I think I did it wrong...

[RDSBandit]

So, i tried cold smoking some cheese for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Excited to try out fold smoking, and my new smoke tube I smoked five 8 ounce bricks of cheese. The end result? No one liked it. The ONLY flavor it had was smoke. It was like eating a slice of smoke.

This is what i did. I waited until the outside temperature was in the 30's, let my cheese set out for a few hours to come to room temperature, then I packed my smoke tube with apple wood chips, got the fire going good, blew it out, then placed it in one side of my smoker with the cheese on the other. Burned through the chips in an hr, repacked the tube and smoked the cheese for another hr. Took the cheese out, let them rest for an hr. or so then wrapped them in wax paper then in saran wrap and left them in the fridge for 2 weeks.

What I think I did wrong was using wood chips instead if pellets.

Do you guys have any insight into what I did wrong?

The cheese was fresh mozzarella, medium cheddar, pepper jack, colby, and manchego.

[WillTravelForFood]

was it the rind/outside layer that overpowered the rest of the cheese? If you cut the outside off, how did the interior flavor compare?

[RDSBandit]

I dont know. I think the smoke penetrated all the way through.

[texastweeter]

How big were the blocks of cheese? 2 hours is enough for large blocks.

[texastweeter]

Awe hail, there's your problem. 8oz would be fine in a 15-30 minute smoke. I do the big 5lb blocks for 2 hours, and never smoke anything less than a lb

[RDSBandit]

So it was my cook time? Not the chips vs. Pelllets like I thought it was?

What i was finding when looking up how to smoke cheese, everything was saying 2 hrs. was an average time for any of it. Next cold front that comes through I may have to try like a 20 minute smoke, something like that and see what happens.

[texastweeter]

Or buy bigger blocks of cheese.

[Debra]

Try bringing them to room temp, wipe the oily, filmy build up off the outside and let it set I the fridge overnight unwrapped.
We find this helps a bit and always wipe the cheese down after smoking.
@texastweeter is right. Cheese will take a lot of smoke very quickly.

[RDSBandit]

Now that you mentioned that, I remember doing that as well. I wet a paper towel down with water and wiped the cheese off before putting it in the wax paper.

I didn't leave it in the fridge uncovered.

[bbqLuv]

cold smoke cheese, I think I may try it on Velveeta,
Please advise
Thank you in advance

[wu7y]

First, start with cheese.

[bbqLuv]

Did you marinate the cheese in Liquid Smoke first?

[Panhead John]

Great idea….that’s what I use when boiling ribs. 🥸

[bbqLuv]

Panhead John Now, that does make sense.
Please post your recipe for Liquid Smoke, boiled ribs.

[jfmorris]

Just boil the cheese in liquid smoke...

[curtisfarm]

When I smoke cheese I also make sure the outside temperature is cold. My cutoff point is about 60 degrees outside air temp. I also use a smoke tube for 2 hours. I have Masterbuilt smoker that I layer meaning I put the smoke tube below a pan of ice and the cheese on a layer above the ice. After smoking I put the cheese in butchers paper in refrigerator for a day. Then I put into vacuum seal bags for at least 2 weeks before using. The longer the better:-)

[captainlee]

I only smoke cheese when it's cold out 32 or lower. I do use a smoke tube in my Yoder but have the fan running the entire time. I think the tube can produce too much smoke, the fan dilutes the smoke i believe. Also at my altitude of 8500 i need that fan to keep the tube ignited.