First time cold smoking (cheese) experience

[pz]

First off, your cutting board is amazing PZ!!!!

After looking at your Cheese, this is something I'm totally going to try.

The quick trick of frozen water is a great idea to use since it looks as
though my BDS runs hot. 

2hr of Pecan Smoke w/ Munster
Vac Seal it
Taste in a week. (if I can hold off :-[)

Thanks rveal23!  My boy gave me that board for Christmas a couple of years ago because my wife gave me the Shun Santoku hand made knife.  Evidently the end grain boards are easier on the knife edge.

I'm definitely going to try the ice  recommendation to keep the temperatures down, and continue to use the pecan wood - my wife can't get enough of that smoked Gouda and now continues to let me experiment - she didn't even fuss that I ordered the PID last night!  ;D

[KyNola]

If you are going to use ice to keep the temp down you may want to consider placing it to the far right hand side of the tower as the cold air can hinder the smoking in rising.  If I use ice I put it in a ziplock bag so that as the ice melts the moisture won't be released and travel up to and settle on the cheese.

Others may have a different method and if they do, use theirs.

[rveal23]

First off, your cutting board is amazing PZ!!!!

After looking at your Cheese, this is something I'm totally going to try.

The quick trick of frozen water is a great idea to use since it looks as
though my BDS runs hot. 

2hr of Pecan Smoke w/ Munster
Vac Seal it
Taste in a week. (if I can hold off :-[)

Thanks rveal23!  My boy gave me that board for Christmas a couple of years ago because my wife gave me the Shun Santoku hand made knife.  Evidently the end grain boards are easier on the knife edge.

I'm definitely going to try the ice  recommendation to keep the temperatures down, and continue to use the pecan wood - my wife can't get enough of that smoked Gouda and now continues to let me experiment - she didn't even fuss that I ordered the PID last night!  ;D

@ PZ - Completely understand about The Shun Knives, I have several myself and they are my precious babies that Only I can use!  ;)

I'm trying to play it smooth so I can order my temp control soon, but when I'm stocking up on Bisquettes , it's going to take time for me to get the OK from the boss!

@ KyNola - That's great advice will make sure I make that adjustment when I smoke the cheese. Time for a Costco Run!

[Ka Honu]

...it's going to take time for me to get the OK from the boss!

It's much easier to beg for forgiveness than permission.

[rveal23]

...it's going to take time for me to get the OK from the boss!

It's much easier to beg for forgiveness than permission.

@ Ka Honu - Not when your wife is taking care of your first New Born Baby, is exhausted and is Mexican/Cuban Decent.   :-\ Hahahaha  J/K she is the best, she would have no prob. but I rather not push my luck.  :-X

[Saber 4]

Tread softly and keep her well fed.... ;D

[pz]

...  If I use ice I put it in a ziplock bag so that as the ice melts the moisture won't be released and travel up to and settle on the cheese.

Excellent idea; had not thought of the extra moisture gumming things up

@ PZ - Completely understand about The Shun Knives, I have several myself and they are my precious babies that Only I can use!  ;)

I'm trying to play it smooth so I can order my temp control soon, but when I'm stocking up on Bisquettes , it's going to take time for me to get the OK from the boss!

lol, same here; no one touches my Shun!

I thought about stocking up on pucks, but then, I wanted the PID.  While I can smoke without the PID, I cannot smoke without the pucks.  I imagined a scenario like this: [me] "sorry sweetie; I ran out of pucks!" [the boss] "Darn, I wanted more of that smoked cheese so you'd better go out and get a box... but just one!"

So, my logic is to get the PID knowing that the boss will want me to go out and get the pucks anyway  ;D

[pz]

lol, I just have to post this story which just now happened.  History: my wife and I went to Cabelas to get a package of 48 pecan pucks for smoking the cheese several days ago - we saw the 120 count packages of hickory, but no other flavors. I told her that I thought I remembered the package costing $69, and she replied that she recalled the same.  I told her about the deal that rveal23 posted a while ago in which he reported that you can get the 120 count packages for $39 plus change.  Even though I had just purchased the PID from Auber (spent nearly $200), she replied "Wow, you'd better get online and get some of those packages!"

I think my plan worked  ::)

[rveal23]

PZ exactly what you had told me was going to happen. Congrats!  I should have played it the same way. My wife loves her smoked meats. She would have caved. Now it's time to kiss butt and hope I can order my temp controller soon.

I smoked some cheese tonight and all my temps were reading +10 above what the display was showing me on my BDS, so it was going over 100 degrees @ times.

I added cold water to my bowl and then added another bowl full of ice and water to try to keep the temp below 90 And even then I struggled. My cheese started to sweat so I pulled it after 1hr of smoking with Cherry.  I can believe that I was breaking over 100 on my top shelf with only the smoker on.

I'm not sure what else I can do besides get a temp control.

[pz]

Thanks rveal23!  I had to laugh internally as my boss told me to purchase the pucks, and the only tough part was not letting her know anything was amiss.  Unfortunately I do not think a temperature control will work so well for the low temperatures required for cold smoking after I read the specs of the Auber PID (minimum temp control=40F above ambient with smoke generator on).  However, the Ziplock bag of ice trick posted by KyNola sounds like a good solution, and once I build some kind of cold smoke isolator, the cheese and lox I plan to smoke should be good, especially as we head into the cooler fall ambient temperatures.

[Tenpoint5]

At the risk of sounding like a smart a...... you guys could always make or buy a cold smoke adapter. They work perfectly when doing cheese

[rveal23]

At the risk of sounding like a smart a...... you guys could always make or buy a cold smoke adapter. They work perfectly when doing cheese

@ Tenpoint -  :( , ya you are aboslutly correct, but I like to tinker first then fall back if I can't figure it out. But it is the challenge of it for me.   :P

[pz]

At the risk of sounding like a smart a...... you guys could always make or buy a cold smoke adapter. They work perfectly when doing cheese

Exactly my plan Tenpoint5 - I saw somewhere on the forum where a member built one out of a mailbox.  I'd like to try to find something creative like that

[KyNola]

A cardboard box and dryer vent hose will work just fine too.

[tskeeter]

At the risk of sounding like a smart a...... you guys could always make or buy a cold smoke adapter. They work perfectly when doing cheese

Exactly my plan Tenpoint5 - I saw somewhere on the forum where a member built one out of a mailbox.  I'd like to try to find something creative like that

Some forum members have even used a simple cardboard box for a cold smoke chamber.  Because the puck burner isn't close to the cardboard, the chance of starting a fire is pretty limited as long as you keep the materials you are using in mind and are careful when you set things up.  A box and some dryer vent.  It doesn't get much more basic.