Went to the Amish Farmers Market today. Who knew the Amish would have their own Black Friday deals? :o ;D Half off of cheese. So, we went wild. The list of cheeses from R to L, Top to Bottom:
Garden Onion, Habanero Cheddar, Amish Bacon (2), Havarti with Dill, Horseradish
Vintage Garlic, Farmers, New York Sharp Cheddar White, Vintage Garlic, Amish Milk Can Cheddar
Pizza Supreme, New York Sharp Cheddar Yellow, Pepperjack, Roasted Garlic
Gonna smoke with 12 heads of garlic, then mince the garlic, store in jars with EVOO and keep in the frig for quick use!
(http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn436/msovik/Cheese112808.jpg)
Will post more as the smoke starts tonight!
Lookin good Duck! If the words garlic and cheese show up in one sentance, I'm all over that. I am glad the Amish markets are still around after all these years. I remember some very good bread also.
You betcha......and the cinnamon rolls are outta this world! Those Amish may not know a thing about electricity, but they sure know their way around a kitchen! Sweet Aunt Jemima can they make some good stuff!
SD
6:22 pm Ambient temp: 38F (Cheese has been in for about 1/2 hour and tower temp at a cool 51F):
Cheese in smoker with garlic (lightly covered in EVOO so as to soak up the smoke):
(http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn436/msovik/Cheese2112808.jpg)
Ice in the puck bowl. Note to anyone who hasn't done a cold smoke who uses a brick to act as a heat sink: Remove the brick so as to keep it as cool as possible in the smoker. First pecan bisquette on the burner and rolling with the smoke:
(http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn436/msovik/cheese3112808.jpg)
Looks good SD!
Still too warm here... 61F right now, high was 80.3F
About halfway through the smoke, ambient temp still at 38F. Smoker temp has never been above 73F. The smoke is rolling but not much change in appearance. I never really get the cheese very dark for some reason but the main thing is the flavor which permeates throughout. The first time I did cheese I was disappointed that my cheese didn't get the real dark skin that you see in the stores but figured that must be the difference between conventional smoking and Bradley. Regardless, the taste is awesome. Here's the update pics:
(http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn436/msovik/cheese5112808.jpg)
(http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn436/msovik/cheese4112808.jpg)
Thats it Duck, I'm might have to look up my old friends in Mishawaka and do a stealth cheese assault on ya!! ::)
Heck, SS, you ain't gotta be stealth....just come on out. Besides, you'd have a time getting past the dogs without being noticed and even if you did, my children are all trained on handguns, shotguns and assalt rifles. If that fails, I send my wife out without makeup :o ;) Where you from anyways?
Man, if she ever reads this, I'm a frigging goner 8) :o
Nice spread of cheese SD! :o
I can't wait for my package to arrive. ::)
Mike
You betcha Mike. It should show about the time I get the walleye fillets I keep asking for ;) ;D
I sent some last batch but I bet the customs agents never let them get past. Next time I'm gonna mark the packages as Enzyte and see if they get through :o ;D
Quote from: Smoking Duck on November 28, 2008, 06:43:51 PM
You betcha Mike. It should show about the time I get the walleye fillets I keep asking for ;) ;D
I sent some last batch but I bet the customs agents never let them get past. Next time I'm gonna mark the packages as Enzyte and see if they get through :o ;D
Ya mean ya didn't get that truck load of walleye I send you? ??? ???
:D :D :D ;D ;D
Mike
OK, here's the finished product. All smoked with pecan. Temp never got above 74F at any time during the smoke. Cheese is definitely darker although hard to tell from the pics. Garlic is definitely darker as well. Cheese going into vac seal and then rest for a bit (will try to hold out for 10 days but can't promise anything) in the refer. Garlic will rest in refer overnight, then mince tomorrow for its final trip into a jar with olive oil for use in the coming days.
(http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn436/msovik/cheese6112808.jpg)
(http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn436/msovik/cheese7112808.jpg)
(http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn436/msovik/cheese8112808.jpg)
Very Nice SD!... :P :P :P "Very" Nice! 8)
Mike
I tryed to do a "scratch & sniff" on my monitor and screwed it all up! Thanks a lot :o
WOW...I am humbled by the spread...as most of it should get..... SHIPPED WEST!!!!! ;D ;D ;D
Looks killer Giggles...really...I am truly jealous...gonna go again to 80 here again... temps are gettin old...
But man that cheese makes me think of cold...again...looks awesome...will taste even better!!! Give it it's time....
Well Done My Friend...
T.
Thank you very much, Mike. Yours is in the mail :D
Sorry, SS.....I don't have the smellavision installed on this computer ;D
And LQ, you know without a doubt that I will gladly trade a brick of cheese for a round of golf anyday ;)
On a side note, all of the bricks of cheese were in the .5 to .75 lb range. I simply sliced the bricks in two and smoked them that way. If storing in the vac seal bags, I found that at that size, the quart bags work perfectly if you cut the bags in half and seal them in their own half-quart bags. Very little waste in bags and you only have to open one bag at a time and the other half stays in the vac seal.
Looks good SD! :)
How long was it in for smoke? I'm guessing two hours?
Nope.....I kept some in for 2 hours but the majority (which were softer cheeses), I kept in for 4 hours. I keep upping and upping the time every time I do it until I reach what I feel is the perfect time to reach a heavenly smoke effusion. To date, I don't think I've reached it with the softer cheeses but I think I may be close. This is also the first time I've done cheese with pecan, so we'll see how that turns out.
SD
Lets just say Giggles...you don't need to trade cheese for golf...the golf is here...I have peeps...you bring the cheese...I get you free golf in the most amazing desert you have ever seen ( good news is I think you've never seen a desert!!!) ;D Anyhoo...it really is the golfing megamart out here in the winter...you and the family are always welcome...uh...bring some cheese??? ;)
Nice looking Cheese, SD
LQ, did I hear "will golf for cheese?"
Are you going to caddy for Giggling Duck?
LQ,
As always, my friend, you are a darling for offering up your home and beautiful weather. I have seen a desert unfortunately. The only thing is I was carrying a weapon versus golf clubs. I do, however, prefer to be carrying golf clubs these days. ;D I'm probably a little more lethal with a 4 iron than I am with a weapon at the moment :P
SD
SD,
Sorry to be late getting in on this. That is a tremendous looking load of cheese. Did you use a cold smoke set up or were you able to maintain the low temp just by putting ice in the bowl? I haven't put together a cold smoke set up as of yet and I have difficulty holding the temp low even with opening the door just a smidge.
I think I can almost taste the smoked cheese and mac!
KyNola
Hey KY...... no, this wasn't done with a cold-smoke set up. Just ice in the tray and SG only. It took me quite a while to vac seal it, but the bottom drawer of my refer is now filled with Canadian Bacon and Cheese...........mmmmmmmmmm ;)
Here's an update on the garlic. After resting a night in the refer, I broke apart the 6 heads of garlic and this is what I was left with:
(http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn436/msovik/garlic1112909.jpg)
It doesn't look like a whole lot until you mince it up in the food processor (Thankg God for food processors; I'd have hated to do this by hand):
(http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn436/msovik/garlic2112909.jpg)
Now, the minced garlic in olive oil and vac sealed for keeping in the refer. It's quite a bit for only 6 heads of garlic, but much, much less expensive than buying minced garlic in the grocery store. Plus, it's SMOKED! :
(http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn436/msovik/garlic3112909.jpg)
Great looking job...it all looks so good!!
What is the target temp to keep "under" when smoking cheese?
We are supposed to have a cool snap later this week, so I bought some cheese @ Sams today.
FL,
I have a heck of a time doing cheese out here, I try to keep my box in the 80's and thats with ice in the bowl and some blue ice on the lower rack and the door proped open. Not much help, but not much of a cheese expert.....
C
FLBR,
I would think that anything you could do to keep it under 90 would work. I really try not to get over 80F when doing cheese. Ice will really help as will keeping the door open. I've also never tried it and am not sure if it would work or not but if you kept the door cracked open and perhaps utilized a small fan in front of the crack of the door, that might help keep the temp inside down. Additionally, a small piece of dryer vent hose and a cardboard box is a really easy and inexpensive way to keep it down even further. Course, might be hard to do with the shoulder.
I think everyone should have an opportunity to try and smoke their own cheese......give it a shot...the worse that could happen is cheese soup :o ;D
SD
Do you take your cheese out of the fridge to let it come to room temp before smoking?
I just wonder if it would sweat if you put it in the smoker directly from the fridge.
Mike
Mike,
I have done it both ways and haven't really noticed any difference to be truthful. I do think there is something to the sweating though I have yet to experience it. I guess I do more cheese that is at room temp because now I preslice the cheese into smaller chunks rather than doing the whole brick together. The one thing I do like about doing the smoke in the colder temps (like last night) is that you don't have to wait to seal the cheese as the cheese is much lower than room temp at that point. Hope that helps.
SD
Thanks SD
I have never done cheese... I don't know why???
I have read a number of people say to allow it to get to room temp before applying the smoke. They claim if it sweats the smoke can condense with the moisture and cause it to be bitter. Seems to make sense but again I have no experience with it.
I'm going to have to try it though.
Mike
SD,
Thanks for the tutorial man. One last question, you mentioned cutting the quart vac seal bags in half. I assume you mean horizontal and you have to seal both ends of one of the "half" bags?
Thanks to you, looking forward to smoking some cheese for the holidays.
KyNola
You live in the Great White North (Hoser, eh?) and you haven't done cheese? ??? Sweet Granny's Sassafrass! If you let LQ hear that, she'd be livid ;) She'd give her left arm for one night of your weather ;D
Seriously, though, give it a try. I certainly see the rationale behind bringing it to room temp befor eputting into the smoker and I guess I do that more than taking right out of the fridge, so give it a try.
I hope you give it a try and post some pics, Mike. I'd love to see it!
SD
Geezzz SD!... Keep it down! LQ is probably lurking around here somewhere. I'll never here the end of it! ;)
You're right though, I need to get my butt in gear and do it.
Mike
Quote from: KyNola on November 29, 2008, 01:13:22 PM
SD,
Thanks for the tutorial man. One last question, you mentioned cutting the quart vac seal bags in half. I assume you mean horizontal and you have to seal both ends of one of the "half" bags?
Thanks to you, looking forward to smoking some cheese for the holidays.
KyNola
Hey KY,
That's right..... I cut them in half horizontally and then seal both ends on the top of the bag that is cut. The bottom of the quart bag is already sealed. If you don't have quart bags, use the 8" rolls.....you'll save a lot of bag versus using the 11" rolls. Some of the chunkier pieces of cheese made it a little harder to seal with half a quart bag, but I got it done. If you or Mike have any questions at all, please feel free to PM me and I'll shoot you my phone number and we can talk. Heck, PM me even if you don't need help....I'm pretty lonely these days with no one to talk to during the day ;D
So it looks like we are expecting temps in the mid 40's Tuesday next week.
The Plan :
1. Start around 0300.
2. Cut the larger blocks in half to maximize surface area, lay out on racks.
3. Smoke with Generator only with ice in the bowl, 3 hours of ???? (I'm out of Pecan right now... I have: Oak, Maple, Hickory, *esquite, Alder and Special blend)
4. Vac Seal and refrigerate for 10 days ?
Sounds good FLBR. If you have extra room in the smoker, try putting a bread pan or something on the lower rack and filling that with ice as well. I would probably choose in this order: Maple, Alder, Hickory. If you even try the mesquite, we'll send an Amish Hit Squad down on ya ;) ;D Please take pics of what will be a momentous occasion!
SD
I'm getting ready to do my first batch of many tomorrow morning. (Last year I did over 200 lbs. of cheese!)
15 lbs. NY Xtra Sharp
10 lbs. Cooper Sharp
5 lbs. Horseradish
1 Whole stick of pepperoni
I will be using apple wood.
Wow. I have:
2lb Sharp Cheddar
2lb Cheddar
2lb of Pepper Jack
Our results will determine the size of subsequent smokes.
??? ??? ??? Was almost 80 today...I'm sick of being the red headed step child for cheese... :'( :'( We gotta move... :D
If your mortgage is paid up, I'll switch with ya :o ;D ;D
:D :D :D Yeah right...
I'm a little bummed this morning. I checked the weather, set my alarm, and when I got up, the temp was 60F instead of the 45F I expected.
I guess I'll try again tonight..
That stinks, FLBR. Although, I'm not sure if I feel sorry or envious........we got a good amount of snow last night and more on the way.
SD
I wouldn't mind 60* right now would even settle for 45*. 10* with a windchill of -7 plus humidity on the rise is COLD. You southern and western folks have NO idea what that is. I would rather do winter in Alaska than here in the Midwest it's warmer.
You oughta give North Dakota a try, 10.5. Lived there for 4 years and my wife grew up there. Now, that's cold........heck my testicles would ascend into my chest cavity 8 months out of the year!
Quote from: Smoking Duck on December 02, 2008, 08:04:41 AM
You oughta give North Dakota a try, 10.5. Lived there for 4 years and my wife grew up there. Now, that's cold........heck my testicles would ascend into my chest cavity 8 months out of the year!
Yeah thats exactly what I'm talking about. Perfect for making cheese in the smoker. Was just eyeballing up some chunks of cheese at the grocery store but SWSBO said I was taking to long and to hurry up.
It seems to me that you need to do a better job of selling the virtues of smoked cheese to SWSBO. Marriage is all about the sell and if you can't sell the steak then by all means, sell the sizzle ;D
I think I'm ready to try smoking cheese but I was reading a smoking book I just got, "Smoking Food" by Warren Anderson. I bought the book because I was attracted by some ideas he had to help cure scotch smoked salmon(I'll do a post about it after I try it) but he talks about cheese too. He says
QuoteI have tried to smoke....many natural cheeses....the result was always bad.
He recommends processed cheese! (Pigs will fly before I eat processed cheese.)
I hope the rest of the book is better than this section, but I do admit he does have me wondering. I remember a post a while back that recommends: room temp cheese going into the smoker, 85 degrees for a couple of hours and then let it cure for a week or 2 to let the smoke permeate the whole block. Am I on the right track here?
T2
Hmmmm! Smoked Velvetta. :)
Habs, I've smoked Velvetta before. Its difficult to do because it will melt sitting on the counter. :)
Last year I did some Velvetta pepper cheese and boy was that good over scrambled eggs with some of your CB. :)
I was just thinking of putting a block of in on some cooked macoroni and smoking at 225°F. ;D
Sounds like a plan, Habs!
:D :D
Quote from: tsquared on December 08, 2008, 07:23:32 PM
I think I'm ready to try smoking cheese but I was reading a smoking book I just got, "Smoking Food" by Warren Anderson. I bought the book because I was attracted by some ideas he had to help cure scotch smoked salmon(I'll do a post about it after I try it) but he talks about cheese too. He says QuoteI have tried to smoke....many natural cheeses....the result was always bad.
He recommends processed cheese! (Pigs will fly before I eat processed cheese.)
I hope the rest of the book is better than this section, but I do admit he does have me wondering. I remember a post a while back that recommends: room temp cheese going into the smoker, 85 degrees for a couple of hours and then let it cure for a week or 2 to let the smoke permeate the whole block. Am I on the right track here?
T2
T2,
Yes, you're on the right track. Try not to let the tower get over 90F and you should be good to go.
SD
Thanks Duckman--I'll give it a whirl this weekend with some almonds on a few racks too.
T2
Cool, T2. Be sure to take pics!
SD
My goal is to do some this weekend.
It was almost 60 at 6am this morning but it's supposed to be back to normal by tomorrow.........
60 in the northeast? Sweet Global Warming!
Quote from: Smoking Duck on December 10, 2008, 10:51:53 AM
60 in the northeast? Sweet Global Warming!
Love that global warming - my dog must have blown coat 6 times last year >:(.....
Yeah, it's 57 right now, raining but 57. I think it was even in the mid-high 50s in HCT's area this morning and I think he's generally colder than where I am. It is December right?
Yea, I'm shaking like a diabetic in a candy shop and you're nice and toasty. Heck, I even got the fireplace going (mostly to save on heating, but it's going nonetheless)
Has anyone smoked GOAT CHEESE ?
Have farm nearby that produces many types.
Tom
PS> I did my cheese the other day as temperature was -18 degrees.
OP
Are you using the smoke generator attached directly to the Bradley?
Although I live WAY up north, and its only about freezing here in England at 35F, I still only smoke cheese with the smoke generator sitting inside a cardboard box with a 4" pipe connecting the box to the Bradley.
I generally smoke cheese with the smoke generator directly attached to the tower. Last time I did cheese it was about 40F. It would be easier to do with the cold-smoke setup, but if you crack the door open and use ice inside the box, you can keep the temp down enough so that the box doesn't reach over 80F. Even with the door cracked open, there is still plenty of smoke that rolls over the cheese.
I plan on a cold smoke tomorrow with the box directly attached but it's not supposed to get more than 20F or so here tomorrow.
SD
I say nuts to cheese! :) I finally did 6 blocks of cheddar last weekend along with over 3 lbs of almonds. Gave them 2 hours of apple smoke. I found out that I need to go shopping to get some racks that have a small enough grid for nuts. I improvised with holes poked in foil but I think it affected the smokiness of the nuts--not enough. Next time I will go longer and use a stronger smoke, maybe hickory. The nuts are fabulous, nevertheless. I used the spice mix from the recipe site for smoking nuts and it turned out fine. The cheese I haven't tasted yet.
Hee's a picture of the nuts and cheese going in.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44/tsquared1/IMG_0350.jpg
and the nuts after spicing and baking...
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44/tsquared1/IMG_0351.jpg
and the cheese after foodsaving--patience, patience...
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44/tsquared1/IMG_0352.jpg
Thanks for all the advice guys.
T2
Wow, T2......it looks like you're nuts about cheese :P ;D ;D
Looks good....be sure to let us know about the cheese!
SD
Tried some of the cheddar after a week in the fridge--very nice. I think a few more days for the other blocks will help too. My live in food critic loves it so I'll have smoked cheddar, smoked almonds and smoked salmon for xmas appies.
T2
Is it really necessary to let the cheese sit for 10 days or so in the fridge after smoking? When is the earliest time to consume?
WP.
All of my cheese gets a minimum of 10 days. A lot depends on your taste preferences. I've found through trial and experimentation, that less than ten days and the cheese can taste very ashy. I often go longer than the ten days as the flavors mellows more with age. It's your cheese, however, and can be pulled whenever you want to. For me, 10 is the absolute minimum for me. (now, sometimes the family gets into them prior to the 10 day mark) but for my personal tastes, I go as long as I can. Have some in there now that's been going on a month and they taste much better than at ten days.
SD
Sonuds good....I'll try and let my batch age and then open one of the bricks for a sampling. After a few more weeks I'll open another and see what happens!
WP.
Cool, be sure to let us know what you think. Always interested in hearing the outcomes of others.
SD
Just a followup on a batch of cheese i did back in December. It's been about 3 weeks now since the smoke and I opened another package the other day--wow--patience is it's own reward! Any feedback on somebody who kept the smoked cheese for a couple of months?
T2
The longest I've been able to hold onto it without it being devoured is two months. A thing of beauty if you ask me!
SD
I still have 2 blocks left from the smoke in early December.
Its hard to let it go that long, I'm with FL have two blocks from early Dec. but I think its going to be opened tonight.......Maybe if I hide it in the back of the fridge and forget about it I could age it a bit longer! ;D
C
I'm not sure I'll have another opportunity to smoke any more this winter!
Quote from: FLBentRider on January 10, 2009, 04:19:22 PM
I'm not sure I'll have another opportunity to smoke any more this winter!
Send it up to me FLB Friday's high is supposed to be -1. I can smoke it for you.
T2, I found a small block vac packed last March and opened it for Xmas. Fantastic.
After opening it up from the vac pack, how long will the cheese stay fresh?
QuoteAfter opening it up from the vac pack, how long will the cheese stay fresh?
Its hard to say because it doesn't stay around very long.
I did notice that the smoking process does seem to prevent mold from forming as fast as it does on unsmoked cheeses.
I was looking at cheese at Sams yesterday - a block of cheddar had a date of 12/09/2009 on it.
I have also read that you should un-wrap the chees from its original package, re wrap in some kind of cling wrap and let it sit in the fridge for a week, then bring it out, let it come up to room temp and then smoke. Have had great results with this method, but also when just doing it the normal way.
One question I do have, no matter how I do it, my cheese always comes out very oily with all kinds of oil beads on the cheese. I usually let it sit in some paper towl or newspaper for a few hours. Any suggestions on how to beat this?
Thanks.
P.S. Thanks for the post as I have not tried garlic cheese yet but will be buying some today to try next week. I will also have to talk to the Amish folks in Ontario here to ses when their sale day is. Fingrs crossed.
Weekend,
Are you saying that your cheese comes out oily after or before the smoke? If it's coming out after the smoke that way, you probably have the temp too high when cold smoking. Anything close to 100F and you'll get that oil and "sweat" from the cheese.
If the cheese is coming out of the refer and you let it set out before smoking, you can sometimes get that "sweat" as well.
I do not bring the cheese to room temp prior to smoking. I take it out of the refer and right into the smoker. Additionally, I do not do anything other than store the cheese in it's original packaging in the refer until it's time to smoke. I believe that handling the cheese too much can transfer oils from our skin to the cheese. I may be way off base on that, but I feel the less oils, etc on a cheese, the better. I wear food gloves when handling my cheese. It may be something akin to a football game day ritual, but that's how I do it anyways.
Good luck with the garlic cheese......I love the stuff, but what's not to love with garlic? My blood is really 50% blood and a 50% combo of olive oil/garlic anyways ;D
SD
Thanks SD.
The oil is after it comes out of the smoker so I'm thinking I must be reaching too high of a temp, and there is lots of oil. I'm going get a cardboard box and give that method a go this weekend, seems like the only way to be sure of the temp. So when you do yours there is limited oil on the cheese when it comes out or none?
Cheers.
Yes, you're definitely getting too high of a temp when doing it. I strive to not let my tower temp get above 80F. The first time I did cheese, I got lots of oil and even melted some pieces (however, I was extremely new to the smoker at the time and used the tower to heat as well; big mistake). Since then, SG heat only and never had the oils. Now, I don't have mine setup in a cold smoke setup, so I find myself tending the smoker quite a bit when doing cheese and I also prop the door open a bit to keep the temp down. Additionally, with the door propped open a bit, I position the smoker so that the opening of the door is facing the prevailing wind, thus helping to keep the temp down even more.
The cardboard box works wonderfully well and will certainly keep the temps down in the tower so you avoid the "sweating" of the cheese.
Good luck! When it comes out right, you'll be wanting to do more and more of it!
SD
Thanks boys. I figured it would be tough to hang on to this stuff for too long. I am making a recipe called Swiss eggs for a brunch this am using smoked cheese. It's very simple, but good. You can use different cheeses, I am using smoked aged cheddar today.
Swiss eggs
1.grate cheese to cover the bottom of oiled baking pan (I use pyrex).
2. break 2 or 3 eggs per person on top of cheese. I pierce the yolks to let the egg spread out a bit more.
3.dot the top with plain yogurt and sprinkle on whatever spices you like. I tend to keep this recipe simple, so I use a bit of cilantro or parsley and a bit of pepper and that's it.
4. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or so, until the top of the egg dish has brown spots and is fairly firm. Makes a great addition to a weekend breakfast.
T2
Sounds good, T2. I'll have to give that a try.
SD
I take the cheese out of the wrapping and into the smoker. If I find oil on the cheese it is getting too hot. As long as it is not too bad just wipe the oil off with a papper towel. It should be fine. If its bad, a lot of oil, then the texture of the cheese will be drier and not so good. Different cheeses can go to different temps before this occurs or they melt so I try to just stay 80 and less for all cheeses. I have even smoked Velveta which will melt if you look at it too long. ;D