Advice on Smoking Cheese on my WSM and / or Weber Kettle

[MileHiGuy]

Hey all,

I have a 22" WSM and a Weber Kettle grill. And a Hasty Bake gourmet pro 258. Does anyone have a suggestion for smoking cheese on any of these models?

Thanks!

 

[SmokinEdge]

Yup keep the temps cool and use a smoke tube with pellets. No fire. This time of year smoke at night, but realistically this is a fall to winter thing with a pellet tube. Keep the temps low on cheese.

 

[MileHiGuy]

I thought about creating smoke in one of my smokers and piping it into my Kettle with a dryer vent hose or something of the sort to get the temp as low as possible. I think I would definitely have to do it at night time this time of year.

I'm curious though, how would you get smoke with no fire? Are you saying just some coal that are smoldering?

 

[DougE]

He meant to actual fire in the grill/smoker besides a smoldering smoke tube.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Both those units will work but the WSM would be the better of the two...
What @SmokinEdge is referring to is cold smoking with a pellet tube smoker... Myself I prefer the tray with sawdust when doing cheese (less heat)...
This is usually done in the cooler/cold months for obvious reasons and then vac packed and saved for the summer months ..

So I wanted to try cold smoking without spending money.

I did buy a new cheap soldering iron for the experiment just to see If I could and if I would like the results.. Drilled a hole in the side/bottom of a soup can (or bigger) and stuck the tip of the soldering iron in it.... filled the can with wood chips and plugged the soldering iron... covered the can with foil and punched a few holes in it.... It smoked like a dream ...

Set that git-up on a firesafe table... I used stackable racks to put the cheese on... I then covered the whole thing with a big cardboard box... cut intake/exhaust vents in the box...

And there you have it... a CHEAP cold smoker... LOL ....

It really did work well...

edited to say. Please use a NEW soldering iron for this

 

[MileHiGuy]

That helps for sure!

 

[Marknmd]

I've been smoking cheese for a couple years but I only do it in the winter. I use my SnS and keep the cooker temp in the 70-90 F range. No water pan. I start with two (2) Kingsford briquets and add chips. Add one briquet as needed and chips as needed. Smoke for 2-4 hours. Comes out great.

 

[millerbuilds]

I use the A-Maze-N with pellets and here in Texas even the winter can be tough, so I freeze water in a pan and add on the shelf above the A-Maze-N. I do it in my electric smoker, but obviously don't run the heating element. Works great.

Here is thread I used when I first smoked cheese. Lot of good information:

Mr T's "Smoked Cheese From Go To Show" w/ Q- View

1 1 A piece and slices of three-year-old smoked cheddar Mr.T’s “Smoked Cheese, From Go to Show” Those of us who smoke cheese enjoy that little something extra, and smoking cheese is fun and easy to do. Hard...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

- Jason

 

[MileHiGuy]

Hey Jason, I saw that thread earlier. Really useful info!

 

[BigW.]

A tray half full of dust in the bottom of the WSM and top rack full of cheese...MMM. I usually go about 3 hours of smoke. Have the cheese get to room temp so condensation is not an issue. It is very easy to smoke cheese.

 

[SmokinAl]

As said above, smoking cheese is very easy. It will last for a year or more if vac packed & refrigerated. And it will be better than anything you can buy in the store. As to what to smoke it in. I would go with the WSM, due to the fact that you can get the cold smoke source farther away from the cheese, so it has a chance to clean up a bit. That way it will need a shorter rest before eating.
Al

 

[MileHiGuy]

I have always smoked with logs / wood chunks / and to some small degree wood chips.

I haven't used dust before and haven't used smoke tubes. My smoking has been with my WSM upright water smoker and my Hasty Bake charcoal oven.

Is there a preferred smoke tube brand and smoke dust? Also what kind of wood is typically used for smoking cheese? I plan to smoke some cheddar tillamook, some extra sharp tillamook, and probably some gouda. It looks like late next week may have a high temp of mid-70's in the forecast for the high where I am in Colorado. So it may try it then.

Any other advice would be welcome.

Thanks,

Troy

 

[MileHiGuy]

Thanks Al, most likely I'll use my WSM for exactly the reason you gave.

 

[DougE]

Is there a preferred smoke tube brand

I have a kingsford brand one I got at my grocery store, but the ones I see most people around the forum using are these.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/A-MAZE-N-1-Adjustable-Length-Stainless-Steel/1001294708?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-sol-_-ggl-_-LIA_SOL_119_Grills-_-1001294708-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=CjwKCAjwi8iXBhBeEiwAKbUofQ5c9drXxkC-RxIWgtrRP12w3iN3z7wtFJ15G9b58ZRVwPwo2WK3VhoCYdEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

They are made for pellets, but some pack sawdust in them tightly using a dowel to pack it in because you get cleaner smoke, and the dust burns cooler.

 

[JckDanls 07]

As I said above... I prefer the tray over the tube for burning sawdust... the tray was made more so for sawdust... one row of dust gives about 3 hours of smoke ...
@daveomak has a great tutorial on how to make sawdust from pellets...

here's the link to the tray

 

[gmc2003]

Totally agree with Keith

Here's my WSM cheese set-up

That's the maze with apple dust on my kettle grate. I start it there and move it to the charcoal grate of my 22" WSM. I'm to old and fat to bend down to lite it.

and the cheese on the top grate of the 22" WSM

Chris

 

[JckDanls 07]

There ya go... @gmc2003 has ya all set...

 

[MileHiGuy]

Thank you all for the help / advice. Now I just have to let the weather cool off a bit.

 

[MileHiGuy]

The weather forecast shows to be 60 degrees f at 7:30 am tomorrow. I'm going to try smoking cheese then.

 

[MileHiGuy]

Ok, I have the cheese in the smoker. They've been in there about 3.5 hours. I'm going to take them up soon.

How long should it rest and should it be in a sealed bag? At room temp or in the refrigerator.