Cold Smoking

[BGKYSmoker]

What is Cold Smoking?

Cold smoking is the process of smoking food at temperatures between 68 - 86°F. For example, if you are smoking meat, you will have to cure it. It is a fairly simple process to make gourmet smoked cheese in your own backyard. However, regardless of the equipment you decide to use, follow this advice on how to cold smoke cheese and start creating dishes that will leave a lasting memory.

What Happens to Cheese When it is Smoked?
When cheese is smoked, two things happen:
1. Smoky flavor gets infused into the cheese.
2. The milk-fat in the cheese rises to the surface and creates a preservative skin around the outer layer. The longer the smoke, the thicker and harder this layer is and the stronger the flavor.

Cold Smoking Cheese - The Fundamentals

1) Dry Your Cheese
Be sure to dry out your cheese by first keeping it unwrapped overnight in the refrigerator. Then, before smoking, let it sit and reach room temperature. Drying the cheese helps preserve it in a similar manner to curing meat. The dryness helps keep bacteria from growing on the cheese during the cold smoking process.

2) Choose Your Hardwood
Your choice of hardwood depends on how you want your cheese to taste. Some prefer fruitier hardwoods such as apple or cherry, while others like a nuttier taste and opt for pecan. Whichever wood you choose, be sure it is 100% natural food grade hardwood with no additives or fillers. Other types of wood or wood pellets (like heating pellets for your home) can be toxic to humans or just not very pleasant to taste.

3) Smoke Outside in Cooler Temperatures
It’s just easier to keep temperatures in the cold smoking zone (between 68 - 86°F) if you’re not performing it in a hot environment like the summer heat.

4) Smoke Your Cheese for 2 to 4 Hours .... (4 hours is up to you)
The length of time you cold smoke your cheese will depend on the amount of cheese you are smoking and how strong of a smoke flavor you prefer. The longer you smoke, the smokier the taste will be. Also be sure to rotate your cheese every 15-30 minutes to ensure each side is evenly smoked

 

[Sowsage]

Good write up with great info....im so glad im getting some cooler days now. I'll be doing a batch today.

 

[SmokinAl]

Yea thanks Rick for the tips!
But as you know we have a very small window to smoke cheese down here in FL!
I usually smoke a years worth in Jan or Feb!
Al

 

[HalfSmoked]

Great post Rick. Thanks for for the pointers.

Warren

 

[cmayna]

Good info. Rotating and flipping the cheese blocks really helps. I'll wait until winter sits in with lower ambient temps before I start smoking.......cheese that is

 

[Brokenhandle]

thanks for posting! I've never unwrapped and let it sit in fridge overnight but will start now.

Ryan

 

[returnofsid]

I started smoking cheeses about a week after the pandemic hit, since I had nothing else really to do. Since then, I've really got into it big time. My last batch was 23 different cheeses, and about 140 pounds. I use the A-Maze-N tube, in my Masterbuilt propane unit. But, I'm considering purchasing a second tube, and doing it in my much larger original Texas Smokemaster. That will allow me to do larger volumes with each smoke. I can smoke about 30 pounds at a time, in the Masterbuilt. I think, in a larger smoker, I might get a more mellow smoke than I do in the Masterbuilt, with the smoke tube only about a foot below the cheeses. One tip that I didn't see mentioned, place a pan of ice between the smoke tube and the cheeses. I also purchased a bunch of baking cooling racks. This allows me to place the cheeses on the cooling racks, instead of directly on the smoker grates. I get a better look to it, without the black 'grill marks.' I'll post some photos, and you'll see what I mean. I switched to using the cooling racks mid batch, this last batch. You can see the difference.

 

[chopsaw]

I'll be following this . I see 2 things I need to change . Dry over night , and shorter time in the smoke .

 

[Brokenhandle]

looks great! Next time I smoke cheese I need to add string cheese to the list

Ryan

 

[jonny smoker]

Great tips! Didn't know about drying and rotating! Starting another batch in the morning, Thanks for the tips!

 

[returnofsid]

looks great! Next time I smoke cheese I need to add string cheese to the list

Ryan

We thought it would be a fun thing to try. Opening 180 string cheeses, placing them on the grates, rotating them half way through, and finally, packaging them, nope, not fun...lol. I would advise, if you do them, only give them about 2 hours of smoke.

 

[zwiller]

Nice write up Rick! Having smoked cheese a few years now I am finally getting to the point where I am happy. Everyone has their own preferences and methods but here are some of mine.
- I use dust. MUCH lighter smoke than pellets. I go around 4-6hrs dust and that's like 1-2hrs pellets but still smoother.
- While dust smoked cheese is ready to eat basically off the smoker, ALL my cheeses age at least 1 year. Age turns generic store cheese into a gourmet treat. My personal fave is jack.
- I buy the larger 1-2lb brinks and cut short side into bars about 1" thick and 4" long. Ideal for crackers.

I use Qmatz and rotate shelves and position in smoker at halfway mark but will try rotating more often.

 

[Jersey Jimbo]

Thanks for all that info, I do learn a lot of different ways to do stuff. Thanks again very useful stuff here

 

[psycho dad]

68 - 86°F seems warm to me. Is colder okay, or am I reading this wrong?

 

[pc farmer]

68 - 86°F seems warm to me. Is colder okay, or am I reading this wrong?

Colder is fine but not freezing temps.

 

[Jabiru]

I find the cooler the temp the less skin or colour change created on the outside.

 

[psycho dad]

ah, thanks