Anyone ever rolled cheese in rub before smoke?

wade · Feb 8, 2014

Chef JimmyJ said:
Cheese... pickup smells/flavors at any point they contact them. Rubbing before and after will give the strongest flavor... JJ

As JJ mentioned the cheese will pick up the smells and flavours of whatever they are in contact with. I am trying this with both my normal "fresh" moisture reduced and commercial dried herbs to see if there is much difference in the strength of flavour. I have not tried comparing before so it will be interesting to see.

For the cheddar I prepared one of my favourite rubs with everything apart from the salt. Yes in the end I decided to keep the sugar in just to see what it was like!

Ground black pepper

Lemon pepper

cayenne pepper

chili powder

dry mustard powder

garlic powder

Szechuan pepper

cinnamon

light brown sugar

This I sieved this over all surfaces of the cheddar slices. I only used a dusting as the favour is very intense

Rub Coated 2.jpg

wade
Feb 8, 2014

The soft cheeses I split into two batches. One was covered in the fresh herbs and the other with the dried herbs. The surface of the cheese is lightly coated in olive oil first to get the herbs to adhere. Fresh herbs on the left and dried herbs on the right.

Coated.jpg

wade
Feb 8, 2014

Soft cheeses wrapped ready for maturing in the fridge

Wrapped.jpg

wade
Feb 8, 2014

The cheddar has been split into two batches. Two pieces have been wrapped and will go into the fridge unsmoked (bottom) and three pieces are now in the smoker and will come out at about 9pm tonight (UK time)

All Cheese.jpg

wade
Feb 8, 2014

There will not be much more to show for a week or so. I was contemplating putting a webcam in the fridge so that you could all stay riveted watching it mature live - however I realised you would only be able to see anything when the door was opened and the light came on...

handymanstan · Feb 9, 2014

Thank you Wade for such an amazing presentation.

I would have to try the fresh herb cheese in a week or every day to see the differences in flavor.

I am going to smoke some cheese today and plan on trying a few small chunks with rubs when sealing.

Will be waiting to see how it works for you.

Stan

chef jimmyj · Feb 10, 2014

No need to make yourself crazy. Just wash the herbs well, No Soap and spin or pat dry. Birds and Squirrels don't put out anything that can't be rinsed away. If you are super worried about bacteria. rise the herbs with white vinegar then rinse in water. Many marinades contain salt. vinegar and or wine which kills bacteria. If you wish you can heat your marinade just until it starts to simmer, 185°F, then put the pot in ice water to cool quickly...JJ

handymanstan · Feb 10, 2014

Thank you JJ, I feel better now I was just worried about putting mold or bacteria in to the bag for however long. I will try the white vinegar on the wintergreen this summer.

I did smoke 4 pieces of Cheddar then added rubs when sealing. one sage and parsley, two Cinnamon and sugar, one in lemon pepper.

Stan

wade · Feb 10, 2014

Looking forward to hearing how they turn out. Just be patient though and don't be tempted to try them too soon!

dave17a · Feb 10, 2014

Wade said:
Cheese bought and rub and herbs mixed. Will put up a Q-View soon.

Can't wait and tell me what cheese and herb. Thisa isa great!.

dave17a · Feb 10, 2014

Wade said:
I think you will have to do some trials to see. Many hard cheeses like Cheddar already have a significant salt content and so I would be careful about adding much more salt. Also, I have not tried it but I do not like the thought of the taste of cheese with added sugar - I am willing to be converted though on this one if someone can vouch that it tastes OK...

I would suggest that to begin with you make your favourite rub mix with just the herbs and spices (without any of the sugar or salt) and see how that turns out. Try it both smoked and unsmoked too. I think either should work out OK and I will give it a go this weekend. I will also try a small batch with both sugar and salt included and let you know how they all turn out.

Wade, Thanks. ready to figure this one out. It all sounds greeeat! Can't wait to expeiment! GO USA!

handymanstan · Feb 22, 2014

Wade said:
Chef JimmyJ said:

Cheese... pickup smells/flavors at any point they contact them. Rubbing before and after will give the strongest flavor... JJ

Click to expand...

As JJ mentioned the cheese will pick up the smells and flavours of whatever they are in contact with. I am trying this with both my normal "fresh" moisture reduced and commercial dried herbs to see if there is much difference in the strength of flavour. I have not tried comparing before so it will be interesting to see.

For the cheddar I prepared one of my favourite rubs with everything apart from the salt. Yes in the end I decided to keep the sugar in just to see what it was like!

Ground black pepper

Lemon pepper

cayenne pepper

chili powder

dry mustard powder

garlic powder

Szechuan pepper

cinnamon

light brown sugar

This I sieved this over all surfaces of the cheddar slices. I only used a dusting as the favour is very intense

Rub Coated 2.jpg

wade

Feb 8, 2014

The soft cheeses I split into two batches. One was covered in the fresh herbs and the other with the dried herbs. The surface of the cheese is lightly coated in olive oil first to get the herbs to adhere. Fresh herbs on the left and dried herbs on the right.

Coated.jpg

wade

Feb 8, 2014

Soft cheeses wrapped ready for maturing in the fridge

Wrapped.jpg

wade

Feb 8, 2014

The cheddar has been split into two batches. Two pieces have been wrapped and will go into the fridge unsmoked (bottom) and three pieces are now in the smoker and will come out at about 9pm tonight (UK time)

All Cheese.jpg

wade

Feb 8, 2014

There will not be much more to show for a week or so. I was contemplating putting a webcam in the fridge so that you could all stay riveted watching it mature live - however I realised you would only be able to see anything when the door was opened and the light came on...

Wade have you tried the cheese yet? It's been two weeks or more.

I tried a block that I sealed in maple syrup and there is no noticeable sugar or maple flavor in the cheese but the maple syrup is the best smoky flavor. Going to have pancakes tomorrow.

I tried a block I did with Cinnamon and sugar and I can taste the Cinnamon in the cheese but its not sweet.

I tried a block I did with lemon pepper and it is real tasty but salty with a strong citrus taste. Weird thing is this block is harder denser the the other two like it's aged longer. All cut from same block so I wonder if the salt is affecting the cheese.

I will reseal them and wait a month and try them again.

Stan

wade · Feb 22, 2014

Tomorrow is the big day :-)

wade · Feb 23, 2014

Right - The cheeses have been cut and tasted... Drum roll please

Top Left - Soignon Goat Log - sliced. Left - "Fresh" herbs. Right - Dried herbs

Top Right - Olde York Artisan soft sheep cheese. Left - "Fresh" herbs", Right - Dried herbs

Bottom - Wookey Hole cave age matured cheddar. Left - Smoked. Right - Unsmoked

Whole Cheeses 3.jpg

wade
Feb 23, 2014

The cheeses were blind tasted by a randomly selected individual (Joyce, my wife) and her verdict was...

With both the herb coated soft cheeses the herb flavour had nicely penetrated the cheese. With the fresh herbs the herb flavour was immediate however it went fairly quickly. With the dried herbs the flavour took time to build but lasted for longer. She did not have a preference as both tasted good but both were different.

With the BBQ rub dusted Cheddar cheese, even though the rub was a light dusting, the rub flavour was so intense a that she could not tell which one was the smoked cheese and which was unsmoked. The flavour of both was pleasant however the smoking process had been a waste of time.

I then tasted them and agreed with all of her verdicts.

I think that the conclusion from this test is that, by all means use BBQ rub on your cheese for flavour, but do not bother to smoke it afterwards.

With regards to the herbs - both dried and fresh are good however preparing the dried herbs was much less hassle than preparing the fresh. In the future I will continue to use both fresh and dry herb methods.

dave17a · Feb 24, 2014

Master! Thanks since I opened t

his can of worms.

handymanstan · Feb 25, 2014

Wade said:
Right - The cheeses have been cut and tasted... Drum roll please

Top Left - Soignon Goat Log - sliced. Left - "Fresh" herbs. Right - Dried herbs

Top Right - Olde York Artisan soft sheep cheese. Left - "Fresh" herbs", Right - Dried herbs

Bottom - Wookey Hole cave age matured cheddar. Left - Smoked. Right - Unsmoked

Whole Cheeses 3.jpg

wade

Feb 23, 2014

The cheeses were blind tasted by a randomly selected individual (Joyce, my wife) and her verdict was...

With both the herb coated soft cheeses the herb flavour had nicely penetrated the cheese. With the fresh herbs the herb flavour was immediate however it went fairly quickly. With the dried herbs the flavour took time to build but lasted for longer. She did not have a preference as both tasted good but both were different.

With the BBQ rub dusted Cheddar cheese, even though the rub was a light dusting, the rub flavour was so intense a that she could not tell which one was the smoked cheese and which was unsmoked. The flavour of both was pleasant however the smoking process had been a waste of time.

I then tasted them and agreed with all of her verdicts.

I think that the conclusion from this test is that, by all means use BBQ rub on your cheese for flavour, but do not bother to smoke it afterwards.

With regards to the herbs - both dried and fresh are good however preparing the dried herbs was much less hassle than preparing the fresh. In the future I will continue to use both fresh and dry herb methods.

Wade your cheese sure looks good. I will be trying some different rubs with the next batch I do. Thank you for trying and showing us your rubbed cheeses!!

Stan

Anyone ever rolled cheese in rub before smoke?

Master of the Pit

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Gone but not forgotten. RIP

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