Smokin cheese on a gasser


 
John Neuser

John Neuser

TVWBB Fan
Hi fellow smokers. Hope all of you are safe and healthy. I live in Connecticut. Temps this weekend are supposed to hang in the 20s. Thought it would be a good time to try smoking some cheese. Got a block of Manchiego (sp). Maybe twl pounds. I have a 22" WSM but seems like overkill. I also have an Amazin smoke tube. I'm thinking of using the tube in my gasser. Tube on one side, cheese on the otner. Only problem I foresee is, my past experience, keeping the tube lit. Any hints? It's a 12". I fill it with pellets. Light it with a torch until, I think, it's going well. Unfortunately, it often goes out after a while. Thoughts? Anyone ever smoke Mancheigo? I'm thinking one hour of smoke. If it's not enough, I'll buy another piece and try it again. Of course, I'll TRY to "cure" for a week or two. IF I can resist. 😁 Thank for reading and any comments.
 
I use the 12” tube in my 22”WSM. I thought about using my Performer but was concerned about it getting to warm in the smaller space. I would have the same concern using your gasser. As far as keeping it lit, I light with a torch and let it burn for several minutes and the blow it out and it basically just smolders for a few hours. I got that method from Amazin. Either their website or the box I don’t remember.
Haven’t tried manchiego yet. I’ve done several other types. Gouda is awesome smoked. I usually try to do a big enough batch to make it worth my time setting everything up. Smoking 10 blocks takes about the same amount of time as smoking 1 block.
Good luck with the Manchiego.
 
Light both ends of the tube to increase the chance that it won't go completely out. You'll also get more smoke if the tube is burning in two places.

I put something flammable in the closed end (piece of paper towel or fire starter or gel starter) in addition to lighting the open end.
 
The 22" is NOT overkill. Remember; all you're using is the smoke tube, no charcoal at all. I live in Arizona, so the winter months are the only time I can keep the heat in the 18.5 WSM below 90F.

I smoke Manchego, Gouda, and Gruyere from Costco. Buy the big blocks and cut them into 3 pieces each. That's 9 blocks that you, or your friends and family, will be very thankful for. Make more if you want. It stores extremely well.

Plug the open end of your tube with paper or something that will keep the pellets tightly against the end you will light, that's all. I start mine with a propane torch, let it burn a flame for about 30 seconds, then blow it out. Sometimes I'll have to light it twice. No biggie.

I do 2 hours of smoke then pull it all. Place it in gallon ziplocks with a piece of paper towel to absorb any excess moisture; put it in the fridge for 2 weeks. When you pull it out, dab off any excess moisture with a paper towel and then vac seal it in individual packs.

Mine last 6 months to a year.
 
KToliver said:
The 22" is NOT overkill. Remember; all you're using is the smoke tube, no charcoal at all. I live in Arizona, so the winter months are the only time I can keep the heat in the 18.5 WSM below 90F.

I smoke Manchego, Gouda, and Gruyere from Costco. Buy the big blocks and cut them into 3 pieces each. That's 9 blocks that you, or your friends and family, will be very thankful for. Make more if you want. It stores extremely well.

Plug the open end of your tube with paper or something that will keep the pellets tightly against the end you will light, that's all. I start mine with a propane torch, let it burn a flame for about 30 seconds, then blow it out. Sometimes I'll have to light it twice. No biggie.

I do 2 hours of smoke then pull it all. Place it in gallon ziplocks with a piece of paper towel to absorb any excess moisture; put it in the fridge for 2 weeks. When you pull it out, dab off any excess moisture with a paper towel and then vac seal it in individual packs.

Mine last 6 months to a year.
Click to expand...
Agreed. The bigger the chamber the better the chance of keeping the temps low which is critical. Only thing different that I do is ziploc/paper towel for a day or two. Then vacuum pack for 2 to 4 weeks depending on cheese type.
I’m going to try your timings and mine with the same cheese type next time. Always learning.
 
I use my 18" WSM to smoke cheese all the time. I just put my amazin tube where i would normally put the charcoal. I'll light it with a torch and let it burn with a flame for about 5 minutes or so then blow it out and it smolders till it's done. Ive never actually had a problem with it going out and I usually end up putting in way more than I need to. I smoke for about an hour then vacuum seal it and leave it in the fridge for at least two weeks. So far I have done sharp cheddar, pepper jack, swiss, colby jack, and Gouda. Sharp cheddar is by far my favorite and that's usually what I end up doing. For some reason it really makes the cheese even creamier, but it doesn't do that with the other ones. The first time I smoked cheese I did it for the recommended 4 hours but that was like eating an ashtray, it was way too smoky and you couldn't really taste the cheese at all. I have found that 1 hour is right where I like it, just enough smoke to taste it but it doesn't overpower it.
 
4 hours would be rough. I normally smoke for 2 hours and then after the initial chill time vacpac it. i definitely need to try more types of cheeses.
 
John Neuser said:
Hi fellow smokers. Hope all of you are safe and healthy. I live in Connecticut. Temps this weekend are supposed to hang in the 20s. Thought it would be a good time to try smoking some cheese. Got a block of Manchiego (sp). Maybe twl pounds. I have a 22" WSM but seems like overkill. I also have an Amazin smoke tube. I'm thinking of using the tube in my gasser. Tube on one side, cheese on the otner. Only problem I foresee is, my past experience, keeping the tube lit. Any hints? It's a 12". I fill it with pellets. Light it with a torch until, I think, it's going well. Unfortunately, it often goes out after a while. Thoughts? Anyone ever smoke Mancheigo? I'm thinking one hour of smoke. If it's not enough, I'll buy another piece and try it again. Of course, I'll TRY to "cure" for a week or two. IF I can resist. 😁 Thank for reading and any comments.
Click to expand...
With temps hanging in the 20's I would be concerned about the cheese freezing. It may take two or three burning brickettes to bring the smoke chamber up above say 40*f.
When I smoke cheese I've always used used my three burner Genesis gasser and 6" oval A-Maze-N tube with very good results. Instructions for the tube were to let pellets burn upright with flame for 9-10 minutes, blow flame out and lay tube horizontal. That method has worked every time for me. It has consistently smoked for approximately 2 hours every time which has been just right for the batches I have done.
I think you are on the right track but consider the temp issue. Hope this helps.

IMG_20210123_161934.jpg
 
John, I tried my hand at smoking cheers for the first time Momday night (2/15/21) after I got home from work. The process was almost too easy! As far as keeping the tube lit, I would be sure you have enough burning pellets before you blow it out and place it in the WSM. As far as overkill, I would think the 22" would be just fine as it is going to be an enclosed vessel.
Good luck, let us know how it turns out,
Tim
 
Thanks folks for all the thoughtful info. Life got in the way and I never got to the cheese. Hope springs eternal. 😀 One reason I'm tending away from the 22 big guy is that it's heavy and in the back of my basement. Still determined to use the gasser. Stay tuned.
 
Finally got to it. Its on the grill right now. I intend to smoke it for 90 minutes with hickory. It was the only pellet wood I had. Thought about using the pellets for my pellet stove bit they're simply labeled "hardwood". Maybe next year. Once the cheese is smoked I'll pat with a paper towel put in a zip lock for a day or two, pat again then tightly wrap in stretch wrap, I do not have a vac sealer, and store in refer for two weeks.
 
That sounds like a great plan John. 90 minutes with hickory shouldn't be too strong. Waiting the two weeks will be the hard part.
 
So it's time to report back and close out this thread. Bottom line: It turned out great. Recap: outside temp in the 20s, three pound wedge of Mancheigo cut in half. Smoke tube filled with hickory pellets, smoked for 90 minutes, then into zip lock bag with paper towels in the fridge for 24 hours, remove paper towel and wrap REAL tight in plastic wrap, back in fridge for two weeks(did not cheat 😁).

Thank you for all of your comments and suggestions.
 
Here's and older post of mine cold smoking cheese in the Mini - I have also done it the exact same way in my 18.5 with the same results. Notice that the instructions for the Amazen smoker tube state to light the pellets and let them burn for 10 minutes before blowing them out. I do that and have NO problems with them going out:

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Cold Smoking Cheese on the Mini-Joe Gold

Well, the weather temporarily let up a bit and I jumped on the opportunity to try out my newly acquired A-MAZ-EN Tube Smoke Generator. It snowed a bit last night but the temps were up into the forties today. Near perfect for my task at hand. In anticipation of this, my wife and I had made a...
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FWIW
Dale53
 
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