Smoked Some Philadelphia Cream Cheese Today

TedEbear · February 23, 2014, 02:28:12 PM

...along with some other things. I haven't read anything on here about smoking a very soft cheese like that but I thought I'd try it and see what happened. I made a foil "boat" in case it decided to run all over but it turned out OK. 3 hours of cherry pellets, outside air temp was in the low 30s. Everything is resting for an hour in my cold garage and then vacuum sealing for 30+ days. The cream cheese is in the freezer for an hour, as it seemed like it was getting a bit soft and I was wondering if it would withstand the vacuum sealing process.

Boar's Head Fontina
Boar's Head Gouda
Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar
Mini Babybel Original
Philadelphia Cream Cheese
Schnucks Colby Jack
Schnucks Extra Sharp Cheddar
Schnucks Mozzarella String
Schnucks Muenster
Schnucks Sharp Cheddar

BigRich · February 23, 2014, 03:03:42 PM

Jesus. That's a lot of cheese.

Saber 4 · February 23, 2014, 03:51:57 PM

That looks like a great load of cheese and some good color on the cheese, I have read where people do cream cheese on here but the softest I have done is velveeta. I let mine rest on the counter for 2-3 hours and then I put in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up before vac sealing. I don't know how much bloom you'll get going straight to the freezer with the cream cheese. I think I would put it in the fridge and then when I went to seal it I would use the pulse setting on the sealer so I don't squish it to badly. Just my $.02 though.

I've also read that the softer cheeses don't take as long to mellow in the fridge.

richard31 · May 23, 2014, 05:26:57 AM

Wow!!
Thats a hell lot of cheese.
But according to the Food Association USA the cheese used for different variety of recipes must be fertilised using a special kind of cooking bacterias.

Salmonsmoker · May 23, 2014, 07:16:48 AM

Quote from: Saber 4 on February 23, 2014, 03:51:57 PM
That looks like a great load of cheese and some good color on the cheese, I have read where people do cream cheese on here but the softest I have done is velveeta. I let mine rest on the counter for 2-3 hours and then I put in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up before vac sealing. I don't know how much bloom you'll get going straight to the freezer with the cream cheese. I think I would put it in the fridge and then when I went to seal it I would use the pulse setting on the sealer so I don't squish it to badly. Just my $.02 though.

I've also read that the softer cheeses don't take as long to mellow in the fridge.

Saber, when I smoke cream cheese I cut a square of deli paper a little larger than the block of cheese and set it on that in the smoker. When I vac pack it, I put another square of deli paper on top and vac pack normally. The shape doesn't change.

tailfeathers · May 23, 2014, 07:20:53 AM

That ought to keep you snackin' for a spell! Cabot seriously sharp is my favorite I think. If they have it where you get yours try the 3 year extra aged version. Couple bucks more but wow is it good!

Northern_Smoke · May 31, 2014, 07:03:16 PM

I love using smoked cream cheese. We use it in our ATB mix or the wife will use it in a crab and spinach dip. I always let mine cool for a few hours in the fridge and then vac seal. They hold their shape just fine. You can also freeze them once they are vac sealed and you are ready to kick up a party dip with short notice.

tskeeter · June 02, 2014, 11:25:35 AM

Guys, I'd like to try smoking some cream cheese and have some questions.

Because it is so soft, do you smoke cream cheese for less time than cheeses such as cheddar?

Does freezing the cream cheese change the texture or have any effect on the cheese?

Northern_Smoke · June 02, 2014, 04:46:44 PM

I don't know about others but any cheese I do is in for 1:40-2:00hrs. I use a milder smoke like apple, cherry or maple. When I freeze and thaw it the texture is off a bit but only until I mix it. It's almost dry and crumbly with the whey having separated. But once I have it in the mixer for 30 seconds you can't tell any difference between frozen and unfrozen.

TedEbear · June 02, 2014, 05:36:36 PM

Quote from: tskeeter on June 02, 2014, 11:25:35 AM
Guys, I'd like to try smoking some cream cheese and have some questions.

Because it is so soft, do you smoke cream cheese for less time than cheeses such as cheddar?

Does freezing the cream cheese change the texture or have any effect on the cheese?

When I did mine I smoked it for the same time as everything else (3 hours). I just made a foil boat for it in case it got too soft and decided to run. The freezer didn't seem to alter it much, other than making it firm enough so I didn't think it would get squished when I vac sealed it. I only had it in there for an hour.

We still have some of the stuff left in the original pic from over 3 months ago.

Northern_Smoke · June 02, 2014, 06:38:56 PM

Maybe it was the brand I used but once it was mixed it was no different than regular unfrozen cream cheese.

tskeeter · June 03, 2014, 08:39:45 AM

As always, guys, thanks for the feedback. Your help makes it possible for me to do these things with confidence and without too many "learning experiences"!

Tskeeter