Cheese Smoking

[welsh wizard]

Hi - can anyone tell me how to smoke cheese?

I can produce a good product with a smoked taste on the outside but getting the smoke to penatrate the cheese is difficult (well I am finding it so anyway)

Is it a time thing?

I smoked my last cheese for 3.5 hours.

Cheers WW

[jpj]

ww, it's more a thickness and density thing
how deep are the cheeses and what sort are they?
what sort of cold smoking are you doing? forced small chamber (eg bradley type boxes) or long and slow (eg old style chimney or room)
are you leaving the cheese to mature after smoking or just tucking straight in?
i cold smoke 1.5KG (approx) wheels (about 3 inch high) of week old semi-hard over two nightly sessions
about 10-12 feet away from the heat source
it's then sealed and matured for 2 months

[welsh wizard]

Thanks JPJ there is a lot in that reply.

I use a block cheese about 1" in depth and 3" wide (20 0f these at a time)
Ths cheese is a local cheddar.

I am smoking my cheese now in my Bradley. I tend to buy a local cheese (unpasturised) and smoke for 3 ish hours. I do not leave it to mature at all but I will put this lot in the vac packer and leave for a month or so to see if that enhances the depth of flavour.

Thank you VERY MUCH for the advice.

Cheers WW

[jpj]

a matured cheese will have a different texture and density to it's younger siblings. plus all smoked foods benefit from a period of rest before consumption
maybe you could get them young, smoke them and finish them off yourself, affineur?
i find that pasta filata cheeses (eg mozzarella, scamorza and small provolones) have a quicker turnaround

the size you are using seems perfect for smoking

i find that vac-packing or waxing immediately after smoking helps the flavour to get in there . . .

[welsh wizard]

Thanks again - I hhave just vac packed 10 off for trial.

I have a good source of rare breed beef mince and I am using the "young" smoked cheese with them and it is absoloutly fantastic - but there is no strength in depth - bit like the Welsh rugby side of a few years ago!

Cheers Welsh Wizard...........................

[jpj]

just as an aside, you can brand cheese in the cold smoker with string or a stencil

[Heather]

WW, I also cold-smoke cheddar cheese in a Bradley, and tend to do an 8-hour smoke with Mesquite, which has so far worked very well.

Have you tried cold-smoking butter - absolutely gorgeous on a piece of grilled fish or jacket potato, or on some wild duck ravioli!

[saucisson]

I tested my "cold" smoking experiments with cheese, I guess butter would be the ultimate test

Any of my smoked small cube of cheddar experiments that I left in the fridge certainly absorbed the smoke inside after a week or so. So maturation is probably needed ater smoking.

Dave

[welsh wizard]

Thanks all

Wild duck rav's, nice one Heather sounds really yummy

Cheers WW