ash tray tasting cheese

[bears fan]

I smoked some colby, mozz., swiss, and extra sharp cheddar 4 weeks ago.  I tried the colby 2 weeks ago and it tasted like an ash tray.  So, I assumed it needed to sit longer.  I've tried it periodically over the past couple of weeks and really no change.  I smoked it with apple for 2 hours.  I'm afraid to try the rest of them for fear of them tasting the same way so I'm letting them sit for a while longer before I try them.

Where did I go wrong? 

[pensrock]

Not sure, 2 hours with apples should be fine. Did you keep the top vent open? I have only done colby once, it was not everyones favorite.

[bears fan]

yep, had the vent wide open.  Maybe I should try some of the others and see if it is the same.

[squirtthecat]

I did colby once and it was strange as well...   Some liked it - I didn't.

[KevinG]

I rarely go above 1 hour with cheese, a lot of people here on the forum will go longer, but to me it ends up tasting like ashtray if I do. Your temps need to be cool too.

[Up In Smoke]

Colby, like  mozzarella, Havarti and other soft cheeses will take smoke quicker than harder cheeses like orange/white Cheddar.
i usually do not go to an hour on my cheese because i like a very light smoke flavor.
i would imagine that if you vac seal it back up and give it more time it will mellow out.

As Kevin stated the temp is important also, if you get too warm and the cheese begins to sweat it can make the flavor a little more
harsh.
the good thing is that we get to keep trying  ;D ;D

[sodak]

Bears Fan,

The good news is that if you get a batch like you're describing, you can always shred it into chili or something...gives the chili almost an award-winning flavor!  Something like...hmmmm...what is that secret ingredient?  Corporate just took a hunk of one of my "off flavors" and did that - chili was great!

[watchdog56]

I have cold smoked cheese 4 times now. Been a variety with colby, ghouda, havrati, mozarella,cheddar all for 2 hours each. Sometimes use apple and sometimes maple. Cabinet temp never got above 70 then I vacuum bag and in frig for 2 weeks minimum and have never had ash tray taste. Did you either vacuum seal them or wrap them tight in plastic? That is about the only reason I could see the flavor never got soaked into the cheese.

[bears fan]

yes, I did vacuum seal them.  My temp did get up to about 85 though when smoking.

[pensrock]

I try to keep my temp 75-90 when smoking cheese. It takes on better color when its warmer.

[bears fan]

I'm still not really sure what I did wrong.  Seems like I didn't really do anything wrong, yet it didn't turn out like I was expecting.  I tried the cheddar tonight and it tasted pretty much the same way.

So, maybe this is just the way it is suppose to taste?  I was hoping it would taste like the "hickory smoked cheese" you find in the grocery store, but it certainly does not taste anything like that.

[Quarlow]

Most store bought cheese has not been smoked, just add liquid smoke after it is formed. I guess they dip it or something. Having said that it still tastes good. I have only done one batch so far but I used a homemade cold smoker box and duct pipe so it stayed around 75 degrees. I used apple wood. The cheese was not very smokey at all to our taste, but it wasn't ashy. My next cheese smoke I will smoke longer with stronger wood like Hickory. Anyway, try again and see if you get a better result by changing things up abit. Good luck.

[NePaSmoKer]

I to had the ash tray taste on one of my cheese cold smokes.

Here is what i have done to eliminate that taste.

1. No water in the bowl. The burnt spent pucks drop into the water and creates steam. The burnt flavor steam coats the cheese thus making it taste bad.

2. Vent full open.

3. 3 to 5 pucks of your choice.

4. Let the cheese rest uncovered on a wire rack for 2-3 hours before vac sealing.

5. If you can try to use a separate cold smoke box with your smoke gen fit to it. This makes the smoke going through the tube colder than if you had your gen fit to your smoker.

[Wildcat]

I did my first batch of cheese a while back. January 11 I think. I smoked it for 4 hours as I generally like a strong smoke flavor. I tested a slice last week and it was much improved, but still had a slight ashtray taste. I am hoping by the 5th or 6th month I will have the flavor I was looking for. Re-seal it and wait.

[bears fan]

Thanks for the tips.  I did use the water bowl to catch the pucks, so I will not do that next time.