Smoking Cheese
Well my experience with apple is very slim! I only purchased a block of apple smoked cheddar before my first batch. Just didn't like the flavor that came from it. Maybe its because it was store bought and wasn't smoked myself? Who knows! The question is should I go with apple or cherry? Dunno.
I plan on having sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, swiss, provolone, pepper jack, colby/monterey jack, and colby cheese. Going with a 2 hour smoke this time. Instead of 4 hours like the last batch. 3 days will make 4 weeks. Tried the pepper jack it was still a little over smoked for me personally.
Will Cherry or apple compliment all these cheeses well?
Either apple or cherry wood will compliment the cheese fine. I would bet that your experience with the store bought smoked cheese is simply because it was commercially produced.
You have to remember that wood type selection and smoke exposure is just as important with cheese as it is with meat. It's like smoking oysters; using hickory with a heavy smoke flavor can easily overpower the delicate taste of the seafood, the same is true with milder flavored cheeses.
When smoking softer cheeses they need MUCH LESS smoke than harder cheeses. Be careful very when using gouda, cream, and other soft cheeses, they will probably only need 30 to 60 mins of smoke. Too much smoke on any cheese will create a strong/bad taste, even after the rest.
Until you become proficient in smoking cheese, I suggest keeping a log book with length of smoking times, temperatures, type of wood, and the amount of resting time. This will prevent you from making the same mistake twice. If you make a mistake, learn from your them and enjoy the best smoked cheese you could ever enjoy.
Timed exposure to smoke when slow smoking cheese depends on several things...
Personal tastes. Personal tastes of heavy or light smoke flavor will determine exposure time for many.
The type of cheese. The type of cheese you are smoking also determines exposure time. Harder, Stronger, flavored cheeses like Emmentaler Swiss, Extra Sharp Cheddar, Asiago, and Gruyère can take a heavy smoke without overpowering the flavor of the cheese. Whereas Brie, Camembert, Bleu, Mild Cheddar, and other mild flavored cheeses can be easily overpowered with heavy smoke exposure.
Type of wood / pellets. Hickory or Mesquite can easily overpower mild flavors of even strong flavored cheeses. Use milder wood / pellets like fruit woods to impart a complimentary smoke flavor to the cheese and not overpower the delicate flavor of the cheese. I prefer to use apple, cherry, or plum pellets, I also very thinly slice fresh apples and lay a few slices on top of the pellets to impart additional flavor. But with the softer milder cheeses like Brie, Roquefort, and Canaregal I prefer to use a alder pellets to produce a very mild smoke to lightly compliment the delicate flavors of these cheeses.
Learning to calculate smoking and resting times required for a good flavor is a skill you will learn as you continue cold smoke cheese. Letting it rest for at least two weeks is a must to let the flavor migrate throughout the cheese, otherwise it could be overpowering.
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