Cold Smoke Cheese

[Karon Adams]

I like smoked cheese. I have been trying a little here and there but not a lot. I have not done anything large. but, I'd love to do so. here's my question:

How deeps will the smoke penetrate cheese? If you bought a large piece, how thick would you want to cut it? would you want it to be thin enough that the smoke would completely penetrate or would you prefer to have a layer of smoke and a part of the cheese remaining unsmoked?

What would you all think would be the ideal thickness for cheese smoked your way and why?

[HouseHomey]

I don't know. I was wondering ever since Steve B did the pepperjack. I'm thinking about that.

steve????

[texastweeter]

I smoke entire 2lb blocks and smoke gets all the way to the middle, assuming you rest it at room temperature for a bet, then let it hang out for at least a week in the fridge. I usually use a pinapplejuice can, 3 charcoal brickettes and a bunch of fruit wood (cherry or apple), but this year i have an amazinmaze and an amazin tube i plan to use if i can ever find a non HUGE bag of pellets for them as this is my only application for it. I rest at room temperature about 12 hours after smoking, and then in the fridge in a ziplock bag with all the air remived for at least a week. I have noticed that softer cheeses (muenster, jack and such) take the smoke more than hard cheeses (extra sharp new your cheddar or god forbid the Italians hang me, parmesiano reggiano...try it, its fantastic).

[surfdog]

Resting is key! Shortly after smoking it can taste like it was dipped into an ashtray. No bueno.

[Murdy]

texastweeter -- At room temperature, is the cheese in a ziploc or exposed to the air?

[texastweeter]

Murdy exposed. I now vac seal them when going into the fridge. I age it much longer in the fridge now, but a week minimum. I only smoke cheese when the ambient temp outside doesn't rise above 50° or so.

[Steve B]

I can’t attest to cold smoking cheese. The experiment I did was blending 2 cheeses. SVing them. Which I have to do again cause it turned out pretty good.
My brother on the other hand has smoked cheese several times. I don’t know what and how he does it and you can’t ask him here cause he’s a cheap SOB and won’t join the pit. Great guy, just stingy.
But I keep working on him.

[Dusty]

I use the amazin smoking tube on my Weber Genesis with the burners off. I don’t think the smoke penetrates very deep but when it does it is concentrated. I take the end cuts when slicing and reserve those for flavoring soups, stews and sauces. Time and temperature are more of a factor to how smoky the end product will be. It took me about five or six test runs to get the flavor profile I was looking for.

[HorseDoctor]

I too use the Amazin smoke tube, either in me COS or BGE depending on how much I'm doing. I cut cheeses so the thickest part is less than 2". Usually go 2-4 hours of smoke, maybe more if the ambient temp is really low. Did some just before Christmas (at below freezing temps) that might have been 5-6 hours. Key is to vac-pac (or zip loc) it and put it in fridge for at least a couple weeks for the smoke to redistribute or mellow. Fresh off the smoker the outside can be pretty bitter. The smoke seems to penetrate with time which makes the interior more smokey and the exterior much more mellow. Enjoy!

[Attjack]

I cut my blocks 1.5" - 2" thick and feel the smok penetrates completely though the flavor is obviously stronger on the outside than the center.

[Dr ROK]

Here are my notes from last January that I copied and pasted from evernote:

"1-27-17 Used pecan pellets from bbqdelight. Smoked with amazintube for two hours in unplugged rec tec. Smoked pepper jack, cheddar, and gouda. Some of the cheddar actually started softening. Must have been too close to the amazentube. Outside temp was around 30º. When time was up, I did not dry off cheese before adding to ziplocks and putting in fridge overnight to cool.

2-10-17 Vacuum sealed cheese and put in fridge. Put all chunks of same flavor in one large bag with excess bag on top of each bag, so I can open and take some out and then reseal. Intial taste is strong smoke flavor.

If it doesn’t mellow with age, may want to try 1.75 hours next time."

It did mellow with age and was perfect for my preference, which is a fairly strong smoke flavor. If you like it milder, decrease amount of time in the smoke. Key factor is to let the cheese age for a considerable time to allow the harshness of the smoke to mellow. I like to vacuum seal it and let it set for at least a month.

This post has made me want some smoked cheese, so I'm heading downstairs to grab a pack of the smoked gouda. It's all i have left from the aforementioned smoke and a years aging should have done it wonders!

[CandySueQ]

Me too! In cold weather, I'd start 7 briquettes in the Weber Kettle. Make two foil packets with orange pellets. Put blocks of sharp white cheddar on a piece of foil on the opposite side of the briquettes. Position exhaust right above the cheese. Smoke up the first packet of pellets. Take out grill, flip cheese bottom to top, load up second foil packet and smoke up again. This process takes maybe 30-40 minutes. Seal cheese and don't taste it for a week. Good stuff!

[texastweeter]

8lbs of cheese in the smoker right now with some onions, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime that is destined to be smoked salsa. I have 4 lbs of cheddar, and 4 lbs of full fat motz, as that is two of the cheeses in my bacon smoked mac and triple cheese. This is my first cold smoke with the amazin tube and Applewood pellets. I usually use a 3 charcoal briquettes, a coffee or pineapple juice can and a bunch of apple wood chips.

[DoubleUpOrQuit]

I smoked some cheese for the first time a little over a week ago. I used apple pellets in a tube and had the tube sitting in the firebox of an offset smoker. I had 2 x 1lb blocks of cheddar, 1 x 1lb block of pepper jack, and 2 x .5lb blocks of gouda. I let it sit in the smoke for about 3 hours, sealed them, and rested in the fridge for the last week. I tried a piece last night and was really disappointed in both the smell and the taste. Smell and taste made me think I might have just licked the inside belly of my Weber Kettle.

I've been asking myself the following:
Was apple wood the completely wrong choice here?
Did I smoke too long?
Maybe I should have cracked the lid for some extra ventilation.
Do I need to let the cheese sit longer and hope it mellows, or chuck all of it and start over?

What do you folks think?

[Catmandu]

Just going to mention what works for me, not that I have any expertise. When I buy a 5lb block from Costco I cut it into six smaller blocks, and similar when buying other cheeses which originate in smaller blocks. I smoke cheese for roughly two hours, then wrap each chunk in paper towels (to absorb any oils or sweating) and place in the fridge overnight. Vacuum pack each chunk the next day, then back in the fridge for at least two weeks before eating.

[DoubleUpOrQuit]

Thanks Catmandu Are you using pellets, coal, or wood to generate your smoke?

[Catmandu]

I use pellets, in an A-maze-N tray. Lately I've been using Cherry, but have used apple in the past. Truth be told, I can't tell any difference within the taste of the cheese.

[BigD]

When I did my first batch last year I had the same outcome, tasted like I was licking an ashtray. I've done a couple batches this fall again. I use apple pellets and an A-maze-N tube in my Traeger. My taste preference is usually only to keep it in the smoke for about 1.5 hours. Then I seal them and let them sit in the fridge for at least 2 weeks but usually closer to a month. Maybe you just need to let them sit for a bit longer and they will come around. Once again, it's however you want it to taste and this is what works for me and my family. Best of luck with the next batch!

[Spinaker]

Please check your inbox. I need to hear from you. Thanks!

[DoubleUpOrQuit]

Thanks BigD

[texastweeter]

Big blocks of cheese (2-5 lbs), fruitwood in my amazinmaze or tube, 2-4 hours of smoke (depending on the type of cheese and size of block), vac sealed and in the fridge a minimum of 2 weeks. Comes out great for me every time. Doing it in one of my vertical smoker.

[DoubleUpOrQuit]

Thanks texastweeter By the sounds of it I might just need to put it away for awhile. I'll revisit the cheese in a few weeks and see if it's improved.

[IowaGirl]

It's hard to be patient enough to let the cheese and smoke mellow together, but that's the secret!

[Karon Adams]

Something I would point out is when cold smoking anything but especially something like cheese (remember fats absorb ANY flavors that are less than a mile in radius away) you want to be absolutely certain you are getting clean, non combusting smoke. blue smoke. We use a small cast iron skillet, fill it with pellets of choice, wrap in several layers of foil and poke very small holes in the foil. then, I heat it on a hotplate and 'pipe' the smoke to the chamber (an old Microwave is excellent). that way, you are getting the good smoke but not ash particles. what you are getting are the volatile essentials (essential oils) of the wood and not carrying the ash with it.

[Cyprus BBQ club]

I've cold smoked halloumi cheese many times with different woods. It's great with apple, cherry or a little oak. The great thing is, if the outside temps are above 30c, you can still smoke it as it holds it's shape.