Dale, made three fatties this weekend. I was having a problem with the heat affecting the taste of the outside rub so this time I cut the sausage in half,put the rub on both sides of the sausage ,slapped it together and smoked. They turned out great. The rub taste permeated through the sausage. Cheese never worked for me . Always ends up outside the meat after cooking. Maybe I'll have to experiment more.