Well, I finally got all my stuff together and this morning I woke up early to conduct my first smoke ever! I decided that since time was somewhat limited I would try out my new AMNTS with some hickory pellets and a few different types of cheese.
The setup was as follows:
22.5 inch Weber kettle grill
AMNTS w/hickory pellets
Maverick wireless thermometer set
2 lb. of Tillamook medium cheddar
2 lb. of Tillamook pepper jack
2 lb. of Gouda (forget the brand but I got it at Costco)
I have to say, everything went just about perfect. I followed the directions for the AMNTS and they worked like a charm. I had actually talked to Todd on the phone about my order and he mentioned that if I was doing some cheese to only fill up the tube half way when vertical because once horizontal it would be perfect for a 2-2.5 hour cheese smoke. Thanks Todd! Your advice was perfect!
Anyway, I got the tube smoking and away we went. My temperatures were getting a little high after the first hour so I put a small metal bowl of ice cubes in for the second hour and I was able to stabilize the temperature right at 79*. It was beautiful.
The smoke was a little heavy at first, not quite the TBS I read about all over the forums but it wasn't too bad.
I was a little concerned so I opened up the kettle to view the bottom vents and close them down a bit. That seemed to help because the smoke relaxed a bit and it was a lot more like the TBS I had read I should be looking for the remainder of the smoke.
After the two hours I brought in the cheese to rest for about 50 minutes. I thought the color looked good. Not crazy but you could definitely tell it had been in the smoke for a bit.
And then reality hit me. This looks so great but I'll have to try and be patient for the next 3 weeks while everything settles down. Oh well. Lots of good things in life are worth waiting for....even smoked cheese!
So, all in all things went well for my first smoke ever. I also received my Smokenator this week so it looks like early next week I'll be trying my hand at some pork butt before I head out camping next Thursday. Should be another exciting step on this new smoking adventure.
Cheers and Happy 4th of July! Thanks to all of you who have served in our Armed Forces. I truly appreciate what you have sacrificed for my family and me.
Bitty
The setup was as follows:
22.5 inch Weber kettle grill
AMNTS w/hickory pellets
Maverick wireless thermometer set
2 lb. of Tillamook medium cheddar
2 lb. of Tillamook pepper jack
2 lb. of Gouda (forget the brand but I got it at Costco)
I have to say, everything went just about perfect. I followed the directions for the AMNTS and they worked like a charm. I had actually talked to Todd on the phone about my order and he mentioned that if I was doing some cheese to only fill up the tube half way when vertical because once horizontal it would be perfect for a 2-2.5 hour cheese smoke. Thanks Todd! Your advice was perfect!
Anyway, I got the tube smoking and away we went. My temperatures were getting a little high after the first hour so I put a small metal bowl of ice cubes in for the second hour and I was able to stabilize the temperature right at 79*. It was beautiful.
The smoke was a little heavy at first, not quite the TBS I read about all over the forums but it wasn't too bad.
I was a little concerned so I opened up the kettle to view the bottom vents and close them down a bit. That seemed to help because the smoke relaxed a bit and it was a lot more like the TBS I had read I should be looking for the remainder of the smoke.
After the two hours I brought in the cheese to rest for about 50 minutes. I thought the color looked good. Not crazy but you could definitely tell it had been in the smoke for a bit.
And then reality hit me. This looks so great but I'll have to try and be patient for the next 3 weeks while everything settles down. Oh well. Lots of good things in life are worth waiting for....even smoked cheese!
So, all in all things went well for my first smoke ever. I also received my Smokenator this week so it looks like early next week I'll be trying my hand at some pork butt before I head out camping next Thursday. Should be another exciting step on this new smoking adventure.
Cheers and Happy 4th of July! Thanks to all of you who have served in our Armed Forces. I truly appreciate what you have sacrificed for my family and me.
Bitty
