First cheese smoke and AMS use w/Q

[ameskimo1]

Received the AMS for Christmas and first chance I've had to use it, finally a day that wasn't too cold for the cook.

Used a layer of Maple on the bottom and Cherry on top, produced a nice aroma on a cold day....1 row and made the turn produced 3 1/2 hrs of smoke; outside temps in low 20's. Not much color change on the cheese but based on what I've read, probably too cold.

Nothing fancy for the first round, Cheddar, Colby Jack, and Mozz; saved the rest for next time. I know better than to taste it now (been there, done that) but each piece smells like an ashtray so I'm going with its all good. Won't last for a few weeks to age, I'm sure I'll get bored this weekend and use it for mac n cheese and pizza......but at least it gets a few days to rest.

The pics loaded backwards.....

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• ameskimo1
• Feb 4, 2014

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• ameskimo1
• Feb 4, 2014

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• ameskimo1
• Feb 4, 2014

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• ameskimo1
• Feb 4, 2014

 

[cmayna]

Looks good.  Be sure to let the cheese sit in refer for a minimum of 2 weeks before you start chomping into it.  It will mellow out big time.

 

[driedstick]

That looks good ,,,,Don't get bored, leave it for at least two weeks then put in on mac and cheese or pizza you will like it alot better. I shred alot of mine and put it in salads and caseroles and it dominates!!!! 

Good luck and let us know 

 

[bad santa]

 
That looks good ,,,,Don't get bored, leave it for at least two weeks then put in on mac and cheese or pizza you will like it alot better. I shred alot of mine and put it in salads and caseroles and it dominates!!!! 

Good luck and let us know 

X's 2 

 

[beuler]

Do you know what temp the smoker was at?

 

[ameskimo1]

So I've mostly behaved, but I do work from home so the temptation is haunting me 24 hrs a day, lol. I've only cut 3 small pieces of one of the sticks for 'official testing purposes.' You know, quality control.......I will admit that is making it easier to wait for smoother taste.

Not sure on the smoker temp but the cheese was always cool to the touch, it was low 20's outside and the gauge made no attempt at moving. Thought about using the probe but I knew it wasn't in any danger of getting to warm.

About halfway thru the smoke I did separate the cheese on 2 racks.

 

[theshrimppimp]

Looks good! Good job... You got a nice variety there.

I absolutely agree with a couple of the other posters. Especially if you smoked for that long. Don't even try it for a few days. Vacuum pack it and let is sit for a good 3 weeks. Maybe try a little after 2 weeks. If you had smoke for a solid 3 hrs., It will take a while to mellow.

 

[ameskimo1]

Oh buddy.....sampled the Extra Sharp Cheddar today, its just about perfect and the creaminess is fantastic, I don't see that one lasting long.

The other cheddar and CoJack still need a little time but are close. The Mozz chunks are developing the typical brown 'smoked look' along the surface although at today's tasting it was much more mellow than I expected. I'll get it back out again Saturday and taste it when i haven't eaten anything else for a bit, I'm really looking forward to getting this on some pizza.

I've been slicing a small piece off of one of the mozz sticks every 3-4 days for the knowledge of how it progresses, will help with future smokes and how I go about it.

 

[theshrimppimp]

Alright! Glad it turned out good!

Be sure to seal some of it up and let it sit for a while. It gets much better IMO...

Thanks for the follow up!

I'm right behind you. Hopefully I can get to it tonight or tomorrow while it is still cold. I got a little over 9lbs. to smoke.

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• theshrimppimp
• Feb 13, 2014

 

[cmayna]

 
Do you know what temp the smoker was at?

Anything below 80 is fine.  Keep in mind that if you use a AMNS as what the OP used, the temp will not rise much as compared to a AMNPS which raises the temp probably around 10*.  Also for softer cheese that might start drooping through the grates, you might consider some QMatz material.

 

[bad santa]

ShrimpPimp, you are going to really like the selection of cheeses you have there. The colby/jack 3 Alarm (wonderful) I cut into 6 wedges, the qurater round gouda I also sliced into even sections, so the smoke would be evenly applied throughout. Then smoked all with Apple pellets in the AMZNPS for about 2 1/2 hours, the sections of each were bagsucked individually The havarti I did had dill added, and they all got comsumped pretty quick. The 3 week wait is well worth it.

 

[ameskimo1]

Keep us posted how it turns out, I'm hoping to get some more smoked but the next 5-6 weeks are going to be pretty busy. But then again, living in Michigan I'm probably in no danger of the outside temp being too hot on a regular basis until at least May. Which means I'll have a summer supply!

 

[cmayna]

The problem I have is having space storing all the cheese I smoke.   Think I need to buy an extra refrig for the garage.

 

[theshrimppimp]

 
The problem I have is having space storing all the cheese I smoke.   Think I need to buy an extra refrig for the garage.

LOL! Yep.... That is a "good thing"!

 

[spacetrucker]

I need an extra garage for the fridge

 

[ameskimo1]

So I had to spend nearly a month in Texas for work, had a fair amount of BBQ from Paapas while I was there. Right before I left I ran another cheese smoke with similar amounts and variety - today I ran a 3rd batch but only at 2 1/2 hrs.

We've been nibbling away at the cheese and made some pizza with the mozzerella - delicious.

But today.....drumroll please....I finally was able to make the mac & cheese. The 9 year old was helping me make it so I didn't get a lot of pics, well I only got one because it was so good we couldn't wait to dig in. So here is a pic of what was left.

I'll be doing this again.

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• ameskimo1
• Apr 6, 2014

 

[knuckle47]

There is a place in Point Pleasant, NJ called Joey Tomatoes Pizza. They have a smoked mozzarella option on their pies for $3.00 more but WOW is it worth it.... You'll love it!