Taken from Mr.T’s“Smoked Cheese, From Go to Show”
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/123130/smoked-cheese-from-go-to-show-w-q-view#post_851120
So I took Mr T's advice on some things, and others I didn't quite follow.
I wasn't able to let 'all' the cheese sit for a full two weeks.
Also, instead of waiting on cooler weather, I was able to go for it here near San Antonio by improvisation. I smoked the cheese after the ambient temp dropped into the high 70s low 80s at night and kept the smoker box cool with a bucket of ice.
Didn't want the cheese to sit directly on the rack, so I got a metal sheet from HEB to put it on. Had to bend it a little to get it in the smoker. Used my Tube smoker from Todd and the pit master's blend pellets.
I smoked a block of colby jack, a small block of sharp cheddar, and another large block of straight colby.
This is the block of sharp cheddar after about 12 days of mellowing in the fridge. The rest of the cheese aged for just over 2 wks.
Hey, I got my fix and was able to let the rest go...
I cut a few slices and had them with crackers.
The smoke penetrated all the way through after the mellowing process. I have also cut the colby jack since this was taken, and it was better than the smaller block. Unfortunately, I smoked all 3 for the same length of time (roughly 2.5 hrs) and the large blocks were perfect, the smaller one was quite a bit stronger. Still, the wife said it was the best smoked cheese she's ever had, so I'll take that as a compliment and a testament to this site and the great guys teaching this dog a new trick...
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/123130/smoked-cheese-from-go-to-show-w-q-view#post_851120
So I took Mr T's advice on some things, and others I didn't quite follow.
I wasn't able to let 'all' the cheese sit for a full two weeks.
Also, instead of waiting on cooler weather, I was able to go for it here near San Antonio by improvisation. I smoked the cheese after the ambient temp dropped into the high 70s low 80s at night and kept the smoker box cool with a bucket of ice.
Didn't want the cheese to sit directly on the rack, so I got a metal sheet from HEB to put it on. Had to bend it a little to get it in the smoker. Used my Tube smoker from Todd and the pit master's blend pellets.
I smoked a block of colby jack, a small block of sharp cheddar, and another large block of straight colby.
This is the block of sharp cheddar after about 12 days of mellowing in the fridge. The rest of the cheese aged for just over 2 wks.
Hey, I got my fix and was able to let the rest go...
I cut a few slices and had them with crackers.
The smoke penetrated all the way through after the mellowing process. I have also cut the colby jack since this was taken, and it was better than the smaller block. Unfortunately, I smoked all 3 for the same length of time (roughly 2.5 hrs) and the large blocks were perfect, the smaller one was quite a bit stronger. Still, the wife said it was the best smoked cheese she's ever had, so I'll take that as a compliment and a testament to this site and the great guys teaching this dog a new trick...
