Cheese smoke for the first time

Started by _Bear_, October 29, 2010, 06:47:51 PM

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_Bear_

OK, I bought a bunch of cheese to smoke for Christmas. My plan is to remove  from the fridge and sit on the counter for about 2 hrs, remove wraping and smoke for 2 hrs (6 pucks) with a mix of mesquite and apple, remove from smoker and let it rest on the counter for an hr or 2, then vacuum seal it and toss it  in the back of the fridge untill Christmas time. I do not have a cold smoker for my Bradley 6 rack, but if I  just use the SG, I think I should be OK, outside temps for tomorrow night are expected to  be around 37*F.  Anybody see any issues with my plan. Here is a pic of the cheese, I  will cut the big block into  about 5 pieces. Ignore the shrimp, they are a snack for when I am smoking tomorrow  ;D

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classicrockgriller

The Cheese looks great.

I really don't know about using mesquite for cheese.

Apple should be enough.

Just my thoughts.

KyNola

Just to be be safe on the temp not rising too much, put a load of ice cubes on the bottom rack and you can always "crack" the tower door open a little if it gets to warm.  I have used a pencil to crack the door open.  Don't worry, there will be plenty of smoke for your cheese.

I wouldn't use mesquite either.  Have used apple, maple and cherry. 

Up In Smoke

Agree with CRG, no messy wood.
apple is just fine, also i do not think that i would let the cheese come to room temp before you smoke it.
at 37 degrees i would take it out of the fridge open it up and set it in the smoker.(this will help keep the cheese from sweating) give it the amount of smoke you like,
then set it on the counter for about 30 minutes and vac seal.
there are many different tastes here when it comes to cheese.
Some like it really smokey, and some like it lightly smoked.....also there are the middle runners.
I do believe that the one common ground here is that the smoke just Kiss the cheese, meaning that the vent is full open
and i will sometimes use a puck standing on edge to keep the door cracked a little to let the smoker "breathe" and keep the heat
from the generator down.
2 Bradley OBS
Some people are like Slinkies... They're really good for nothing.
...But they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.

Up In Smoke

Dang it Larry! you retired folk are just plain too fast  :D :D
2 Bradley OBS
Some people are like Slinkies... They're really good for nothing.
...But they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.

BuyLowSellHigh

The experts pretty mcuh have you covered.  I think with an outside temp of 37 you might see 60-65 in the tower, and that should be fine.  Recently I used  an equal mix of apple and alder on cheese - worked out real well to our taste.  Personally, I am not of fan of mesquite.
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_Bear_

I bow to everyones experience smoking cheese  ;D, I will just run apple. This is my first crack at smoking cheese, so I think I  would like middle of the road smokey flavor. I will be posting pics as per normal. Thanks folks.
Bradly Digital 6 rack smoker
Bradley Propane Smoker
The Big Easy
Broil King gas BBQ
"Cant hurt it, it's already dead"

Habanero Smoker

Also you may get better smoke flavor on the cracker barrel if you slice it in half lengthwise. Keep the vent wide open, and after the generator has been preheated, prior to loading the cheese, leave the door open a minute or so to let any built up heat to escape.




     I
         don't
                   inhale.
  ::)

pensrock

I agree with all that has been said, except I find it difficult to ignore the shrimp.  :)

I mainly use apple on cheese but do use oak and hickory at times. When I do big blocks of cheese, I cut them into 1/2 to 1 pound chunks. Vent wide open, its ok if the temp in the tower gets to 90 degrees, if its going higher than that, open the door till the temp drops some then leave it cracked open like Larry said. I smoke cheese at 85-90 degrees all the time, except when I do Velvetta.  ;D

RAF128

A few years ago I tried to smoke my first cheese in my OBS with the SG only.    Started out OK but then the sun hit it and the outside temp rose.   I had been watching it closely but had to leave for 10 minutes.   When I got back I had and ooey gooey mess in side.   With the out side temp at 37 it shouldn't be quite the same as mine but keep a close eye on it.   If you want to keep a bag of ice on the bottom rack, that will help but watch it too.   I did that once and the bag leaked and I had water all over the bottom of my smoker.    I now have a cold smoke adapter attached to my 6 rack and that solves the problem.   
My wife said she'd like to go to the bulk cheese warehouse today.    That's giving my ideas ;).   Personally I like hickory for my cheese.

SoCalBuilder

Just a thought... I never made it through chemistry, but is putting dry ice at the bottom an option. Not sure how long it would last, but there wouldn't be a moisture problem. Not sure what kind of off-gassing occurs. 

squirtthecat

Quote from: SoCalBuilder on October 30, 2010, 06:48:29 AM
Just a thought... I never made it through chemistry, but is putting dry ice at the bottom an option. Not sure how long it would last, but there wouldn't be a moisture problem. Not sure what kind of off-gassing occurs. 

You know, I thought about that as well...   I'm thinking the CO2 might snuff out the pucks.  (or at least reduce the amount of smoke they put out)

SoCalBuilder

DOH... CO2... I knew I shouldn't have kept sneaking out of that class :o Oh Well ;D

SouthernSmoked

Quote from: _Bear_ on October 29, 2010, 07:11:23 PM
I bow to everyones experience smoking cheese  ;D, I will just run apple. This is my first crack at smoking cheese, so I think I  would like middle of the road smokey flavor. I will be posting pics as per normal. Thanks folks.

Great choice,- I like apple myself.
SouthernSmoked
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BuyLowSellHigh

If you have trouble keeping the temps down for cheese and cold smoking you might consider a cold smoke attachment, either Bradley's or build one (some use a carboard box).  With the Bradley version the temp rise on my six rack is 7-8 ° from outside air temp at about 50 °F.  Doubt you can a whole lot better than that short of turning your smoker into a refrigerator.
I like animals, they taste good!

Visit the Recipe site here