I highly recommend giving the smoked cheese a chance to rest! Mine tastes terrible right off the smoker, but after getting vacuum-sealed and placed in a minifridge for long enough, the end result is fantastic! The smoke flavor spreads out and melds much better with the flavor of the cheese over time. I usually give my cheeses around *2-3 months* at a minimum in cold storage before I start opening them up.
I have smoked gouda, provolone, a bunch of cheddars, parm, blue, Manchego, Velveeta (Best. Mac & cheese. Ever!), pepperjack, havarti... the only ones that didn't work out were brie (the rind proved fairly impenetrable), some mozz that got a little too hot, and a Camembert that, to be honest, was not the most approachable flavor before smoking. Getting ready to do another batch soon of gouda, parm, and also some cashews.
I use the same tube, with pellets, usually hickory or fruitwoods. As long as the chamber stays below 80 degrees or so (70 for softer cheeses), I haven't needed to use ice water.
- 5-10 seconds with a propane torch to get the pellets smoldering.
- Shut the lid and come back 1.5-4 hours, depending on cheese varieties. Generally, longer for hard cheeses, shorter for soft.
- Paper towel, if needed, then vacuum-seal and chill for several weeks.