My First Attempt at Smoking Cheese

[HotSun]

I have been waiting for the temperatures to drop, stocking up on some cheeses in preparation for cold smoking. We got our first frost last night, so that was a good sign. I had a pellet tube prepped last night, so I could just fire it up after dropping the kids at school.

I have been studying this thread as a reference point for smoking cheese:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/recipes-technique-food-cooking/cheese/1151299-first-time-smoking-cheese

I found texastweeter 's guidance to be invaluable.

I got the pellet tube lighted, using the Pit Boss competition blend pellets (it's what I had lying around). The pellet tube flamed out at first, so I had to relight and make sure the smoke was rolling before bringing the cheese out. I put the heat deflector in the Kamander over the tube, as I did not want smoke concentrated on one side. I opened the damper vent to 5 (wide open), and lid/hood vent to 3.

I carefully put the cheese on a rack (it is resting carefully on the inside lip), and dropped the lid:


Cheeses, from left to right, starting from the top:

• Mild cheddar
• Mozzarella
• Colby Jack
• Swiss, or emmental if you prefer
• Monterey jack
• Sharp cheddar
• Extra sharp provolone (three pieces in the foreground)

Each block is a half pound, except the provolone at 1 pound. Since this is my pilot run of smoking cheese, I wanted to see how different types turn out with this type of smoke. The only thing I forgot to do is take the cheese out and let it come to room temperature.

Ambient temperature when I started, 34F.

I will post again once this comes out of the smoker. I am giving it about 2 hours.

[Texas Larry]

Looking good. Just now starting to get cool enough down here. I wrap my smoked cheese in plastic wrap and let it mellow in the fridge for a week. It tastes way too strong/ashy if I don’t.

PS — I follow pretty much the same procedure you explain here on my Kamado Joe.

[HotSun]

Thanks Texas Larry . The main issue I think I have is that since the pellet tube sits in the same chamber as the cheese, it adds too much heat. My Kamander is extremely efficient and well insulated, i.e. if it gets to 80F, it is going to stay at 80F for a long while. I'm sure your KJ is the same. I think I may do better with the A-maze-n rectangular smoking device.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

I did a batch yesterday, I don't go to room temp first... I actually chuck the cheese in the freezer for up to 2 hours first.

Only bummer with mine yesterday is I accidentally got aged cheddar, I could have sworn I got young cheddar... anyway the aged stuff crumbles so I couldnt get squared blocks.

It was 62F out, so I used some ice trays. With my MAK running at 175F my cold chamber fluctuated between 59F and 72F for the 4 hours I had it on. Then tightly wrapped in cellophane and then foil.

The pepper cheese is hot as heck!

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

oh, and for cheeses with a stronger flavor and/or hard cheeses I will smoke again after a few days. Granted this is for pellet smoke only, I don't think I'd do that with a different fuel type.

[HotSun]

Thanks for sharing, ItsAllGoneToTheDogs . I was thinking of going to 4 hours with this, but settled at 2.5. It's a first run and I want to see how each cheese, with different moisture levels and taste profiles, will turn out.

[RustyHaines]

Watching because it just cooled down here as well and I'm looking to get some cheeses smoked soon. Thanks for posting.

[HotSun]

I ran this for 2.5 hours, as it didn't quite look smoked after 2 hours, despite generous smoke rolling from the pellet tube the entire time. The temps crossed 80 a few times, so I dumped ice in the heat deflector to keep it cooler, several times. Eventually I just cracked the lid in the last 20 minutes, which seemed to help, and there was still ample smoke in the chamber. Ambient temps were getting close to 60 by the time I was done.

Results:


Closeup of the provolone, different sides:


As you can see, the cheese smoked unevenly. It could be the heat deflector, it could be the vent settings, or a combination of all. The Swiss had the most even smoke distribution, interestingly, considering it sat in the middle of the bunch. Maybe I need to turn them halfway, as the smoke seemed to settle on the tops of the cheeses more than anywhere else.

The proof will be in the eating, so I have vacuum packed everything up and will open one in 2-4 weeks.

Stay tuned (but don't hold your breath).

[HotSun]

One last comment: with the exception of the provolone, these are all the cheapest cheeses I could find to smoke: 1/2 pound blocks at $1.99/ block, so it won't hurt too much if I totally hose this operation. Total cost of the cheese: less than $20.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

my favorite thing about smoking cheese is turning a cheap walmart brand block into something special with minimal effort.

[HotSun]

Totally agree. All the above are Aldi block cheeses, except the extra sharp provolone, which is Bel Gioioso, my little splurge (though I had a coupon for that, too).

[texastweeter]

Looks good. Bet it is tasty. Smoked swiss is one of my favorites. I do probably 50lbs a year maybe more. Some I age for months after, but I think you will be happy.

[HotSun]

Thanks for all the good advice on the other thread texastweeter , I really appreciate it. I want to do some Guggisberg baby Swiss this winter, but I figure I want to reach the top of the learning curve before smoking one of my all-time favorite cheeses: https://www.babyswiss.com/

[tamidw]

I love smoked cheese! Yours looks great. My first time smoking cheese was an epic fail. Haha!

[HotSun]

Here we are, 4 days into aging with some of the provolone and the block of mozzarella, which feels like a month. All the cheeses are darkening as we progress along, which is unexpected, but then I have no experience with smoking cheeses.


I will wait patiently for two weeks, then crack open the provolone to try.

[HotSun]

I opened some of the cheese two weeks after smoking.

Mild cheddar on the right, extra sharp provolone on the left. The cheddar was good, but not great. The provolone was just plain funky and weird tasting. I am thinking this is a cheese that should should not be smoked.


Colby jack and mozzarella. These were much better, making me thing the softer cheeses are a better choice. I had these with my ramen yesterday and it was great! These two probably won't last long.

There is room for improvement. Firstly, I don't think I'll use the Pit Boss competition blend pellets. They try to be an all-purpose pellet, but they are just okay. I think I like them best for poultry. Hickory, cherry, mesquite, and maple are what I am considering for the next go-around. I will not smoke cheese with these pellets again.

Secondly, I think I should not have used the heat deflector (which became my ice pan), or at least had the smoke above it, instead of below. The smoke distribution was wildly uneven.

I will try the sharp cheddar and Swiss very soon and report my findings.

[HotSun]

WayneT , I'll give it a try later this month. I have some Cabot extra sharp I bought the other day with the intention to smoke.

[WayneT]

I love the Cabot cheeses. It’s a farmer’s cooperative up in VT I think.

[HotSun]

WayneT , you are correct about Cabot. I am concerned the extra sharp cheddar might not smoke well, like the provolone. I will decide which wood to use when I get closer to my next cheese smoking session.

[Murdy]

I've had good smoked provolone before, could just be the particular brand you used.

[gboss]

I think the extra sharp (aged) provolone might not take the smoke as well, as it's already got some bossy flavors. I bet "un-aged" provolone would work much better.

[HotSun]

Murdy , I think gboss called it. I used Bel Gioioso brand, which is pretty good, so I don't think that was it. The aged provolone has way too much going on as-is in terms of flavor, so smoking just gets it confused and causes a power struggle. I was going to just ask my deli counter to just whack a chunk of regular provolone , which I will do next time. In the meantime, I think I will let it rest for another couple weeks to see if it improved.

[HotSun]

Opened the Swiss yesterday. It had the best smoke distribution, but the flavor, though smokey, was underwhelming. It could be the cheese. It is interesting, but I probably won't repeat it. It looks good though....

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

For the cheeses you weren't so sure on, let them sit a month+ Or shred em and/or use to make a grilled cheese Sammy, the smoke flavor survives the melting just fine.

[HotSun]

(a little late on my reply) Great suggestion, ItsAllGoneToTheDogs , shredding marginal smoked cheeses is my new super power. I accidentally made an awesome chili con queso that way a few months ago. Oh lordy....