Easy smoked cheeses

[nickel plate]

Having never done this before I was a little apprehensive so I financially baby stepped in case things went south and bought the Tillamook brand of sharp and mild cheddar and monterey jack.
There's plenty of information on the internet as to how to go about this so I averaged out a game plan from what I saw and read.
TYPES OF CHEESE: Hard cheeses only as they melt at a higher temperature.
SMOKING DEVICE: Bought a stainless steel A-MAZE-N smoke tube that burns pellets and REALLY puts out the smoke. This is the only heat source required.
PELLET MIXTURE: I made a blend of apple and cherry.
SMOKING TIME: Two hours.
SMOKING TEMPERATURE: Under 90* preferably around 80* so a thermometer is needed.
OUTSIDE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE: Avoid the warmer summer months. I started just before sun up around 50*/55* in late spring. Cool evenings work just as well.
TYPE OF BBQ: I used my Weber kettle but ANY type of charcoal, gas or pellet stove with a lid will work just as well as the only heat comes from the smoke tube.
PREPARATION: Cheeses are "block" sized, 2"x4" or thereabout, don't use sliced or graded due to their lower melt temperatures. Unwrap them and set out overnight to allow for some evaporation, smoke adheres better on the drier skin. Set the cheeses on a clean grate. I bought a small one that is just for this purpose. With the smoke tube pre-started place it below and away from the cheeses above. You can also use ice cubes in a tray placed directly above the smoke tube if overheating is a possible factor. Close the lid-that's basically it! All that's left to do is monitor the temperature and turn the cheeses about every twenty minutes.
THE HARD PART: Wrap or bag (as airtight as possible) the cheeses after they cool down and refrigerate for at least ten days or even better, two weeks. From what I've read, if you can't control your urge to immediately want to taste test, go back outside and lick the inside of the BBQ's lid! The new smoke has to age and work its way into the cheese and that takes time.
THE TWO WEEK WAIT OUTCOME: OMG! I don't think I can ever go back to eating unsmoked cheese.
Not long after that first batch I did another but this time with the higher priced stuff. Gouda, mozzarella, gruyere and swiss all turned out wonderful. The cheese in the photo is actually a bit darker than it looks.

 

[jmc]

Interesting. Looking forward to trying this.

I love smoked Gouda and stumbled across some that was much cheaper (and too big of a package) at a warehouse store. Bad idea. I think it was Gouda flavored American cheese with less orange food coloring and some Liquid Smoke thrown into the vat as well.

Here's Amazon's offerings for that smoke tube:

Amazon.com : A-MAZE-N smoke tube

 

[oosik]

My favorite - Jarlsberg.

 

[Hroller]

My girlfriend routes the smoke from running the regular smoker out of the vent, via a foil "tent", that directs the smoke to a ladder she's set a rack full of cheese on... then vacuum seals the blocks and puts them in the fridge to age... so good!

 

[nickel plate]

Interesting. Looking forward to trying this.

I love smoked Gouda and stumbled across some that was much cheaper (and too big of a package) at a warehouse store. Bad idea. I think it was Gouda flavored American cheese with less orange food coloring and some Liquid Smoke thrown into the vat as well.

Here's Amazon's offerings for that smoke tube:

Amazon.com : A-MAZE-N smoke tube

My A-MAZE-N smoke tube is the expandable model, 7" closed and 12" fully opened for an advertised full load burn of four hours. I filled it to 8" just to be safe. Remember those black and white cowboys and Indians movies where the Indians would be up on a cliff with a huge fire and wet blanket sending up smoke signals? Pure child's play compared to opening the lid on the Weber kettle to turn the cheeses-be prepared to stand back for a few moments!
I figured out why this model is oval and all the other non-expandable versions are round. The oval feature is so that when adjusting the tube's length one doesn't twist it as to closing/covering up the air perforations.
BTW, the gouda was fantastic!

 

[RobertN]

My son smokes cheese in my old Little Chief smoker. It comes out great! I use my Masterbuilt for most all smoking, but keep the Little Chief around just for things like this.

He uses the method shown on the last page of the Little Chief booklet
http://www.uncledavesenterprise.com/file/garden/storage/Little Chief Book.pdf

 

[blackdog2086]

I've been smoking various cheeses for about the last 5 or 6 years and agree that they're much better than just out of the package standard cheese. Due to our weather, I only do cheese in the spring or fall but do enough to last through the summer months. I'm not sure why you would need to turn it over as the smoke wraps completely around whatever it is you have in your smoke chamber (unless you had it in a pan with no bottom airspace). Enjoy your new tasty hobby.

 

[jocww]

Ive been smoking cheese for about 3 years as well. I dont seal my cheese I just let it rest on a cooling rack and then throw it in a ziplock if im not gonna eat it right away. I found that vaccum sealing didnt do anything

 

[Molalla1]

Ive been smoking cheese for about 3 years as well. I dont seal my cheese I just let it rest on a cooling rack and then throw it in a ziplock if im not gonna eat it right away. I found that vaccum sealing didnt do anything

Especially when like myself, eat it too fast . . . . :confused3:

 

[dj1701]

I bought me a smoking tube after reading this thread. Works real good for cheese or to add smoke to what your grilling.

The photo is Gouda smoking in Pitboss apple wood pellets.

 

[Mat4644]

Didn't know these existed. Thanks for posting.

 

[Molalla1]

I bought me a smoking tube after reading this thread. Works real good for cheese or to add smoke to what your grilling.

The photo is Gouda smoking in Pitboss apple wood pellets.

View attachment 670217

Nice . . . :thumbsup:

 

[nickel plate]

I bought me a smoking tube after reading this thread. Works real good for cheese or to add smoke to what your grilling.

The photo is Gouda smoking in Pitboss apple wood pellets.

View attachment 670217

I like the way you cut the Gouda into wedges. Everything I've read recommends rectangular pieces. Do you notice any difference in the smoke's flavor intensity from the thin to thick end?

 

[dj1701]

No, I don't notice any difference.

 

[nickel plate]

Cheese smoking time is here early in California-tomorrow's early temps in my neighborhood will be in the mid 30s. Will start around 5:00 a.m. and run for 2-1/2 hours. Everything is ready. Couldn't find my best cheese, Gouda- all of them were already smoked and flavored with this and that crap. Weber Kettle on!
Results/photos to follow.

 

[nickel plate]

Started at 5:00am, 34 degrees on the porch, finished at 7:30am. Parchment wrapped and in the fridge for two weeks to steep/age/savor the flavor and then out just in time for Thanksgiving.

 

[Molalla1]

Nice! . . .

 

[papa joe]

I smoked eight half pound blocks of assorted cheeses early this week. Makes good Christmas gifts. Tomorrow I plan to smoke about ten pounds of table salt. I use a smoke tube and apple wood pellets for cheese or salt. Smoke the salt for about eight hours, in shallow pans, stirring about every hour or so. My wife won't use plain salt any more. Many of my produce customers ask for a pound of smoked salt. It's a cheap bonus. BTW, I use Morton pickling and canning salt. It comes in four pound boxes.

 

[blackdog2086]

I do salt on screens. I use the splatter screens my wife has for her pans to put the salt on so that the smoke can penetrate somewhat better. The mesh is very tight so as long as you have a coarse grind salt it works fine. Besides, Im lazy and dont want to stir it even if it is just nonce an hour.

 

[the viking]

Thanks Nickel Plate for your post. I bought the tube and smoked up 6 pounds of Tillamook medium cheddar cheese using hickory pellets on a trial run. I managed to save some for Christmas gifts and bought several more tubes and pellets to give as gifts. This method beats the snot out of my using the natural wood and trying to keep the smoke and temps at a constant without melting the cheese. I see trying out other foods with this option! Thanks again!