Cold Smoked Cheese

[dedmiston]

I was down to my last packet of smoked cheese in the fridge, so it was time to do another batch. It's been cold enough and I finally had the time to do it.

I buy the cheapest cheddar I can find from Smart & Final, which was two five-pound blocks of gub'mint cheese.

I cut each of those into four strips to create more surface area for the smoke and to make them into servings. I should have cut them in half again though, because these 1.25 pound strips are too large still.

It was cold enough outside that I could keep them on for three hours instead of two, so I loaded up both smoke tubes and let 'em have it.

I vacuum sealed them into individual packets and put them in the fridge to mellow for two weeks. I finally cheated after 12 days and broke into one of them and it was perfect—just what I wanted.

[dedmiston]

Ten more pounds of cheese on the smoker today. I cut the logs shorter so the packets won't be so huge. These will be done and ready just in time to give out as Christmas gifts.

  

[Wanderlost]

Must have Spousal Unit give this a go.  Thanks for the idea.

[dedmiston]

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@Wanderlost wrote:

Must have Spousal Unit give this a go.  Thanks for the idea.

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It's easier than you'd think. The trick is finding a day that's cold enough to do it without melting the cheese.

[Wanderlost]

Yes, in our climate that is the issue...

[dedmiston]

Posting a test post just to see if my account works here now.

[joerg68]

Looks like it is working 🙂

[magnusfide]

dedmiston wrote:

magnusfide wrote:
Any new cheese adventures of late?

Not sure how I missed that. It's almost cool enough to do another batch of cheese. I think we're down to just 2-3 packets left, so it needs to happen soon. The weather needs to help out though.

Have you thought about making your own cheese and then smoking it? I'm thinking about taking up cheesemaking.

I had some smoked jalapeño at our summer reunion and it was outstanding. It would be great to put in Tex Mex.

[dedmiston]

I haven't tried making cheese yet. I bake a ton of bread and make my own butter. I guess cheese is the next logical step. Let me know if you have any luck with it.

[dedmiston]

magnusfide wrote:
Any new cheese adventures of late?

Not sure how I missed that. It's almost cool enough to do another batch of cheese. I think we're down to just 2-3 packets left, so it needs to happen soon. The weather needs to help out though.

[magnusfide]

Any new cheese adventures of late?

[magnusfide]

I prefer lightly smoked too. Not chimney level. :B I really like the idea of the pencil soldering iron in a can of chips.

[dieseltruckdriv]

garmp wrote:
I also use Cabot Seriously Sharp. I also have two smoke tubes with the pellets, but I much prefer a different method of cold smoking. The pellets & smoke tube tends to leave a metallic taste in my opinion. So I use wood chips in my home made contraption. I use a Campbells soup can with the top removed & a 1/2" hole near the bottom on a side. Insert a cheap Harbor Freight pencil soldering iron (about $5.00) & fill the can with alder or pecan or apple chips and plug'er in. Don't use anything harsh like hickory or mesquite. I place my cheese on the warming rack on my gas grill & rotate position after about a good hour of smoke. Can of chips generally last a good 2 hours.
Best yet!

Good idea for a way to use chips. I also go about an hour to an hour and a half. I find that any more and the cheese gets too smokey. But then, my wife likes some things to taste like the inside of a chimney!

[Udicomo]

garmp wrote:
I also use Cabot Seriously Sharp. I also have two smoke tubes with the pellets, but I much prefer a different method of cold smoking. The pellets & smoke tube tends to leave a metallic taste in my opinion. So I use wood chips in my home made contraption. I use a Campbells soup can with the top removed & a 1/2" hole near the bottom on a side. Insert a cheap Harbor Freight pencil soldering iron (about $5.00) & fill the can with alder or pecan or apple chips and plug'er in. Don't use anything harsh like hickory or mesquite. I place my cheese on the warming rack on my gas grill & rotate position after about a good hour of smoke. Can of chips generally last a good 2 hours.
Best yet!

Thanks for the idea. Keeping a healthy diet is not that easy so I always look for interesting ideas. I need to lose some weight, I was prescribed to take Xenical (find info about it at Canadian Pharmacy Online) and focus on nutrition - excluding sugar, bakery, and junk food. I plan to add more exercise next week and hope to see the result soon.

[garmp]

I also use Cabot Seriously Sharp. I also have two smoke tubes with the pellets, but I much prefer a different method of cold smoking. The pellets & smoke tube tends to leave a metallic taste in my opinion. So I use wood chips in my home made contraption. I use a Campbells soup can with the top removed & a 1/2" hole near the bottom on a side. Insert a cheap Harbor Freight pencil soldering iron (about $5.00) & fill the can with alder or pecan or apple chips and plug'er in. Don't use anything harsh like hickory or mesquite. I place my cheese on the warming rack on my gas grill & rotate position after about a good hour of smoke. Can of chips generally last a good 2 hours.
Best yet!