Brisket Mac’n Cheese Recipe from A Touch of Disney at Disney California Adventure Park

Disney Parks has shared another recipe so we can have more Disney magic at home.

From a Disney Cast Member;

Who doesn’t love cheesy, creamy mac ’n cheese? Our Disney chefs fancied up this classic comfort dish by topping with smoked barbecue brisket, pickled red onions, and crispy fried shallots – YUM! We just had to get the recipe to share – it is a crowd-pleaser for sure!

This plate of comfort is currently offered at Smokejumpers Grill during A Touch of Disney and will remain on the menu at the reopening of Disneyland Resort on April 30. Be sure to plan ahead and mobile order through the official Disneyland mobile app for added convenience and to promote contactless payment. Here is a link for additional details on mobile order.

Brisket Mac ‘n Cheese from Smokejumpers Grill at Disney California Adventure Park
Serves 6

PICKLED RED ONIONS

  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt

CRISPY FRIED SHALLOTS

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup canola oil, for frying

SMOKED BEEF BRISKET

  • 1 pound smoked beef brisket (see Cook’s Note below)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

MAC ‘N CHEESE

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
  • Coarse salt, to taste
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • Black pepper, to taste

TOPPING

  • 1 cup favorite barbecue sauce

FOR PICKLED RED ONIONS:

  1. Place thinly sliced red onions in mixing bowl. Combine white vinegar, sugar, and salt in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
  2. Carefully pour over onions. Cool to room temperature.
  3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

FOR FRIED SHALLOTS:

  1. Heat oil in frying pan until it reaches 350°F.
  2. Combine flour, cornstarch, and salt in small bowl.
  3. Dip shallots in cornstarch mixture and shake off excess coating.
  4. Fry in hot oil for 1 minute, until crispy.
  5. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.

FOR SMOKED BRISKET:

  1. Shred or chop smoked beef brisket. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
  2. Heat large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, until hot. Add brisket and cook for 3 minutes, until hot.
  3. Keep warm until ready to serve.

FOR MAC ‘N CHEESE:

  1. Cook macaroni in salted water, according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
  2. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth and light brown in color.
  3. Slowly add milk, whisking to break up any lumps that form. Whisk until milk begins to simmer. Reduce heat to low. Add shredded cheddar and cream cheese. Whisk until smooth. Stir in macaroni. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  4. Keep warm until ready to serve.

TO SERVE:

Scoop mac ‘n cheese onto each plate. Add smoked brisket. Top with drizzle of barbecue sauce, pickled red onions, and fried shallots.

COOK’S NOTE: You can smoke your own brisket at home following directions for your particular smoker or simply pick up sliced smoked brisket from your favorite barbecue restaurant.

NoteAlways use caution when handling sharp objects and hot contents. Please supervise children who are helping or nearby. This recipe has been converted from a larger quantity in the restaurant kitchens. The flavor profile may vary from the restaurant’s version.

Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe. 

First Person To Ever Run From Disneyland To Walt Disney World

Don Muchow has become the first ever runner to run from Disneyland to Walt Disney World! Muchow started his Run Across America in Newport Beach on Saturday, Feb. 1 and reached Walt Disney World on April 5. What’s even more impressive… Muchow is a type 1 diabetic.

As shared via Muchow’s Facebook page: “First person to ever run from Disneyland to Walt Disney World ! Minds officially blown. Disney security, cast members & guests cheered as Don ran up to the entrance, loaded him down with a custom Mickey cap, balloons & more. He was greeted by the Walt Disney World park president & other leaders, assigned an official photographer & guest relations reps who took us into the park, to the front of the line on Its A Small World (our favorite ride, don’t judge) and gifted Don with a Mickey Mouse ice cream which was his only request (magical carbs but u still have to dose for them). Most important of all, met a Disney security staffer whose adult daughter has #type1diabetes and had multiple guests in the park approach and give a shoutout for their #t1d family members.”

Check out the video of his finish at Walt Disney World here

Avengers Campus at Disneyland Resort Opening Date Announced

Super Heroes assemble! Disney has announced the highly anticipated Avengers Campus will open at Disneyland Resort this summer! A new attraction, new experiences, new food and beverages, and new merchandise… we simply can’t wait to experience all things Avengers! 

As announced by Disney: “Avengers Campus – an entirely new land dedicated to discovering, recruiting and training the next generation of Super Heroes – will open June 4, 2021 at the Disneyland Resort! At this fully immersive land inside Disney California Adventure park, you will be invited to team up with the Avengers and their allies and live out your Super Hero dreams. Avengers Campus is comprised of several heroic locations, each hosted by a different Avenger to share their unique powers, technology and knowledge with recruits.”

On top of the announcement of the grand opening, Disney has also unveiled the first look inside Avengers Campus!

The first key area is the Worldwide Engineering Brigade – also known as WEB. It brings together bright innovators like Peter Parker who have been assembled by Tony Stark to invent new technologies and equip everyday people to become Super Heroes like the Avengers. WEB will house the new WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, the first Disney ride-through attraction to feature the iconic friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!

Along with WEB Slingers, guests will still have a chance to enjoy the second anchor attraction in Avengers Campus – Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!. Although this attraction opened in 2017, it continues to be a fan-favorite and officially has a home in Avengers Campus, right where it belongs!

All heroes need to power up with delicious food! Pym Test Kitchen is a food innovation science lab where the food and drinks tell a story. Just as Ant-Man and The Wasp use “Pym Particles” to grow and shrink just about anything, Pym Technologies applies this science to the creation of shareable bites, inventive entrees and sweet treats. Adjacent to the Pym Test Kitchen, an oversized beer can overhead signals that grown-up beverage tastings are available at Pym Tasting Lab. You can also visit one of the Avengers favorite food joints at Shawarma Palace, Taneleer Tivan, or Terran Treats.

Want to experience the Avengers in action? Throughout Avengers Campus you can expect to experience Avengers in exciting ways including encounters with Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Black Panther, the Dora Milaje, Black Widow, Ant-Man and The Wasp, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor and even villains like Loki, some of whom are making their first appearances at the park. You may even have the chance to witness Spider-Man swinging into action high above Avengers Campus.

At a nearby ancient sanctum, Doctor Strange will train recruits in the mystic arts by bringing this ancient sanctum to life with powerful spells. At night, the area glows even more vividly with majestic colors and lights, pulsating with mystic energy.

And lastly, ready for some Avengers merchandise? Find all the latest items at WEB Suppliers and the Campus Supply Pod.

Disney Announces Ticket Purchasing Guidelines Ahead of Disneyland Reopening

With Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure reopening on April 30, Disney has released specific guidelines for purchasing tickets. These may not be a surprise to many as they are in place per California’s reopening requirements.

According to these guidelines, the name and contact information of each person who purchases a ticket should be collected for contact tracing purposes. This information must be provided by the person who purchases the ticket, who will serve as the main contact on behalf of their entire party. When a guest purchases park tickets and makes a park reservation, the purchasing guest must confirm the party size, that it will not contain more than three households, and that all members of the party are California residents.

The theme parks will have a limited capacity and only California residents will be allowed to visit. Read our report from last week about California’s updated theme park guidelines regarding masking and queueing.

Disney With More Details About Disneyland’s Transformation

We previously shared the news that Disney has announced plans to transform much of Disneyland over a multiyear project named “DisneylandForward”. Disney has now released their own information and website with all the details. Check out the details as shared below by DisneyParksBlog.

On March 25, the Disneyland Resort filed an application with the city of Anaheim to begin the process of updating our existing development approvals to start to lay the groundwork for future development and expansion in the decades to follow. These updated approvals will allow for future flexibility and the opportunity for more integrated experiences to be built and located throughout Disneyland Resort properties. 

Although the Disneyland Resort currently has the development approvals to build additional theme park attractions, hotel rooms, entertainment, retail, dining, shopping and parking, our existing development approvals severely limit the ways in which we can expand and locate offerings.

That is why we are launching DisneylandForward, a multi-year public planning effort with the city of Anaheim to update development approvals that meet the current and future demand in entertainment. With these updated approvals, Disneyland Resort will continue to be an industry leader in bringing first-of-a-kind offerings to Anaheim, which in turn will create thousands of new jobs and help support Anaheim’s funding for important services such as fire, police and public schools.

While there are no specific plans to share at this time, the possibilities for the future are nearly endless. Other Disney theme parks around the world are introducing new magic like Zootopia, currently under construction at Shanghai Disneyland, and Tangled- and Frozen-themed lands at Tokyo DisneySea. With more flexibility in planning, projects like these could serve as inspiration as Disney Imagineers dream up what’s possible for the Disneyland Resort. 

It is important to know that Disneyland Resort is not seeking any public funding in this effort and is not seeking to develop any additional square footage or hotel rooms beyond what is already allowed. We will be working with the city and community to update existing approvals to allow for future integrated, immersive experiences to be appropriately placed and built throughout Disney properties.

If you would like to learn more about exciting plans for the future of the Disneyland Resort, please visit DisneylandForward.com.