Not happy with how cheese has turned out...

[chiroken]

OK cheese experts....

Smoked 5 different cheeses Nov 20th, pre-cut into smaller pieces, 1 hour of smoke, never got above 77^ if I remember correctly. Smelled terrible afterwards which is what I expected from comments on the forum. Was vacuum packed and has sat in the fridge since.

Opened up 2 packages over the weekend (a few days shy of 1 month as strongly recommended), mild gouda and creamy havarti. Both had an aftertaste that reminded me of the original smell (you all have mentioned burnt ashtray and I'll agree on that one!). It wasn't grossly overpowering but it was a taste that should not have been there and isn't there  with retail cheese.

So, any ideas? Does it simply need more time? How much? I've read some eat the cheese after 2 wks so I figured I was safe at 4 wks. These cheeses were to be used several times blanketing the 25th as appies ect with holiday meals. Don't think I'd serve them tasting as they do now.

[DTAggie]

More time.  I wait 6 weeks minimum and longer is always better.  Just cut up some 7 month pepper jack and it is awesome!

[NePaSmoKer]

what wood did you use?

I use hickory or apple and only for 3-4 hours. After the smoke i wipe down with cheese cloth and let sit at room temp for a few hours before i seal.

Just opened a vac bag of muenster that i smoked last Dec. It went to the party on friday and it was gone.

[jiggerjams]

I was busy smokin some blazin pistachios on the weekend and while having a couple of pops  ;) I decided to smoke some cheese right after being as I had everything set up. The cheese I smoked was an old cheddar and it definitely picked up the blazin nut flavors. It seems like it will be a good marriage but only time will tell. This was unintentional and not realized until after the cook was finished.

Is it a possibility that something similar could have contributed to your cheese experience?

[SiFumar]

The longer you wait the better!

[chiroken]

I don't remember the wood I used, I usually write everything down but it isn't where it should be (I know I wrote it down, obviously not sure where though!  :() My guess is it would have been apple or alder. Others I currently have are Crown Royal and Maple.

I don't think I smoked anything earlier in the day but I don't clean out the smoker after each use. No other smoke (salmon, pork, jerky, chicken) has ever given the same after taste so I don't know if contamination is an issue.

The cheese sat on the counter and I don't think it was still warm before vacuum packing. I did a light wipe with paper towel to remove a big of oil/grease.

Maybe I just need to wait more. I will be opening up some to try again this weekend (4 1/2 wks) but I don't know if 1 wk will really make a difference.

Thanks for the ideas or any others you might have.

[La Quinta]

I would doubt it is a flavor picked up from the smoker...the gouda should have been ok...I can understand the havarti as that is a softer cheese...may need longer to rest...did you taste it cold or room temp when you first tried it? I really makes a difference...especially with the softer cheese...I don't know...I hardly ever let cheese go more then a month before I try it (as I experiment with woods) I am usually a milder wood kinda gal...apple...oak...I only do hickory with a stong cheese like sharp chedder or pepperjack or gouda as well...
Anyway...it will be fine...most people are amazed at the fact that you did it yourself anyway!!

[Wildcat]

I think you just need more time. If after say 3 months you still have an ashtray taste, slice a very thin layer off of each side, re-vac and wait another 1 to 3 months. This should take care of the problem. Even if it does not resolve the issue, you can still use the cheese in other foods. Next time try less smoke, make sure it sets out for awhile, and wipe off any oil that rises to the surface.

[kickedback]

The 1st time I did cheese i didn't like the taste on several of the cheeses after a month. After sitting a couple weeks longer, they were much better. I have a some Havarti that's been sitting for a month. I was planning on letting it sit longer, but I might pull it and try it out of couriousity.

[Dalglish]

I've had exactly the same issue, I'm starting to believe it's the crappy hockey pucks as nothing I've done in the Bradley matches what I do in my vertical propane smoker using real wood chunks.

[Chili Head]

Like everyone else says..your cheese just needs more time to age. Give it at least three months..more if you can stand it. It will be worth the wait!

[pensrock]

crappy hockey pucks

I would not call them crappy, they work really well depending on what you use them for.
But for cheese, I tend to agree it does take longer to mellow then when using wood chips. I have done hundreds of pounds of cheese and if I use another way to produce the smoke it is ready to eat in a few days. I normally tell people to wait a couple weeks but they never do. Normally the next day they say how good it is. So now I still use the Bradley tower for cheese but either use a hot plate in my cold smoke attachment or my homemade smoke daddy or my homemade amazing smoker to produce the smoke. I think its the low and slow smoldering of the pucks that can cause the ash like taste, but it will go away in time. I think if you were to take the pucks and put onto a hot hot plate you would not get the ash taste. Its just wood, the only difference is how its ignited. IMHO

[La Quinta]

I am with pens on this...I'm not a big fan of hard cheeses smoked but softer cheese..A) don't need that long B) need to rest longer because of the absorption rate of smoke C) It has nothing to do with the pucks...
My first batch I over smoked...it took a long time to get rid of the ashy taste...BUT...once you get a feel for it...it will get better...Just like any meat...same church different pew..

[Quarlow]

Chiroken did you say you smoked the cheese in bite size pieces? If so that may be part of the reason. Small pieces may take on too much smoke. Not sure but that is what I think might have happened.

[REPO]

Personally, I will not smoke cheese under 1.5" thick. 1" at the very minimum. Apple smoke for 1 hour max. Then I vacuum seal and let it sit in our downstairs spare fridge for a minimum of 3 months. As others mentioned, the longer the better!  White cheeses work best for me. Orange cheddar is awful. My favorites in order are 1) Swiss. 2) Pepper Jack. 3) Gouda