Smoking cheese

FLfishR · Dec 7, 2005

I smoked some cheese for the first time tonight. It came out pretty good. I used 6 or 8 briquets, then 3 or 4 small chunks of hickory over an hour smoke. It had a little too much smokey taste. I should have used pecan for 45 minutes.

MilitantSquatter · Dec 7, 2005

Nice !!

Where was your avg temp hovering around ?

I've never got around to smoking cheese but I think about it often every time I pick up some fresh mozzarella at the local Italian market near me.

If I recall correctly from what I read somewhere a while back , you need to wrap it in cheese cloth and the temps need to be in the 140-150 range.

Kevin · Dec 7, 2005

Just bought a wheel of smoked gouda for $7.99 a pound. Gotta learn to smoke cheese.

chad · Dec 8, 2005

cheese is usually smoked at below 100 (maybe even below 90) degrees...you are not cooking the cheese - so the smoke is what gets the job done.

Here's a nice tutorial from the virtual weber people...

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/cheese.html

CharlieBeasley · Dec 8, 2005

A friend here in cold country smokes cheese and he recommends no higher than 88 degrees and smokes for 4 hours. I like the hickory taste Chad had some in Key Largo. I ask him to try Mozzarella next!:biggrin:

Jorge · Dec 8, 2005

Coincidence. A year or so ago I whined that I never get the chance to smoke cheese hear in Texas since it's hard to keep the pit cool enough. I've had some gouda, edam and pepper jack on for almost two hours now. Didn't hurt that it was 19* when the sun started coming up....

backyardchef · Dec 8, 2005

Cold smoking is fun and easy...I like to use a hotplate in the firebox with a chunk of pecan wrapped in foil. The chunk smokes a good long time. I rotate the cheese (or whatever we're smoking) to expose all sides to the smoke and let it go until I get the flavor I like. I try to keep the the temp. below 90, myself. I'm not sure if it's my imagination or what, but when I can, I let the cheese sit in the fridge for a day or two before we eat it, and it seems the smoke flavor mellows a bit. In the summer, when it's hard to keep the temp down, I crack the lid with a stick to let some heat out. Works like a charm.

--Matt

Mark · Dec 8, 2005

This comes up every year about this time (just like Christmas carols). The best advice I recall was someone (maybe it was kcquer?) recommending putting the cheese on a rack over the Bandera smoke stack and placing a cardboard box over that.

If its cold and/or windy, I can usually get by just keeping a small fire going, like how I dry my peppers.

Elkhound · Dec 8, 2005

Jorge said:
Coincidence. A year or so ago I whined that I never get the chance to smoke cheese hear in Texas since it's hard to keep the pit cool enough. I've had some gouda, edam and pepper jack on for almost two hours now. Didn't hurt that it was 19* when the sun started coming up....

Definatly a winter time activity here. When average outside temp in the summer is 90* and over it just wouldn't work. Gonna have to try me some this weekend, temps in the 30s.

FLfishR · Dec 8, 2005

The cheese from last night was not as strong tasting today. I still think 45 minutes would be about right. As for temp, it was about 50 degrees outside and the thermometer on the bandera didn't register any change while smoking. I cut my cheese in 1x1x4 inch blocks. If you left it whole it would take longer I think.

Smoking cheese

FLfishR

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MilitantSquatter

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Kevin

Quintessential Chatty Farker

chad

somebody shut me the fark up.

CharlieBeasley

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Jorge

somebody shut me the fark up.

backyardchef

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Mark

somebody shut me the fark up.

Elkhound

Knows what a fatty is.

FLfishR

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