Cold Smoked Cheese


 
I don’t recall anyone smoking cream cheese all those years ago when I wrote that article. Occasionally there are new ideas!
I did! When I first learned about cold smoking, I smoked everything that didn't move - coffee, chili powder, cinnamon, Sugar, garlic - you name it. Including cream cheese. But I treated it like the other cheeses, sealing and resting for 4 weeks. Was not impressed and didn't repeat.
I only tried it again during the last year or so when i learned it had become so popular.
Like Dan said, hot smoking for immediate consumption is the key for cream cheese. 😊
 
Is it better to not seal until a certain time, or seal after a day and wait two weeks or so?
Seems like the vacuum sealer would keep too much in. Or is it a matter of distribution.
 
That looks awesome Mark.
I have to do another batch of that.

I just spent a day cold smoking and another day warm smoking some pork belly.
It never occurred to me that cheese would be a perfect addition to the grate.
 
Is it better to not seal until a certain time, or seal after a day and wait two weeks or so?
Seems like the vacuum sealer would keep too much in. Or is it a matter of distribution.
did you see Brenda's reply a few posts back ?


 
Gouda, Monterey Jack, Sharp Cheddar, Mild Cheddar, Swiss. Two hours on WSM using smoking tube and Bear Mountain Cherry pellets.
Cloudy, breezy day below 60 in NorthTexas. I didn’t use ice pan below the grate, looks I should have as a couple of the blocks melted slightly around the rack I used.
Wrapped in wax paper and in the fridge for a day before vacuum sealing. This is my second time smoking cheese. All who tried the first batch using apple pellets said it was really good.
 

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Has anyone cold smoked cheese and then used water displacement (linked article below) instead of a vacuum sealer to seal the cheese in zip lock freezer bags? Would sealing the cheese that way work well?

 
Had to try this, so I went to my local store and got some Mozzarella, White Cheddar, Colby Jack, & Pepper Jack cheeses (couldn't find any Gouda), and loaded them up on my WSM.

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Temperatures were in the 60's, and I was using a smoker tube with Pecan (similar to Hickory, but a bit milder) chips.

I started with an empty (but foiled) water pan, but the dome temperature started going higher than I wanted, so I added cold water to the pan to help bring the temperatures back down. I think I will plan to use ice in the water pan next time around.

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I don't have a vacuum sealer, so I used the water displacement method to seal the cheese blocks in zip lock freezer bags.

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I guess I'll find out in four weeks how these cheeses taste.
 
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