Smoked Cheese

[snowswamp]

My search for "smoked cheese" came up with a lot about smoke and a lot about cheese but not much on smoked cheese. Let me know if I didn’t look hard enough.

The articles I’m reading on other sites say to smoke it for 1 to 3 hours and to keep the temp low, below 90 degrees to prevent the cheese from melting. Sounds logical but I thought this was prime bacteria danger zone temp and holding it there for three hours. On top of that, some also recommend having the cheese at room temp before starting. What am I missing about cheese that allows it to be fine?

[Jerod Broussard]

These are hard cheeses. You are just adding smoke to something that is ready for consumption and does not have to be refrigerated, unless it is going to be held for a really long time, Shelf Stable, if you will.

Don't use the cold box on a smoker to smoke cheese WHILE smoking fish in the main chamber. Meathead said it ain't good.

[texastweeter]

snowswamp sounds like you have the basics. I just finished off the last of this winters smoked cheese yesterday.

[LA Pork Butt]

I have smoked cheese in cold weather, but not in warm. I once got the temp to high and it was a disaster. Someone told me that you can smoke cheese in warm weather if you put a pan of ice in your smoker to keep the temp low.

[texastweeter]

I tried it and it sweated too much oil out and the cheese got crumbly. I probably did it wrong. I put a 1/2 hotel pan that i filled with water and froze on the rack below the cheese and smoked with an amazintube for 3 hours. Was so crumbly it fell apart when I went to vac seal and age.

[LA Pork Butt]

texastweeter did you have a heat shield between heat source and the cheese? I did it one time and forgot the shield causing it to melt the cheese.

[texastweeter]

well, most of the heat comes from the 100 degree Texas sun. Used an Amazin tube in a vertical gasser. LA Pork Butt

[Catmandu]

I've smoked many types of cheese, typically for 2-3 hours, and never had an issue with bacteria or having the cheese go bad in any way. I pull the blocks out of the refrigerator, cut into chunks, then throw it in the smoker. I do not let it get to room temp before smoking. Once done smoking, I wrap in paper towels (to soak up any oil caused by the minimal heat) and throw in the refrigerator overnight. Vacuum pack it the next day, then back in the refrigerator. Never any issues. Everyone loves the results!

[Brewmaster]

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/338852-smoked-cheese

[snowswamp]

Bingo! I figured it had to be here somewhere. I really need to learn to use the search feature better. 😕 Thanks!

[Brewmaster]

I had followed post so I didn't have to search for it, makes it a little easier for us computer impaired

[Xandera_7]

If you don't have the capacity to cold smoke, you need to use trays of ice. I smoked some mozzarella last week. I put a disposable trays filled with ice in the smoker. Placed the mozza on parchment paper on a tray and laid it across the top of the ice tray. Smoke for one hour at low temp (90F90F to 125F). Flip the cheese, add more ice and smoke for another hour.
Wrap it in parchment paper and let it sit in the fridge for 2 days (this mellows out the flavor profile).

This is what it looked like after the 2 day rest in the fridge

[Dr ROK]

Easiest way I've found is to use a smoke tube as the only heat and smoke source. An hour or two is plenty smoky for me. Fridge in ziplocks over night and vacuum seal next day. Will last well over a year in the fridge if the vacuum is not broken ya can leave it alone for that long.

[LA Pork Butt]

That’s the only way I had success.