evaporated milk
Dijon mustard
paprika
garlic powder
handful Gouda cheese
handful fontina cheese
handful sharp yellow cheddar cheese
handful yellow American cheese
1 tbsp salted butter
Equipment
potwhisk
Tips
Keep the heat really low and gentle when making cheese sauces.
Add cheese a handful at a time and whisk, letting it melt before adding more to prevent splitting or graininess.