Smoked cheese

[41mag]

Don't get hooked on the label or the brand, expand your horizons and you will never regret it.

agree...
yet similar in all the discussions of various consumable products I've ever seen....from ice cream to mayo to mustards to various snack foods....potato chips, hot sauce, oysters, the list is endless.

personally I don't care what someone else thinks is great,
the humorous part though, is rather like arguing 'you really SHOULD like xxx better because , well...it's 'better'.....

There's lots of products I tried over the decades to develop appreciation enough to consume more of whatever. Blue cheese of whatever origin remains to my taste, no different than goat vomit....but you can have all you want. There's no argument or good intention that will change that base line.

I for one have eaten considerable Wisconsin varieties. Some of it isn't so bad.

 

[GOG]

Getting a smoker was becoming an obsession, so I just ordered a charcoal smoker from Home Depot to get it out of my brain. I went with charcoal because it's easily replenished.

This is the one: Dyna-Glo 36 in. Wide Body Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker-DGO1890BDC-D - The Home Depot

As serendipity would have it, a neighbor just had three or four apple trees trimmed and I can have whatever wood I want.

 

[uscsoldier]

Getting a smoker was becoming an obsession, so I just ordered a charcoal smoker from Home Depot to get it out of my brain. I went with charcoal because it's easily replenished.

This is the one: Dyna-Glo 36 in. Wide Body Vertical Offset Charcoal Smoker-DGO1890BDC-D - The Home Depot

As serendipity would have it, a neighbor just had three or four apple trees trimmed and I can have whatever wood I want.

Looks nice, be sure and let us know what you think of it

 

[GOG]

Will do.

 

[uscsoldier]

Will do.

Figured I'd give you a helpful tip. Place any pellets or wood chunks in the microwave to remove moisture and it will help with keeping it lit and it will also burn better.

 

[GOG]

Thanks for the tip.
I've been making my own charcoal this Winter. Right now I have oak and madrone. I'll have to do some homework and figure out the various wood characteristics as well as the no no's.

 

[uscsoldier]

I use Competition Blend (Maple-Hickory-Cherry) for 90% off all my smokes

 

[uscsoldier]

 

[GOG]

Thank you. I'm going to the Bradley site to get a copy of that guide that my old eyes can actually read.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Just think of all the "experimenting" you get to do now that you got a smoker! Your whole world is open to new flavors you never thought of before. Just wait till you try smoking some veggies and beans!

 

[osprey]

Just did a batch of smoked cheese on Monday to go along with my German sausage I made over the weekend from elk trim. My homemade smoker has a side chamber I use to generate cold smoke but my element had burned out so I tried one of these.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00L...zen+smoker&dpPl=1&dpID=51wzFx1t0oL&ref=plSrch
I was pleased with the results. I put it in the bottom of the smoker and put cheese on top rack. It smoked the entire 5 hrs and temp stayed below 90 degrees at 70-80 which is a must for cheese to prevent melting. I have it aging in fridge right now but will vac pack with homemade sausages for Christmas gifts.
Merry Christmas all!

 

[uscsoldier]

Just did a batch of smoked cheese on Monday to go along with my German sausage I made over the weekend from elk trim. My homemade smoker has a side chamber I use to generate cold smoke but my element had burned out so I tried one of these.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00L...zen+smoker&dpPl=1&dpID=51wzFx1t0oL&ref=plSrch
I was pleased with the results. I put it in the bottom of the smoker and put cheese on top rack. It smoked the entire 5 hrs and temp stayed below 90 degrees at 70-80 which is a must for cheese to prevent melting. I have it aging in fridge right now but will vac pack with homemade sausages for Christmas gifts.
Merry Christmas all!

The A-MAZE-N pellet trays are amazing lol, I have been using them since their inception and will never use anything else. But I do have to say their pellets aren't worth the money

 

[41mag]

I've got to get another trial going, my previous less-than-satisfactory results should help.

What is the basic 'easiest' cheese do you start with?
And I'll be looking for some suitable chips. Had a little baggie of various 'shavings' but didn't care for results. Where's your retail local sources for 'pellets'?

 

[uscsoldier]

I've got to get another trial going, my previous less-than-satisfactory results should help.

What is the basic 'easiest' cheese do you start with?
And I'll be looking for some suitable chips. Had a little baggie of various 'shavings' but didn't care for results. Where's your retail local sources for 'pellets'?

I'd say Extra sharp cheddar is the easiest to smoke, and is hands down the most popular amongst my family



As far a pellets lumberjack pellets are the best, not local but you have to know someone you with a amazon account then you can get a bag for $19 shipped. I smoke a lot a bags lasts a long time

https://www.amazon.com/Lumber-Jack-Grilling-Pellets-Hickory/dp/B00HNWO5RM

 

[uscsoldier]

This is my setup with my cold smoke MOD

 

[uscsoldier]

This years Christmas cheese

 

[RLS]

I've got to get another trial going, my previous less-than-satisfactory results should help.

What is the basic 'easiest' cheese do you start with?
And I'll be looking for some suitable chips. Had a little baggie of various 'shavings' but didn't care for results. Where's your retail local sources for 'pellets'?

I am doing 25 pounds or so this weekend. I use mild cheddar and bear mountain hickory pellets both from cash and carry.

2-3 hours of smoke below 90 degrees then refrigerate overnight, Vacuum pac and back in the fridge and forget about it for 30 days. This is easier said then done if you run out before your next batch is done but the taste is much better the longer you let it sit.

 

[uscsoldier]

I am doing 25 pounds or so this weekend. I use mild cheddar and bear mountain hickory pellets both from cash and carry.

2-3 hours of smoke below 90 degrees then refrigerate overnight, Vacuum pac and back in the fridge and forget about it for 30 days. This is easier said then done if you run out before your next batch is done but the taste is much better the longer you let it sit.

I did a test after smoking up a batch of cheese to see what tasted the best. Smoked up 5lbs of extra sharp at the same time. Afterwards I tried several different storage options and times.
1st batch was vacuumed packed and froze for 4 weeks
2nd was vacuumed packed and refrigerated for 4 weeks
3rd was thrown in zip locks and frozen for 4 weeks
4th was thrown in zip locks and refrigerated for 4 weeks

Then I did the exact same thing to 4 more batches but for only 1 week.
The frozen cheese was terrible in both batches
The hands down favorite the 3rd one, the zip lock for 4 weeks.

 

[filsonhand]

All this talk about smoked cheese, I just pulled some off the smoker. I did some sharp cheddar and extra sharp white cheddar. Then seeing how I had smoke billowing I threw some mixed nuts and chex mix on the smoker

 

[uscsoldier]

All this talk about smoked cheese, I just pulled some off the smoker. I did some sharp cheddar and extra sharp white cheddar. Then seeing how I had smoke billowing I threw some mixed nuts and chex mix on the smoker

Have you ever tried smoking pretzels, they are a big hit around here