1st Smoked Cheese on 22.5" WSM


 
Tristan Pipo

Tristan Pipo

New member
This is my first time smoking cheese on my 22.5" WSM. I tried smoking Swiss and Monterey Jack that I picked up at my local grocery store.

My Setup and process:
- 2 blocks of cheese on cooling rack, over a foil tray with ice to help keep the internal temp down. I put this on the highest rack on my WSM.
- I started at 4:30pm with 70 degrees outside temp in San Diego, and ended at around 7:30pm.
- I tried to keep the internal temp of the smoker below 70 degrees, but I didn't have an accurate ambient thermometer to get a good reading, I'm just guessing. Good thing the cheese didn't melt lol.
- 3 hours of smoke time, and I rotated the cheese every 30 minutes.
- Used a Pellet Smoker Tube from Amazon, and tried Apple Pellets with it. I added this to the bottom coal ring area. I also kept the water pan in, but didn't add any water.


I still need to keep practicing with smoking cheese. It came out pretty decent, but needs improvement. The Monterey Jack came out better than the Swiss. If anyone has tips or tricks that I could do to improve, would be greatly appreciated! I am definitely going to try this again. Thanks!

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The first time I smoked cheese it did not go as well as I had wanted it to. I to used a smoke tube and pitmasters choice pellets which are a combination of cherry, hickory, and maple. I did mine in the winter so I did not have to worry about the temperature getting too hot. You don't want your smoker to get above 90 degrees for the harder cheeses and it has to be much less for the softer cheeses so they don't melt. I have smoked pepper jack, sharp cheddar, swiss, gouda, and colby jack. The first smoke I did i did for 4 hours, however i thought they were too overpowered with smoke flavor. I have found that 1 hour is the perfect amount of time for my preference. With this time you are getting just that subtle smokey flavor without losing the flavor of the cheese. After I smoke them I vacuum seal them and leave them in the fridge for 2 weeks. This allows the oils from the cheeses to be drawn back into the cheese so that you don't just have the surface smokey flavor. Hope this helps and good luck in your next smoke!
 
Seth Boardman said:
The first time I smoked cheese it did not go as well as I had wanted it to. I to used a smoke tube and pitmasters choice pellets which are a combination of cherry, hickory, and maple. I did mine in the winter so I did not have to worry about the temperature getting too hot. You don't want your smoker to get above 90 degrees for the harder cheeses and it has to be much less for the softer cheeses so they don't melt. I have smoked pepper jack, sharp cheddar, swiss, gouda, and colby jack. The first smoke I did i did for 4 hours, however i thought they were too overpowered with smoke flavor. I have found that 1 hour is the perfect amount of time for my preference. With this time you are getting just that subtle smokey flavor without losing the flavor of the cheese. After I smoke them I vacuum seal them and leave them in the fridge for 2 weeks. This allows the oils from the cheeses to be drawn back into the cheese so that you don't just have the surface smokey flavor. Hope this helps and good luck in your next smoke!
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Seth, thanks for sharing your experience. I'm going to try smoking the cheese for an hour or so, instead of the 3 hours I did initially. I'll also need to wait 2 weeks instead of 1 before trying them out. Did you use a WSM when you smoked the cheese?
 
Tristan Pipo said:
Seth, thanks for sharing your experience. I'm going to try smoking the cheese for an hour or so, instead of the 3 hours I did initially. I'll also need to wait 2 weeks instead of 1 before trying them out. Did you use a WSM when you smoked the cheese?
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Yes I have the 18.5 inch WSM. I just set the cheese right on the top grate. If you like sharp cheddar then that's the way to go. Somehow it makes the cheddar more creamy than it is before being smoked. And to be honest most of the other cheeses smoked are just ok in my opinion, gouda and cheddar are my personal favorites.
 
Seth Boardman said:
Yes I have the 18.5 inch WSM. I just set the cheese right on the top grate. If you like sharp cheddar then that's the way to go. Somehow it makes the cheddar more creamy than it is before being smoked. And to be honest most of the other cheeses smoked are just ok in my opinion, gouda and cheddar are my personal favorites.
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I just picked up gouda and cheddar at my local Costco. Hopefully they turn out good! Can't wait to try the gouda!
 
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