Smokin Some Cheese

[BeeRich]

A friend of a friend sent through some notes on his cheese smoking experience. So I thought I'd try it.

- Keep the cheese mild
- Keep temps low
- Small amount of charcoal
- I used Apple & Cherry to smoke
- Smoked less than 1 hour
- Temp got up to 60°C in WSM and cheese started to sweat and lose composure
- Shoved into fridge to solidify up
- I cut the cheese many times. Then I sliced the cheese to increase surface area.
- Stood on end to get surface area into smoke movement

Tasting some of it now. Tastes like smoked cheese. Much better flavour than the store bought kak. Big smoke flavour, but a nice cheese ending. This would be absolutely excellent on a burger or in some kind of chicken wrap thingy. Although not as pretty as when I cut the cheese, the pieces do show some uptake of smoke. Best used either sliced after this or melted/incorporated into something.

Actually, this stuff is really good. Really really good. (Ok, so pics are in reverse order, you catch my whiff)

 

[Pigs On The Wing BBQ]

Great cheese. We love smoked cheese. I'm lucky I can get most any cheese from the factory up the road from me. Just like sausage, you can't buy that in the store or market.
Bet it was fun. Enjoy.

Pigs

 

[BeeRich]

I found mine much smokier than with any commercial smoked cheese I have tried.

 

[Pigs On The Wing BBQ]

I found mine much smokier than with any commercial smoked cheese I have tried.

That's because they use liquid smoke. :vom: after doing the real deal,would you buy smoked cheese? Now that you can make your own? Hammer down with homemade

Pigs

 

[BeeRich]

OMG. That's like using liquid pork.

 

[Tri Tip]

"Temp got up to 60°C "
UUUMM???? in American?

P.S. looks amazing. I'm next. I heard to leave it on out on the counter for an hour to let it hit room temp and dry out a bit?

 

[Smokey Lew]

Good looking project. I heard that you can put a soldering iron that hasn't been used to solder anything into a can of charcoal for heat in your WSM and that's all you need for smoking cheese. What did you do to set up the fire to keep it at 125 degrees?

 

[BeeRich]

I shoved it in my fridge for 30 minutes. It's excellent stuff.

60°C = 140 Furlongs. US should move to Metric. Makes things so much easier.

 

[BeeRich]

I bought a gun-trigger propane canister attachment which works like a charm. I actually pulled the remnants out of my last big 23 pound pork butts smoke (second addition) and used those pieces in the front, where I always have my single bottom vent. I soaked some chips and drained them well. I put the chips on the charcoal and lit it through the open vent until she was just lit. I had maybe 4 cups of charcoal? The majority of the charcoal grate was empty.

The goal was to make smoke and not heat. I could have used maybe two handfuls of charcoal instead of how much I did. I should take pictures next time. Lump works great.

 

[bbquzz]

Tried some on my WSM, tough to keep the temp <90° F. I used three briquettes and one lump of wood on a cool day and it still got too hot. The cheese like you said was very good.

 

[Rag1]

I have to try that. I'm real good at cutting the cheese.

 

[Old Dave]

Buzz,

Your method of smoking cheese on the WSM is great and to keep the temps down on a hot day, just fill the water pan full with ice.

 

[BeeRich]

If the water pan is full with other items (mine is filled with BBQ stones & some lava rocks), could the bottom cooking level be used instead?

 

[bbquzz]

Buzz,

Your method of smoking cheese on the WSM is great and to keep the temps down on a hot day, just fill the water pan full with ice.

Good thought Old Dave, Thanks!

 

[Old Dave]

BeeRich,

I am not sure as I haven't tried it that way. Do let us know if it works.

 

[BeeRich]

I have a fridge full of smoked cheese now. But will update if I try.

 

[surfinsapo]

I bet that cheese rocked

 

[BeeRich]

Oh it's still rockin, Sapo. It goes a long way. Great in soups, pasta, you name it.

 

[surfinsapo]

I bet that came out perfecto!!!

 

[BeeRich]

Sapo you gotta try it. It lasts forever too. 45 minutes to 1 hour, small burn.