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First smoked cheese (that doesn't smell like an ashtray!) done...

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SherryT

SherryT

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Dec 23, 2017
790
982
Crawford AL
Tried it once before, but it tasted more like an ashtray than smoked cheese even after vac seal/rest for a couple of weeks in the fridge.

I've learned a lot more about smoking since then, so I decided to give it another try yesterday...sharp cheddar, colby-jack, and gouda

cheese1.jpg


cheese2.jpg


Big Chief, AMNPS with 50/50 apple/pecan (started with dust, but had to change to pellets...more about that below), total "accumulated" smoke time was about 3 - 3.5 hours.

The color is not as pronounced as I expected it would be, but it smells pleasantly of smoke and there's no "ashy" smell or taste.

As for having to change from dust to pellets, I could not, for the LIFE of me, get the dust to stay lit even though dust in the AMNPS OR the tube is all I've SUCCESSFULLY used in BC to date. I mean, I moved the tray here, I moved it there, I even sat it directly in front of the hinged flap propped open...nope!

Whole pellets, however, burned perfectly no matter where I put the tray.

The only thing I can think of is the dust might have picked up some moisture as it was previously ground/stored in a gallon freezer bag on my porch with the rest of my smoking/grilling gear.

Anyway, it's in the fridge and I believe it's gonna turn out well this time. If it does, I'm going cheese shopping for the good stuff! :emoji_stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
 
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Looks great to me. Me and my BC are waiting for winter to make up its mind, one day sunny, next day 22 degrees, freezing fog, ice and/or snow, you get the picture. Just can't seem to talk myself into going out in those temps and drag BC out in it.
 
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That cheese looks great Sherry. I usually go around 4 hours, and it's always been spot on after a rest in the fridge, and then vac seal and back in the fridge. I have the dust tray, and every so often I have the same problem keeping it lit. I think it's just the "smoking gods" having a little fun with us. Question? Is the gouda you used already smoked gouda, or non-smoked? I've re-smoked smoked gouda and it's still great, but I wanted to ask.
 
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6GRILLZNTN said:
That cheese looks great Sherry. I usually go around 4 hours, and it's always been spot on after a rest in the fridge, and then vac seal and back in the fridge. I have the dust tray, and every so often I have the same problem keeping it lit. I think it's just the "smoking gods" having a little fun with us. Question? Is the gouda you used already smoked gouda, or non-smoked? I've re-smoked smoked gouda and it's still great, but I wanted to ask.
Click to expand...

The gouda is the WM brand and doesn't say it's smoked on the label, but I just read the description on WM's website and it says the flavor is "smoky and nutty".

I tasted a sliver when I opened it and it didn't taste smoky, but, for whatever it's worth, it is now. :emoji_wink:
 
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SherryT said:
The gouda is the WM brand and doesn't say it's smoked on the label, but I just read the description on WM's website and it says the flavor is "smoky and nutty".

I tasted a sliver when I opened it and it didn't taste smoky, but, for whatever it's worth, it is now. :emoji_wink:
Click to expand...
Awesome. Thanks Sherry.
 
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Glad to hear your cheese came good this time.

What I would suggest is store your whole pellets in a sealed container indoors and when your ready to cook grind your pellets in a cheapo blender to make your dust. If you suspect that moisture might be an issue zap them in the microwave before throwing them in the blender. A lot of folks do this whole soaking in water method to make dust which I just don't understand,why introduce moisture when you don't have to.
 
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SherryT said:
Tried it once before, but it tasted more like an ashtray than smoked cheese
Click to expand...
Sherry, you know I love you to death girl but extreme curiosity prompts me to ask this question. How is it exactly that you know what an ashtray tastes like? :emoji_laughing:
SherryT said:
Anyway, it's in the fridge and I believe it's gonna turn out well this time
Click to expand...
Congrats!! I'm with you on getting the good stuff. I've been smoking cheese for quite a while and have enjoyed the end product. I was gifted some 16 year aged extra sharp cheddar that was smoked my Steve H Steve H in our Christmas exchange. O....M....G...that stuff was amazing. Nothing I've done even comes close. Just wait till you have a big enough stash that it ages for a year or more before opening :emoji_wink:

Robert
 
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SherryT said:
Tried it once before, but it tasted more like an ashtray than smoked cheese even after vac seal/rest for a couple of weeks in the fridge.

I've learned a lot more about smoking since then, so I decided to give it another try yesterday...sharp cheddar, colby-jack, and gouda

View attachment 655706

View attachment 655707

Big Chief, AMNPS with 50/50 apple/pecan (started with dust, but had to change to pellets...more about that below), total "accumulated" smoke time was about 3 - 3.5 hours.

The color is not as pronounced as I expected it would be, but it smells pleasantly of smoke and there's no "ashy" smell or taste.

As for having to change from dust to pellets, I could not, for the LIFE of me, get the dust to stay lit even though dust in the AMNPS OR the tube is all I've SUCCESSFULLY used in BC to date. I mean, I moved the tray here, I moved it there, I even sat it directly in front of the hinged flap propped open...nope!

Whole pellets, however, burned perfectly no matter where I put the tray.

The only thing I can think of is the dust might have picked up some moisture as it was previously ground/stored in a gallon freezer bag on my porch with the rest of my smoking/grilling gear.

Anyway, it's in the fridge and I believe it's gonna turn out well this time. If it does, I'm going cheese shopping for the good stuff! :emoji_stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
Click to expand...
Congrats on the success!

Airflow is the key thing that makes cold smoke food tasted ashy, bitter, or horrible. This is caused by stale smoke that sits there, loses oxygen, and becomes plain nasty.

If you can keep a draft going where the smoke keeps moving through the smoker and up and out, then you have good clean smoke that is never stale smoke.

If you ever need you can use a fan to blow horizontally over your smoker's vent to cause a draft when cold smoking and that seems to help a lot of people :)
 
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SherryT said:
Tequila?
Click to expand...
That explains it :emoji_laughing: Being of the engineering ilk I must continue....seeing that you had enough tequila to warrant tasting an ashtray, it would lead one to believe that the memory would be a bit hazy, possibly to the point of being nonexistent. Even memories of ashtray tasting can be completely nullified with that much tequila. Is there perhaps more to this story than you're telling???

I just gotta ask.....
Robert
 
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Your cheese looks good Sherry, don't worry about the color. Think of it as if it were a smoke ring on a hunk of beef. It's nice to see, but doesn't really add anything to the flavor.

Point for sure
Chris
 
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Glad your cheese came out so well for you! Definitely need to do more...easier to age that way. And I thought I was doing good by finding a package of 3 year old smoked pepper jack.

Ryan
 
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tx smoker said:
That explains it :emoji_laughing: Being of the engineering ilk I must continue....seeing that you had enough tequila to warrant tasting an ashtray, it would lead one to believe that the memory would be a bit hazy, possibly to the point of being nonexistent. Even memories of ashtray tasting can be completely nullified with that much tequila. Is there perhaps more to this story than you're telling???

I just gotta ask.....
Robert
Click to expand...

Hypothetically speaking, if one drops a perfectly good McD's french fry into an ashtray after imbibing a sufficient quantity of the aforementioned tequila, one's mind might not be able to process that just because it LOOKS clean doesn't mean it IS clean.

I mean...you know...something like that COULD happen.
 
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SherryT said:
Hypothetically speaking, if one drops a perfectly good McD's french fry into an ashtray after imbibing a sufficient quantity of the aforementioned tequila, one's mind might not be able to process that just because it LOOKS clean doesn't mean it IS clean.

I mean...you know...something like that COULD happen.
Click to expand...
It's happened to the best of us lol. Good looking cheese
 
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