From the menu of ... Dave Poe's BBQ

A: Our readers' letters make it clear that many of them judge a barbecue restaurant as much by the quality of its macaroni and cheese as by the smokiness of its meat. Or maybe it's that they know that while they don't have the equipment to reproduce the barbecue pork at home, they just might be able to bake up a pan of this favorite side dish.

Fortunately for us, Mindy Hinson of Dave Poe's BBQ was happy to share the recipe for their luscious version. The recipe uses rigatoni noodles instead of the more traditional elbow macaroni, and it is brilliant in its simplicity.

The shelves full of barbecue trophies at Dave Poe's are testimony to the pitmasters' prowess with barbecue. If they gave trophies for macaroni and cheese, the restaurant would have to expand its bragging wall.

Dave Poe's Mac-n-Cheese

Hands on: 10 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 10

1 (16-ounce) package rigatoni

Salt

1 quart heavy cream

1/2 pound shredded cheddar, divided

1/2 pound shredded Monterey Jack, divided

1/4 pound shredded Parmesan, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. The cooking water should be salted to the point where it tastes like sea water. Cook the pasta until just done. Drain cooked pasta and do not rinse.

Immediately put in large mixing bowl. Add cream, 1 cup cheddar, 1 cup Monterey Jack and 1/2 cup Parmesan to pasta and toss together. Pour into prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl, toss remaining cheddar and Monterey Jack together and sprinkle on top of pasta. Top with remaining Parmesan. Dish may be prepared ahead to this point and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead.

When ready to serve, bake 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and top is lightly browned.

Per serving: 720 calories (percent of calories from fat, 66), 23 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 53 grams fat (33 grams saturated), 183 milligrams cholesterol, 494 milligrams sodium.

Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put "From the menu of" and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.