Cheese smoke results (pics)

[Stickbowcrafter]

Yep, I miss that green grass too. That pic was taken a while back, just wanted to reference my cold smoke set up. Unfortunately, two inches of fresh snow here since this morning. Hope that's it for the day...

Anyway, the cheese turned out nice. I thought it tasted pretty good out of the smoker, a little strong, but good. I've been reading that it will mellow and get better with age. Definitely not ashtray as some have mentioned.



So now what? Leave on counter for a while? Vacuum seal? Place in fridge? All of the above?  ;D

-Brian

[Stickbowcrafter]

Oh yeah, this was 3 hours of apple smoke, cold smoked around 40 degrees. The blocks were cut up AFTER the smoke for packaging and to show difference in smoked edge and inside edge.

-Brian

[Ontrack]

Brian-good looking job! I have always taken mine straight from the smoker to the vac sealer to the fridge and had outstanding results.

[Stickbowcrafter]

Alright, gonna go fire up the sealer...

Thanks!

-Brian

[pensrock]

It will get better the longer it sits. I just wrap mine in plastic wrap unless I'm planning to keep it for a long time. It does not normally last that long. I've done over 150 pounds this year but only about 10 pounds stayed here. I usually allow mine to get a little darker than you did but it's better to go easy till you find what you like.

You are from PA? Where about? I live right along I-80 about in the middle of the state. We got maybe two inches of snow today, a little more in the higher elevations where I work.

I also have not tasted the "ashtray" taste others have mentioned and i have tasted it right out of the smoker

[Ontrack]

Never done either of those cheeses, Brian, but they look delicious. Let us know what you think...I've done cheddar, pepper jack, swiss, provolone, and colby jack, and I would hate to have to pick a favorite because they all are great. Looking forward to you opinions on the Mozz and Muenster!

[Stickbowcrafter]

Pens, I'm southwest of you between Pittsburgh and the Ohio line. I've probably been through your town or near it at one point or another. Used to do a lot of hunting up that way.

Well, I went ahead and sealed it up with the vacuum sealer. It's always on hand in the kitchen anyhow, always packing game or leftovers away.

My wife sampled a sliver of each as I was putting it away and she loved it. I'll report back in a few weeks. I didn't catch the post about using hard or semi-hard cheeses. I have had smoked Mozz before and it was great so I figured I'd try smoking it myself. Muenster is soft too but they both seemed to smoke well. Thanks for the tips guys!

-Brian

[yul]

That's a nice looking set up you have there Brian. Is the whole base used for cooling the smoke or is there a partition half way. Do you get good smoke circulation?
You are right about the weather minus 20 C here tonight. Would that be classed as "Cold Smoking" tonight.
Another Brian.

[Stickbowcrafter]

Hi Brian. There is a partition almost halfway, just enough to "cool off" the smoke and direct it into the pipe. Great smoke flow, it literally pours out the top vent. By having the smoke generator in the box below, it provides just enough heated air to give the smoke a ride upwards but not enough to heat the cabinet. Here's a link to the build-a-long I did for that set-up:

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=5264.0

Yes, you would certainly need some heat to cold smoke where you're at  ;D

-Brian

[Stickbowcrafter]

Oh yeah, and I designed it so the smoke generator was still close enough to stay plugged into the cabinet and provide power for days like we're talking about. Like today, I set my aftermarket digital temperature switch to 38 degrees just to keep the cabinet above freezing during the cold smoking session.

-Brian