AMNPS Christmas Cheese Smoke, 32 lbs!!! with Q-View

teeznuts · Dec 5, 2011

After bringing it to Thanksgiving gatherings, my smoked cheese has been requested for Christmas gatherings here in California and in Chicago. Guess I better get hustling. Started off with 32 1/2 lbs of yummy cheese of different varieties.

Fired up both ends of the AMNPS with a mix of hickory, apple, cherry and maple. I like a heavy smoke for 3-4 hours so I light both ends when I do cheese.

Love me some provolone!!! 11 1/2 lbs worth of provolone logs bathing in AMNPS goodness.

While the provolone was smoking I cut up the cheddar, pepper jack and colby jack in preparation for their turn in the smoke.

Flash forward 3 1/2 hours and the provolone is done. It looks beautiful IMHO.

Colby jack, cheddar and pepper jack making the rotation.

3 1/2 hours later.

left these guys on a little longer. maybe I should throw the other ones back on too. I love the sweat and color.

20 days to rest before this cheese makes it's appearance at Christmas gatherings. Should be perfect by the time it's served up.

Thanks for looking.

chef jimmyj · Dec 5, 2011

Beautiful...Wish I was on your Christmas list of Stops!...JJ

ptcruiserguy · Dec 5, 2011

Lol, now that is alot of really nice lookin cheese.

Gonna be alot of happy people.

Happy Smokin'

Mike

SmokinAl · Dec 5, 2011

It's going to be a great Christmas for your friends & family.

Great looking color on the cheese!

tlcase · Dec 5, 2011

Nice! Where does one get these giant logs/blocks of cheese from?

tjohnson · Dec 5, 2011

TEEZ

You gonna break the bank with all your smokes!

That cheese looks AWESOME!

Todd

sound1 · Dec 5, 2011

a lotta smokin goin on.....looks great

scarbelly · Dec 5, 2011

Hey Teez

Great cheese post. Do you wipe down the sweat at the end of the smoke or do you let it air dry. There are two schools of thought on this one. One is wiping it down eliminates great smoke flavor and the other is to get the moisture off right away to avoid mold down the road.

I will PM you my address for some of the provolone

teeznuts · Dec 5, 2011

Thanks everyone! The smoked cheese is definitely a hit at the holidays and it's so much cheaper to do it myself than to pay retail for it. Plus some "smoked products" are not truly smoked as "smoke flavoring" is added. This is the real deal.

tlcase said:
Nice! Where does one get these giant logs/blocks of cheese from?

Hey tl, the 5# colby jack and the 3 2#ers of pepper jack I got at walmart. The logs of provolone I get from Smart & Final but they only have stores in Az, Ca and Nv. The cheddar I got at Cash & Carry (owns the smart & final chain) but they are only in Ca, Id, Or and Wa. Probably any restaurant supply store out your way would have em if walmart doesn't.

TJohnson said:
TEEZ

You gonna break the bank with all your smokes!

That cheese looks AWESOME!

Todd

I SAVED $$$$

I spent $117.51 total on cheese but I can justify it since it's for several holiday gatherings. In a recent thread on money I save smoking myself, I noted that purchasing smoked cheese from the stores would run between $5.19-6.99 per 8 oz. At those prices this much cheese would have ran me between $332.16(low end) and $447.36(high end) if I didn't have the ability to smoke it myself. That would definitely be a BANK BREAKER!

Scarbelly said:
Hey Teez

Great cheese post. Do you wipe down the sweat at the end of the smoke or do you let it air dry. There are two schools of thought on this one. One is wiping it down eliminates great smoke flavor and the other is to get the moisture off right away to avoid mold down the road.

I will PM you my address for some of the provolone

I don't wipe off a drop! That's smoke juice! I actually wrap it up tight, as is, and away it goes for 2 weeks. I've never had any mold issues. I cant wait to "sample" the provolone. One of my favorites.

rbranstner · Dec 5, 2011

That is a load of cheese for sure. Great work. I can't wait to dig into my cheese I have aging as well. Waiting is the hardest part isn't it.

frizzlefry · Dec 5, 2011

That's a lot of cheese! Looks good!

bluebombersfan · Dec 5, 2011

Wow that is a lot of cheese!!! Looks great!

canadiansmoke · Dec 5, 2011

Wow wish i could smoke in the Canadian Winter!!!!!!!!!!!! Good job!!

teeznuts · Dec 5, 2011

CanadianSmoke said:
Wow wish i could smoke in the Canadian Winter!!!!!!!!!!!! Good job!!

With the AMNPS you can do it in a card board box on the porch if you're careful.

hoity toit · Jan 29, 2012

[h1]I don't wipe the moisture off either. Once its vacuum packed the humidity soaks right back into the cheese.[/h1]

cabin · Jan 30, 2012

That looks amazing. I will be trying for the first time next week could you help me with the following;

- Will the amazin saw dust work or do I need pellets?

-How do you let it rest or age for the 20 days, in fridge or freezer?

Do I need to put ice in smoker, or was that just because it was hot outside?

teeznuts · Jan 30, 2012

That looks amazing. I will be trying for the first time next week could you help me with the following;

- Will the amazin saw dust work or do I need pellets? I've only used pellets but I'm sure you're fine with saw dust.

-How do you let it rest or age for the 20 days, in fridge or freezer? It only needs to rest 2 weeks and it's done by wrapping it tight in plastic wrap, ziplocks or meal saver type sealing bags. Place in the fridge. I've heard some people get crumbly cheese if placed in the freezer but I've never tried it. Most here just wrap and place in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Do I need to put ice in smoker, or was that just because it was hot outside? I use ice even when its freezing outside because I burn both ends of the AMNPS which doubles the heat coming from the unit. If you only light one end you may be able to do without ice but I like a nice pounding of smoke so I light both ends and smoke from 3-4 hours.

Feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

tjohnson · Jan 30, 2012

Great Answers Teez

Sawdust works great, and burns a little cooler too.

Ice is not really necessary, unless it above 70° outside. Teez like to light both ends, and this increased the heat inside the smoker.

Personally, I like about 2 1/2 hours of light smoke on my cheese. It's a little bit of "trail and Error" to find what you like

Todd

tlcase · Jan 31, 2012

My personal preference is 3 hours with one end lit using pellets. As long as I can keep my chamber temp below 85 degrees or so, no ice for me. Of course that will change when I try this summer...which will inevitably happen because I and everyone I share with is addicted to smoked cheese.

riverratt · Feb 8, 2012

Couple of quick questions. I have the Masterbuilt 30" electric smoker. I will be using the AMNPS. Do you flip the cheese half way through? Since it is cold around here and I will not not need any ice but do you still you a water pan at all?

AMNPS Christmas Cheese Smoke, 32 lbs!!! with Q-View

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