Let's Talk BBQ
Outdoor Cooking Equipment => Grills & Smokers => Gas Smokers => Topic started by: RAD on January 18, 2014, 02:10:40 PM
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This will be my first try at smoking cheese. I received my a-maze-n-tube-smoker the other day along with a boat load of pellets and wanted to break it in so I decided to try my go at cheese.
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l501/rdelemos/smoker/Cold%20Smoke%20cheese/20140118_100509_zps6db9c858.jpg)
Cheddar, pepper jack and colby jack for the cheeses. I am going to use hickory for the smoke
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l501/rdelemos/smoker/Cold%20Smoke%20cheese/20140118_102115_zpsd1e1fe1e.jpg)
Since this is my first try I cut them into blocks that looked good.
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l501/rdelemos/smoker/Cold%20Smoke%20cheese/20140118_122102_zps3eb4fb3d.jpg)
I am using my CB Vertical Electric Smoker. About two hours in and the pepper jack above the smoker is getting too much heat and smoke. I’ve moved the rack up above the second rack.
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l501/rdelemos/smoker/Cold%20Smoke%20cheese/20140118_124352_zps1cbc13cf.jpg)
Pulled the pepper jack that was above the smoker and letting it sit while the other blocks continue cooking.
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Raise the racks to the top..what is your outside temp there? It's so cold here I don't have to worry, but I have been known to freeze a gallon jug of water and set it over the smoker thingi..or I use my smoke daddy which is on the outside or my cooler..I made a cold smoker out of an old Coleman cooler. Other than that..it's looking real good..have fun waiting for a month. That's the hard part. In 2 months put on another batch for the summer. Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.
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Thanks Pan. So after you vac seal you wait a month? How long will the cheese last?
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Thanks Pan. So after you vac seal you wait a month? How long will the cheese last?
Once you wait a month to taste your bounty RAD, you won't have to worry how long it will last! I'm fairly new to this too, and my mistake was not doing a second batch soon enough after the first. My first batch was set to be ready for Thanksgiving, and I thought there was enough for Christmas.......not! ::)
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Just pulled and letting settle before sealing. Man, I don't how you can wait a month to dig into this.
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l501/rdelemos/smoker/Cold%20Smoke%20cheese/20140118_140943_zpsd188382d.jpg)
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Looking real good from here Rad ;D, can't wait to hear about your taste test.
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Ray
Sorry i didnt get back to you, been kinda here and there.
Your cheese looks good, now just the wait. If you dont have a vac sealer you can wrap a couple times in clear wrap or get a ziplock hand pump with sealer bags, its easy and cheap.
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I have had some for over a year and it was fine. I'm telling you ..put on another batch for summer soon..if you leave it vacuum sealed it will last a long time, many months. I found some from my 1st batch out in the frig in the garage is how I know. Just be sure and date your batches. I dried them with paper towels before sealing too. Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.
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That is going to be some tasty cheese Rad! I still have 2 small packages from November of 2012.
Still good and taste is terrific!
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thanks everyone. I have paper towels over ever them now. Watching a move so I don't keep checking on them.
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RAD if the cheese is vac sealed it will be good for over a year in the fridge.
The older it gets the better it will taste. You will see the cheese get deeper in color as the smoke penetrates the cheese over time.
If you don't give it time to age the cheese will taste bitter.
And the cheese will sweat as it changes temp so I like to leave it open in the fridge to get cold before sealing it.
Cheese looks good BTW!!!
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it looks good from here ,
i keep my cheese in the freeze for three months before i take it out .
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Nice stash (once you are able to try it).
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I sealed it after wiping with paper towels. Next time I will get it some time to dry in the fridge thanks to Mike.
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l501/rdelemos/smoker/Cold%20Smoke%20cheese/20140118_161659_zps8cc2aa3c.jpg)
See you in about a month. :o
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Taking the advice of so many here I have a second batch on today. It helped that Publix had cheese BOGO. I was going to open one of the ones I did on the 18th buy my daughter reminded me that we had to let it age for at least 30 days. >:(
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l501/rdelemos/smoker/Cold%20Smoke%20cheese/2nd%20batch%20Feb%202%202014/20140202_101513_zpse07b790e.jpg)
Bounty 8)
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l501/rdelemos/smoker/Cold%20Smoke%20cheese/2nd%20batch%20Feb%202%202014/20140202_103516_zpsc31715b2.jpg)
Using the toothpick trick I learned here. Thanks for that trick 8)
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l501/rdelemos/smoker/Cold%20Smoke%20cheese/2nd%20batch%20Feb%202%202014/20140202_110853_zpsc6f96ed7.jpg)
Using my a-maze-n-tube-smoker I ordered from Owens BBQ, nice cool day out so I should get some really good cold smoke. Someone asked about the smoke you get when using the tube in the CB smoker. This is about an hour in and I am getting great smoke.
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All of it looks great, I give mine 1-3 hours on the counter to bloom then into the fridge for an hour to firm up before I vac seal them. I don't wipe mine, the vac sealing seems to allow it to merge back into the cheese.
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let them on the counter now in the outside icebox to firm before sealing.
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l501/rdelemos/smoker/Cold%20Smoke%20cheese/2nd%20batch%20Feb%202%202014/20140202_150240_zps2bff6291.jpg)
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Looks like you got some great color, you may have been pushing the envelope on cabinet temp, cheesesickles aren't pretty. :)
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Looks like you got some great color, you may have been pushing the envelope on cabinet temp, cheesesickles aren't pretty. :)
Good eye. The Monterey Jack got a little hot (cheesecickles). I didn't use any heat just the smoke tube and thought it was cool enough out today not to worry about it and add an offset cold smoker. All in all it turned out.
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couldn't wait any longer. 1st batch on 1/18 was read for a taste. Went with the Pepper Jack and it was really good. I am glad I went with second batch because I don't know if I will have anymore cold days left to make another batch without an offset method.
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l501/rdelemos/smoker/Cold%20Smoke%20cheese/20140209_142700_zps23f05ef1.jpg)
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Looks good,once you start cheeses hard to stop.
Ive done my share of midnight smoking looking for those cool temps.
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I just got my A-MAZE-N smoker delivered today and the first thing I want to do is cheese. Lot of great advice in this thread.....Thanks to everyone that contributed. ;)
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I've also seen some put a bowl of ice in the smoker to help keep the temp down.
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I've also seen some put a bowl of ice in the smoker to help keep the temp down.
I saw that too and I read that cold smoking cheese should be done when outdoor temps are below 90F. That means I've got a long wait to cold smoke cheese in the Las Vegas desert or else I better do it between midnight and five in the morning. ::)
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I've also seen some put a bowl of ice in the smoker to help keep the temp down.
I saw that too and I read that cold smoking cheese should be done when outdoor temps are below 90F. That means I've got a long wait to cold smoke cheese in the Las Vegas desert or else I better do it between midnight and five in the morning. ::)
As long as you can keep your cabinet temp below 90 F you will be ok, depending on your setup there are ways to cool the smoke before it get's to the cheese. I've found that if it's to cool you don't get good smoke penetration and color.
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I've also seen some put a bowl of ice in the smoker to help keep the temp down.
I saw that too and I read that cold smoking cheese should be done when outdoor temps are below 90F. That means I've got a long wait to cold smoke cheese in the Las Vegas desert or else I better do it between midnight and five in the morning. ::)
As long as you can keep your cabinet temp below 90 F you will be ok, depending on your setup there are ways to cool the smoke before it get's to the cheese. I've found that if it's to cool you don't get good smoke penetration and color.
Thanks - I didn't realize if it's too cold that you don't get a good smoke. Great info.
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As long as you can keep your cabinet temp below 90 F you will be ok, depending on your setup there are ways to cool the smoke before it get's to the cheese. I've found that if it's to cool you don't get good smoke penetration and color.
Thanks for the tip, I may do a dry run under my patio in the shade in the morning, my patio faces west, to see if I can keep it under 90F in this heat. I'm thinking of using the A-Maze-N tube in my WSM and fill the water pan with ice water, we'll see how that works.
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A milk jug or soda bottle filled with water and frozen will also work well and doesn't add as much moisture to the cabinet as a pan of melting ice will do. I've used my tube in the Bradley a few times and it worked as long as I kept plenty of ice in it and cracked the door if it got to hot.
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LVC, don't forget that the tube was also produce heat.
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LVC, don't forget that the tube was also produce heat.
Yeah I realize that, I'm hoping that placing the tube under the pan of ice water will do the trick.