Can I Cut the Cheese?

[rcger]

I smoked some Cheddar on November 17th.  Gave it about 2 hours of apple.  What are the chances it would be edible on Thanksgiving day?  My gut is telling me to wait until Christmas but I sure want to sample it.

[RossP]

I would wait, too early for the cheese yet. The longer you leave it the better the taste in my opinion.

Ross

[DTAggie]

I would wait as well.  I tried some at 2 weeks and was not so good.  At 6 weeks it was awesome.

[Brisket Lover]

I agree, I sampled some after 2 weeks on Sunday and it wasn't ready.  I resealed it and will wait until 6.

[rcger]

Thanks, all.  I knew that's what you would say.  I guess I'll just wait.  I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

[_Bear_]

Like all of the above. I smoked mine on Nov 8, tried it out the other day and not so good. Sealed back up and right back into the fridge. At least another 3 weeks for my cheadder

[pensrock]

I just opened some I made over a year ago. Its really good.  :)

I would say to try it and see if you like it. The min I wait is two weeks but prefer a month.

[RAF128]

It wouldn't hurt to open a little bit.   I did some cheese a while back and about 2 weeks later, while I was out hunting, my wife opened up a couple of vacuum sealed pouches.   Didn't taste like ashes.   It was quite good and it was a good thing I tasted it before the kids and the grand kids got there.   The hit it like a flock of locus and it was all gone.

[DTAggie]

Pens, did you freeze it for a year or just vac seal in fridge?

[GusRobin]

I don't think most cheeses do well when frozen. Vac seal in the frdge should be fine. If you get a little mold (green) just cut it off.

[pensrock]

I never freeze cheese. I just put it in a zip bag and tossed in the fridge. No vac pack and no mold. It was like the day I put it in there.

[Oysterhog]

I have found that after you open the vacuum seal package the flavor gets better if you just put it into a Ziploc for a few hours. Slicing right after opening has less smoke flavor that after it aired a bit. Maybe it's just mine. Every place we take this stuff, it disappears fast. Cheese is the fastest, easiest, and most popular thing we have smoked.
I also re-smoked some smoked almonds with mosquite for one hour. I'm going to do a whole pound jar next. My wife thought it funny, until she tasted them. Now she is all for doing the whole jar.

[CentPaSmokin]

 I just took smoked Cooper two weeks old to work and have orders for 20lbs . So I would try it and see what you think.

[Tenpoint5]

I always use the rule that I Don't open any cheese before 3 weeks and double it for the harder cheeses. I have some Italian sharp that I did on 9-18 I might open it for Christmas.

[Jim O]

I've done a lot of cheese and find the loner the better !

Jim O