B
BigBelly
Guest
Gang,
Jorge's last thread on what new ideas for smoking stuff has woken up my lust for smoked cheese. It has been since the late 90's since I have worked or had smoked cheese! With all the many possible fine items we can smoke I never gave it a thought to smoke my own cheeses.
Have any of you smoked any cheese? If so what process did you follow?
Just thinking out loud here but maybe this method will work. I know this may get trickey in summer, or, if you live in TX like Jorge does there may be anther way of smoking cheese in the Dera. Being I am farther north the fall and winters here do deliver cold weather which would be more conducive to smoking cheeses with little effort.
Hear me out. I wait till a cool day--particularly 65 degrees or lower. I can fill up the water pan with ice water or just plain old ice. The charcoal and wood chunks will be started in the chimney till they are grey and ashed over. Once done I get a nice little fore going on in the dera. I am thinking that I want to make sure I do not go past the melting point for whatever cheeses I may be smoking so keeping the internal temp between 65 degrees and 110 will be suitable to get the deed done. Use small fist sized pieces of either oak or apple wood throughout the 1 1/2 - 2 hours of smoking.
Right now I am thinking about smoking Mozzarella, Aged Cheddar, Colby, and some Pepper Jack. Do any of you have any preferences on smoked cheese? If so, what kinds do you like?
Other then having smoked cheese when I want it, I was thinking that these will make great holiday gifts as well. I can vacum seal the cheese to make sure it will last a few weeks after smoking. Wrap them up with a platter, some assorted crackers and some homemade smoked beer sticks (mini sausages). Instead of giving out the family photo and other various gifts I can substitute these goodies instead! Well, some of the in-laws will still only get the photo =)
Heck, who knows I may be able to peddle these along with other wares when the catering window (spring, summer, early fall) window has long past.
Tell me whatca think.
Jorge's last thread on what new ideas for smoking stuff has woken up my lust for smoked cheese. It has been since the late 90's since I have worked or had smoked cheese! With all the many possible fine items we can smoke I never gave it a thought to smoke my own cheeses.
Have any of you smoked any cheese? If so what process did you follow?
Just thinking out loud here but maybe this method will work. I know this may get trickey in summer, or, if you live in TX like Jorge does there may be anther way of smoking cheese in the Dera. Being I am farther north the fall and winters here do deliver cold weather which would be more conducive to smoking cheeses with little effort.
Hear me out. I wait till a cool day--particularly 65 degrees or lower. I can fill up the water pan with ice water or just plain old ice. The charcoal and wood chunks will be started in the chimney till they are grey and ashed over. Once done I get a nice little fore going on in the dera. I am thinking that I want to make sure I do not go past the melting point for whatever cheeses I may be smoking so keeping the internal temp between 65 degrees and 110 will be suitable to get the deed done. Use small fist sized pieces of either oak or apple wood throughout the 1 1/2 - 2 hours of smoking.
Right now I am thinking about smoking Mozzarella, Aged Cheddar, Colby, and some Pepper Jack. Do any of you have any preferences on smoked cheese? If so, what kinds do you like?
Other then having smoked cheese when I want it, I was thinking that these will make great holiday gifts as well. I can vacum seal the cheese to make sure it will last a few weeks after smoking. Wrap them up with a platter, some assorted crackers and some homemade smoked beer sticks (mini sausages). Instead of giving out the family photo and other various gifts I can substitute these goodies instead! Well, some of the in-laws will still only get the photo =)
Heck, who knows I may be able to peddle these along with other wares when the catering window (spring, summer, early fall) window has long past.
Tell me whatca think.
