Mic Drop Mac: A Tex-Mex Twist on Comfort Food

This gooey, glorious side has earned a permanent spot on Brandon Hurtado's menu (and maybe yours, too)

- 

As the founder of Hurtado BBQ, Brandon Hurtado knows why the Hatch Chile Mac and Cheese is the most popular side dish at his Texas chain of restaurants. “It’s a bold deviation from the normalcy of what you find in barbecue mac and cheese,” he tells Us. The pitmaster and self-described half-Hispanic notes that he tries to “pay homage to my family and our heritage” through his food, something that’s particularly important during Hispanic Heritage Month. “It connects people like me, who perhaps didn’t grow up in a purely Latino household, to our culture.”