What temp should I smoke the cheese at? I've read not hotter than 75 but couldn't find what the minimum temperature is.
Second, can someone give me an idea of what the ambient temp range should be while smoking also please.
The temp here in FL is supposed to drop tonight and I already have the cheese so I thought I'd give it a shot.
I have a DBS with original element.
I like a temp of around 70-80. It will soften up the cheese just enough to give the cheese a nice rich brown colour. I have done cheese colder but the final appearance was not the same.
I think you can go to around 90F in the tower without worrying about it. Any warmer than that I put a half gallon milk carton of ice in the V tray to keep from melting my cheese.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
X2 on what Devo and Tailfeathers said. As to ambient, it doesn't matter. As long as you can keep the tower from going over 100*F. That said, it's a lot easier to do that when the outside temps are cool. So, now is prime cheese smokin' time. In fact, I had to turn on the heating element the other day to get the temp up to 80*F!!
I have a couple frozen 2 liters I use to keep temp down. Depending on cheese I have had some melt at 90ish....
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2
I assume that the softer the cheese the lower the temp at which it will melt. I've only done Gouda, cojack and various types of cheddar so I haven't had any problem with melting ( yet). I'm finding that I like the really super sharp white cheddars best.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
Those are my favorite as well. Or pepper jack always goes ovwe well at my house. The melt problem I had was velvetta for an attempt at something that should just be left alone (think smoked cheese dip).
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2
There's a little dairy near here (Dimock Dairy) that makes a ghost pepper cheese that is the bomb when smoked. I have an extreme tolerance for hot food (my wife maintains that I killed my taste buds) but that stuff even brings tears to MY eyes.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
Quote from: ragweed on January 06, 2014, 04:24:48 PM
X2 on what Devo and Tailfeathers said. As to ambient, it doesn't matter. As long as you can keep the tower from going over 100*F. That said, it's a lot easier to do that when the outside temps are cool. So, now is prime cheese smokin' time. In fact, I had to turn on the heating element the other day to get the temp up to 80*F!!
I agree with what these guys say.
Quote from: hutcho on January 06, 2014, 05:08:52 PM
Those are my favorite as well. Or pepper jack always goes ovwe well at my house. The melt problem I had was velvetta for an attempt at something that should just be left alone (think smoked cheese dip).
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2
I used my AMZN-PS to do Velveeta and kept the temp under 75 and it made the most amazing Rotel's and Velveeta cheese dip for Christmas, it didn't last long and everyone want's me to make more.
I did mine before I realized it needed to age. And before I realized hickory is a bjy much. So needless to say 2hrs of hickory straight to the bowl ended up like an ash tray. I am gonna try again with less time, pecan or apple, and let it rest this time. Got the itch to try sausage so may be a bit longer now lol
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Can I close the vent to keep the temp down?
Secondly, can I put a tray of ice on a rack? I'm think it may block the smoke.
I put a tray of ice on the bottom rack. My BDS temp probe reads 74. In the middle if the smoker, my remote probe reads 87. Should I go for it or add another tray of ice?
I think you'll be ok. If it creeps past 90 I'd consider more ice
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
Your just using the SG , right? Element is off?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
Yes. I added another tray and put in the cheese. The box reads 70 and the remote probe reads 77 an hour into it.
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/08/4u6u9ehu.jpg)
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/08/ryte8apa.jpg)
You should be good to go, I wouldn't go over 2 hours on your first cheese smoke.
Thanks. I had read two. I'm smoking with Alder . Think I should cut it back to 1.5?
Alder is pretty mild. I'd go 2 hrs. I use apple, always for 2 hours. But that's just me.
I think you'll be good with 2, I use pecan and sometimes apple with cheese. The hardest part will be the month wait to try it, unless your willing to listen to 10.5 and get ashtray mouth.
I won't. Might let the wife try some though ;)
15 min left, then 1 hr bloom in the smoker. I should be vacuum sealing by 10:45. I'm sure my 2 year old will live that :0
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/08/ru3era4a.jpg)
Looks good, I rest mine on the counter for an hour and then into the fridge for a bit to firm up so it's easier to vac seal.
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/08/aduzu3e2.jpg)
Congratulations! Nice color. Now the hard part....waiting.
Quote from: ragweed on January 07, 2014, 07:55:23 PM
Congratulations! Nice color. Now the hard part....waiting.
x2, good job
Thanks for your help guys!
a month.... mines good at the 3 week mark, wont argue it's all better with age, but i've been using at 3 and it tastes fine.
I think I've read here that it depends on what type of cheese is smoked. Some take longer than others, I guess. I started out waiting 6 weeks. Now I'm down to one month. So far so good. I'll have to try 3, Snoopy.
Quote from: Snoopy on January 08, 2014, 12:44:09 AM
a month.... mines good at the 3 week mark, wont argue it's all better with age, but i've been using at 3 and it tastes fine.
Mine probably is to but I'm lazy and it's easier to just add a month to the smoke date to put the open date on my cheese labels. lol
I have some cheese in my frig dated 07/12. I'm thinking it should be just about ready right about now. :)
Quote from: KyNola on January 08, 2014, 07:05:48 AM
I have some cheese in my frig dated 07/12. I'm thinking it should be just about ready right about now. :)
I bet that's going to be great.
Just found some from 11/12 its provolone though and Im not sure what to use it on....
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Heck, just eat it!! That's the way we eat most of the provolone I smoke. Oh, and my wife added some to a meat loaf on a whim and it was fantastic. :) :)
Makes great ham and cheese sandwiches and grilled cheese, melts on a bacon burger real nicely also.
Just opened the parm. I think it needed to go longer because it had an extremely strong smokey/ashy flavor. We cut the outside to get to the middle and it was much better.
Quote from: BigRich on February 08, 2014, 09:16:17 AM
Just opened the parm. I think it needed to go longer because it had an extremely strong smokey/ashy flavor. We cut the outside to get to the middle and it was much better.
How long had it been vac sealed?
Since January 7th
Hmm...that's over a month. I would think that it should have settled down by now. Our first experience with cold smoking cheese was 2:15 with hickory pellets. After a month vac sealed it tasted pretty good. My wife suggested an even longer smoke time for a stronger flavor with our second batch, so this last time I went with cherry pellets and smoking for 3 hours. I still have about a week to go before the month is up.
I have done it with apple/maple and have let it go as long as 3 hrs. We like
it a little smokier/stronger. Normally it's not much past 2 hrs. You just have to experiment a little. Some cheeses accept or taste a bit better with more smoke...IMHO.
Ok so after you vac seal the cheese where do most of you store them for the next month
Quote from: Fireguy06 on February 08, 2014, 02:34:49 PM
Ok so after you vac seal the cheese where do most of you store them for the next month
In the bin inside the fridge. I use a marker to write the date on the packages of when I sealed them.
Thanks didn't know if fridge or freezer
I date the packages and put them in the basement fridge. The people who lived here before us put a full kitchen in the basement so it's handy for me. Got an extra full size fridge/freezer downstairs for all the goodies from the smoker. Now if I could only negotiate stairways!! So far SWMBO is nice about bringing whatever I ask her to up from downstairs.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
Others may have a different opinion but I don't like to freeze cheese unless it's grated cheese or will be grated when used. To me it seems like cheese gets really crumbly when you try to slice it after being frozen.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
i agree, i wont freeze again, it crumbles when trying to cut cracker size pieces
Quote from: tailfeathers on February 08, 2014, 05:48:25 PM
I date the packages and put them in the basement fridge. The people who lived here before us put a full kitchen in the basement so it's handy for me. Got an extra full size fridge/freezer downstairs for all the goodies from the smoker. Now if I could only negotiate stairways!! So far SWMBO is nice about bringing whatever I ask her to up from downstairs.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
You could always build a homemade elevator like a friend of mine did using an electric winch and some steel tracking. ;)
Just opened the mozzarella. It still has a strong ash flavor and the outside is unedible. I'm starting to wonder if I did something wrong and if all of it is gonna suck.
On the mozzarella, just reseal it and wait a while longer. My mozz. has always been ready after 4-5 weeks. I have tasted at 26 and 27 days, and still had the ash taste, but was starting to convert. I have never had cheese that was not ready after 5 weeks. I use almost all oak for smoking cheese. Also, this has not been answered, but always leave the vent open.
January 7th is when I smoked it. It's been 7.5 weeks.
Quote from: BigRich on February 27, 2014, 04:12:22 PM
Just opened the mozzarella. It still has a strong ash flavor and the outside is unedible. I'm starting to wonder if I did something wrong and if all of it is gonna suck.
Hopefully it doesn't all suck, I went back through and re-read everything you posted on this and I'm wondering if leaving it in the smoker to bloom added more smoke flavor from the residual smoke hanging around in there? I bloom mine on the kitchen counter and haven't had to strong a smoke flavor after 2 hours of pecan or apple. I didn't see anything on whether you closed your vent some during the smoke, this could have added to the harshness or it could be that you guy's just like less smoke on your cheese than others do. Just a few thoughts I had, maybe someone else has some other ideas.
Quote from: Saber 4 on February 28, 2014, 07:44:41 AM
Quote from: BigRich on February 27, 2014, 04:12:22 PM
Just opened the mozzarella. It still has a strong ash flavor and the outside is unedible. I'm starting to wonder if I did something wrong and if all of it is gonna suck.
Hopefully it doesn't all suck, I went back through and re-read everything you posted on this and I'm wondering if leaving it in the smoker to bloom added more smoke flavor from the residual smoke hanging around in there? I bloom mine on the kitchen counter and haven't had to strong a smoke flavor after 2 hours of pecan or apple. I didn't see anything on whether you closed your vent some during the smoke, this could have added to the harshness or it could be that you guy's just like less smoke on your cheese than others do. Just a few thoughts I had, maybe someone else has some other ideas.
I bloom my cheese in the smoker without "side effects". I don't think residual smoke in the cabinet remains long enough to have an effect especially if the vent is open. Saber might be right about your "comfort zone" of smokiness.
I'm fairly certain the vent was open. Unfortunately the taste is definitely that of ash and not smoke.
Just tried the cheddar. It wasn't good. I definitely messed something up. I'll have to try it again sometime and be more careful.
Quote from: BigRich on March 16, 2014, 04:31:18 PM
Just tried the cheddar. It wasn't good. I definitely messed something up. I'll have to try it again sometime and be more careful.
Rich, before you toss it out, try adding the cheese to some of your meal recipes that call it and see if "spreading" out the smoke concentration will make it palatable, or even turn some of the dishes "exquisite". I smoke an Asagio cheese that might be concidered strong. In Italian recipes it makes them memorable.