smokin' cheese...first time didn't cut it


 
J

Joe McManus

TVWBB All-Star
Made up a load of jerky a couple weekends ago. That turned out great. I figure when the jerky was done, I'd just toss a hunk of cheese on to see what happened. Dome temperature while the cheese was on started at 120 and drifted downwards.

there were only a handful of lit coals in the chamber, all well ashed. I put in a sliver of apple wood, about the size of your thumb. I let that burn a little before placing the cheese on.

Cheese stayed on for about 45 minutes or so. I used a 1 lb hunk of colby (that's all I had). Took it off, sampled, wasn't bad, loosely wrapped in wax paper and placed in the fridge.

About 2 or 3 days later, I thought I'd give it a try. Took a taste...pretty powerful smoke flavor, but put it on my turkey sammich anyway. Got it out at lunch time that day, took one bite and thought I was eating 6 year old smoked salmon that had been wrapped in dirty socks for a month. Was uneatable...went for and italian beef sammich instead!

Got home, tried another piece...uneatable ... tossed the rest out. So what went wrong? Wrong sort of cheese? Too much smoke wood? Bad temperatures? I like smoked salmon, but not a flavor I was seeking w/ my cheese. Makes me gag just thinking about it.

Suggestions?

Joey Mac
 
I have smoked cheese a few times now. I thought it was in the cooking section of the site. I just did a quick glance and didn't see it. It must have been in the forum.

Here is how I do it. I take 4 pieces of charcoal and place them on the charcoal grate in a square. I take a torch and light the 4 pieces of charcoal and let them get going. I put a chunk of apple on 2 of the pieces of charcoal and a chunk of cherry across the other 2 pieces. 45 minutes to an hour max is all I have been able to stand for smoke.

Seems like different types of cheese will absorb different amount of smoke. For example cheddar, I have tried cheddar several times but I put it out the same amount of time as the other types I smoke and I end up tossing the cheddar. Unsmoked cheddar is not really one of my favorites so that may have something to do with it.

I usually buy the half pound blocks. Seems like there is always a store having a sale on them 3 for $5 around here. My favorites smoked are Swiss and motzarella. I also like colby, jack, cojack, and pepper jack. I know for me some of the blocks are too smokey at first and usually after a week I am into them full bore.

Early last winter was the first time I smoked cheese. My sister-n-law bought me a great big chunk of cheddar and swiss. I smoked them for a bit more than an hour. The cheddar got tossed. It was waay too sharp for me and the smoke didn't help it. The swiss wasn't too bad the night I took it off but tasted like an ash tray the next day. I took and sealed it in my food saver and threw it in the fridge. My wife was cleaning the fridge out about a month later and asked what I wanted to do with the swiss. I told here to toss it then I said wait. I decided to try it again. Man that was some good eatin. It mellowed nicely.

Maybe it has something to do with the large block of cheese. I smoked those 2 and haven't tried a large block since. It could have been wood left over from the smoke. I think if it was too hot the cheese would have just melted. I don't know what the salmon flavor could have been. Did you cook salmon recently?

Time will definately help mellow the flavor in my experience. I like motzarella right out of the smoker. The rest I like to let alone for several days maybe a week.
 
My first and only attempt at smoking cheese in the WSM was a disaster-- just as described above. Haven't tried it since. Less is definitely more. See Smoking Cheese if you want to try it.
 
if Doug struggled, at least i'm in good company!

Who ever said that brisket was the toughest thing to smoke hadn't tried cheese yet.

We'll see if I give it a go again.
 
Have done cheese a few times. Don't take temp over 70. If cheese starts to sweat its getting to warm. Personally I like to do gouda (aged if I can get it). Start out as Jeff said (but I don't use a torch. Just start a few coals in your chimney.) Doesn't take too much smoke, but use a mild wood (cherry/apple). I usually put ice in my pan (one of the few times I don't use sand). Keep trying - smoked chees is great.
 
I've done cheese twice. Cheddar big block, swiss & aged parm.

Had a hard time keeping cool enough, sweated them too much, but those were warm days. Today's 25 degree high would have been perfect.

I tasted them all the same day or next day, and didn't enjoy that much. I vacu-sealed the rest & forgot about them.

After a few weeks in the fridge . . . they were great. I really just think they need some seasoning time. Took some to parties and people were impressed.

So next time you think you've messed it up, just put it away for a while.
 
I've done it a few times, takes an hour or so and done. Cast iron pan, electric burner, some wood chunks. Set the burner to medium or so and get the wood going, adjust down if needed (check temps to see where you are, of course) then put the cheese on. Usually barring lots of wind, it gets done 45 minutes to 1.5 hours later (depends on the cheese, (how dense, flavorful, smoke flavor, etc).

Always gets good reviews from friends and coworkers. one asked if I'd try soy cheese, which I haven't yet, but should.

ETA, Mike's right, they tend to absorb more flavor through them over time. Not that I let them go that long before eating...
 
Joey how old was these cheese. I use 6 Kingsford, a small piece of hickory for about 45 min to an hour. I do not watch what the dome temp gets to but I know it is very low.
I will bring some down to Westmont.
DrChcukie
 
I tried smoking cheese ... once. I used my electric Smokin Tex with the cold plate. I had the same results; too much smoke and it tasted terrible.

The Smokin Tex is different than a WSM. Since it's so tight and insulated, the smoke doesn't go anywhere. You typically use just a few ounces of wood (yep, I said OUNCES). It doesn't take much to oversmoke something. I used about 2 or 3 ounces with the cheese and it was too much. If I ever try it again, I will use about one ounce, and let it smoke for about 30 minutes, and see how it comes out.

For a WSM, try one chunk of wood and see if that works out. If it's to much smoke, try just a few chips in a foil pouch.

I would experiment with cheap cheese until you get it worked out.
 
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