Smoking Pre-sliced Cheese

[Nibs50]

Hi folks!  Hope everyone is doing well.  I am hoping that someone will be able to help me out here with a question I've got that I can't seem to find an answer to. 

We are big fans of smoked cheese on our Bradley.  We smoke all kinds of cheeses - cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, swiss and parmesan - twice a year.  I'm happy to say that we're rapidly coming up to our Spring Smoke for 2024 and I've started stocking up on cheeses.

This week, I've found a good sale price on sliced Cracker Barrel swiss cheese - it's a good deal cheaper than the block of swiss cheese I normally buy for smoking - and that's where my questions arise. 

1) Can I smoke pre-sliced cheese in a stack as I would smoke a solid block of cheese or should I lay out all the slices individually?  My 'smoker's instinct' says to stack it and smoke it - since it's essentially a just a block of cheese anyways (that's been sliced beforehand), but I'd like your take on it.

2) After smoking, we usually wrap the blocks of cheese in wax paper and then vacuum seal to mature and store. As you know, during vacuum sealing, the cheese is compressed to remove all the air.  This package of Cracker Barrel swiss cheese I'm looking at comes sliced - and so I'm wondering how this compression during vacuum sealing would affect the slices.  Could I separate the slices after a long time of being compressed or would they all the cheese simply turn into one block of cheese again?  These slices of cheese are in a nice square shape (perfect for sandwiches and burgers) so I'd like to preserve that if possible - would it be best to insert squares of parchment or wax paper in between the slices or would it be necessary?

Thanks for any advice you can give me.  I am grateful for your guidance!

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Nibs50,

Welcome to the forum.

I've never tried to smoke cheese that was already sliced. My thought would be to stack the cheese. My other thought would be to use some type of netting, but something like cheesecloth may block too much smoke.

Those slices are also the perfect size for saltine crackers. I place the saltines down on a sheet tray, and place a slice of cheese on each cracker. Then thinly slice Campari tomatoes and place them on top of the cheese, and sprinkle either oregano or Italian Herb Blend over them. Sometimes I will also drizzle Mike's Hot Honey over them. Place in a 350F oven and bake until the cheese melts (but not too much). They are a favorite with guest.

[Nibs50]

Hi there Habanero Smoker!  Thanks for the welcome and for your reply - I was very much hoping you'd chime in.  I am not an active participant in these forums, but I have been reading them for years as a guest and have come to recognize your name as synonymous with wonderfully wise and sound advice.  You - along with the many other old timers  - have taught me well and I'd like to thank you for your guidance!

I am glad you agree that I should stack the slices prior to smoking. I don't think I'll be needing a net to support them, since the stack will likely be less than 3" high.  I'll just be extra careful when transporting the racks to and from the smoker, so as not to topple anything.

Thanks for the cracker snack recipe idea - it sounds delicious and I will definitely give that a try.  That hot honey is a real hit at our house...my boys will put that on everything!  Could I use any other tomatoes on these?  I'm not sure if my store carries Campari tomatoes.

I am still wondering about vacuum sealing the smoked sliced cheese though.  Since I plan to buy a few packages of it (it's a really good price - as far as "good" prices go these days...) I think I will just vacuum seal half of them without wax paper in between the slices and the other half with wax paper inserted between the slices, just to see what works.

Thanks again for your help! 

[Habanero Smoker]

Let us know how your smoked slice cheese turns out, and which way worked best for vacuum sealing.

You can use any type of small variety tomoto; cherry, grap etc. Or cut the larger varieties to fit. I use Campari tomatoes, because they are the perfect size to fit on the cheese crackers.