Might smoke some cheese tonight...

[JMSetzler]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3402440/pics/blog/20110629_ColdSmoker_0277.jpg

The low temperature tonight here is supposed to be around 60° and I thought I might try out my A-MAZE-N smoker on some cheese for the first time. I have never smoked cheese before and have a couple questions....

1. I have several options to use as the smoke chamber... my UDS, the Mini WSM, the WSM 18.5, or the Kettle. Which should I use?

2. Is 60° outside temp cool enough to do this successfully?

3. Is 2 to 3 hours adequate time to smoke several hunks of cheese?

Thanks in advance for your tips and advice :)

[DirtyDirty00]

i have no idea about the cheese. however that is one cool contraption! what is the idea behind it?

[deguerre]

I love my A-Maze-N! Chamber size depends on how much you want to make. I used my GOSM as the smoke chamber the last time and smoked about three lbs - cut about 1" thick from a 4/4 block of munster. Plus some cheddar bars. Anything below 90 degrees is good but 60 should be perfect! As to the time, 2, 2 1/2 hours ought to do it depending on how smokey you want it. It WILL get stronger the longer you let it "cure" in the fridge after the smoke. I'd recommend 2 weeks. (I vacuusuck mine). Have fun!

[BlueHowler]

Use your UDS. I've smoked cheese at 70º with no problems but if the temps start getting close to high 70º's and above melting starts with the softer cheeses.

I'd smoke at least 4 hours and let the cooled and wrapped cheese rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

You'll get hooked on smoked cheese and the store bought smoked cheese will never taste as good.

[JMSetzler]

i have no idea about the cheese. however that is one cool contraption! what is the idea behind it?

It's just a little metal mesh maze square that slow smolders the sawdust that they provide. I bought the kit that came with the smoker and three 1-lb bags of dust... cherry, maple, and hickory. It also came with a little butane torch to light it off....

http://www.amazenproducts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=12

I gave it a short test run after I bought it and smoked some salt but haven't tried anything else with it yet, but the weather is about cool enough to start working with some cheese...

[smokerpete]

60º is not a problem for smoking cheese. You can easily smoke cheese up to 80º. If the smoke chamber starts to get above 80º you might try inserting a pan of ice to help control it.

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab105/papa_peter/BBQ%20Smoke/Cheese10092010/cheese5.jpg

I would start with 2 hours of smoke. I like to use Apple.

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab105/papa_peter/BBQ%20Smoke/Cheese10092010/cheese4.jpg

One thing to remember is that once you've finished smoking the cheese it will taste like charcoal or an ashtray :mad: Let the cheese rest for about an hour before you vacuum seal it.

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab105/papa_peter/BBQ%20Smoke/Cheese10092010/cheese7.jpg

Here's the most important part for me ... Let the cheese rest in the fridge for at least 4-6 weeks before you try it!! You'll be amazed at how great smoked cheese tastes :-D

[deguerre]

So there you go JM. Three different time recommendations, three different incubation recommendations depending on what you want.:becky: None of them wrong. Personally, I would also wait 4 weeks but I've never been able to hold off that long.

[Smokeaterict]

I've got to try this :)

[JMSetzler]

So there you go JM. Three different time recommendations, three different incubation recommendations depending on what you want.:becky: None of them wrong. Personally, I would also wait 4 weeks but I've never been able to hold off that long.

I'll probably find a happy medium on the time for smoking and aging. I'll probably hold some out to sample over time as well... some immediately, some after 24 hours, some after a few days, and some more after a few weeks...

[deguerre]

I'll probably find a happy medium on the time for smoking and aging. I'll probably hold some out to sample over time as well... some immediately, some after 24 hours, some after a few days, and some more after a few weeks...

Yep. Experiment on the smoke times too? Pull some at 2, then 3 then 4 hours since the Maze will go for about six, though I haven't tested it for that long.

[JMSetzler]

Not sure... this is going to be an ongoing project. I'll go broke buying cheese and run out of places to store it if I'm not careful :) I am probably gonna buy some samples of two or three different cheeses tonight and then smoke them all for the same length of time. I'll probably start with Gouda, pepper jack, and some form of cheddar.

[pigdog]

I did it in my wsm with a can and a soldering iron. I used hickory sawdust. I smoked for 1 hour and it was way too smokey for me. I plan on using apple next time and going for a half an hour. Maybe I am a wimp, but , I don't know how smoking over an hour could be palatable. Even over a weeks time my hickory smoked cheese was really strong. It's a lot different taste than from the store. I am not sure I like it yet.......

[Smoothsmoke]

I did it in my wsm with a can and a soldering iron. I used hickory sawdust. I smoked for 1 hour and it was way too smokey for me. I plan on using apple next time and going for a half an hour. Maybe I am a wimp, but , I don't know how smoking over an hour could be palatable. Even over a weeks time my hickory smoked cheese was really strong. It's a lot different taste than from the store. I am not sure I like it yet.......

Try some smoked Mac n Cheese and you'll definitely love it.

[pigdog]

Maybe I need to let it rest longer. I'd heard 1 week, but not a month. Gonna half to try again I guess. Yes, love smoked mac n cheese, too

[Bartstop]

I've done it a few times with el cheapo cheaddar. If I remember right we did 45 minutes in the smoke and then it had to sit in the fridge for a week before it lost the ashtray taste. Just remember that cheese will soak up that smoke like a sponge so go easy.



Dave

[DirtyDirty00]

It's just a little metal mesh maze square that slow smolders the sawdust that they provide. I bought the kit that came with the smoker and three 1-lb bags of dust... cherry, maple, and hickory. It also came with a little butane torch to light it off....

http://www.amazenproducts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=12

I gave it a short test run after I bought it and smoked some salt but haven't tried anything else with it yet, but the weather is about cool enough to start working with some cheese...


ooo i see! so u just put this in the smoker, and let this do the burning and obviously no fire in the firebox. then this creates smoke with little to no heat? ok i see. interesting... very interesting! thanks!

[JMSetzler]

I just put on a pound of colby jack, a half pound of gouda, half pound of pepper jack, and a pound of swiss... using Hickory smoke for the trial run. Gonna smoke it for two hours, vacu-suck it, and let it sit for a while...

[plethoraofpinatas]

...I'll go broke buying cheese and run out of places to store it if I'm not careful :) ...

My fridge has plenty of room if you run out!

[Vision]

I use a weber kettle, a foil tent, and ice bottle to keep temps down. Smoke for 3 hours.

I won't touch the cheese for four weeks. It takes that long for my tastes.

[JMSetzler]

My cheese smoking didn't come out as I had imagined. The cheese didn't discolor very much at all... maybe that's normal. I haven't tasted any of it yet... i vacuum sealed it and put it in the fridge.

[bbqbull]

My cheese doesn't change color much either. But still has awesome flavor.
I think they dye it in the big commercial operations.

[Wrench_H]

My cheese doesn't change color much either. But still has awesome flavor.
I think they dye it in the big commercial operations.


Mine is the same way. White cheeses get a little yellow, but the yellow/orange cheeses don't seem to change color at all. I think you'll be pleased with the results.

[deguerre]

My cheese doesn't change color much either. But still has awesome flavor.
I think they dye it in the big commercial operations.

Mine is the same way. White cheeses get a little yellow, but the yellow/orange cheeses don't seem to change color at all. I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Yep. My experience too. So no worries. Oh, and Bull really knows his cheese. He cuts enough of it at least.