Four Cheeses, Four Woods, First Smoke (with Q-View)

Decided to gather as many tastes as possible with my first smoke. So I did four smokes with four different woods during four smoking sessions. Here's the cast: Wood - Pitmaster's Choice, Sugar Maple, Apple and Hickory.

The four cheeses:

Sharp Cheddar, Mild Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Mozzarella.

Smoker this in my MES 30 with no heat. Used Q-Matz for the first time.

You just can't beat these for supporting the cheese on the rack and

easy clean up.

To pull this off in Dallas temperatures, I had to do a bit of a "Vampire Smoke"

and start about 5:30 am. It was 47^.

When I started this first smoke the Pit was 47^ and the Cheese was 50^.

At the end of one hour no visible smoke coloration.

Pit 60^ Cheese 57^.

At the end of two hours. We begin to see some color on the white cheeses.

The cheddars start to "sweat" a bit.

By the end of hour #3, we are starting to see some color develop.

I have no way of determining how much smoke flavor it is picking

up, so I decide to pull them after three hours. I did the same thing for the three

remaining smokes. Final temps Pit - 81^, Cheese 73^,  Air 54^

So did I learn anything? Yup, by the end of the second smoke of the first day I was getting pit temps of 90^ and

cheese temps of 82^,the caused the Jack to start to melt.

So starting on Day 2, I hit the ICE!

I got 24 bottles of water at Wal Mart for $2.87. The bottles really helped

keep the temperatures down. The bottles and tray made for easy

clean up and re-use. As I write this I am in hour 2 of my last smoke.

The ice is keeping the pit at 72^ and the cheese at 70^. Right now

the air temp is 68^.

What else? Oh yeah. Don't know why I never used Apple before.

It has an absolutely delightful smell, and I presume, taste.

Speaking of taste.That's what this "test" was all about. And alas

I won't be able to begin to appreciate this for a couple of weeks.

I let you know about the taste comparison then.

SMOKIN'!

Phil

 

Interesting you mention that. As I write this it is a Saturday. The cheeses I smoked then wrapped in plastic seem to be getting darker just within 24 hours. Is that possible.

Gifts? Let's see how they come out. Only thing I know for sure is I can't eat all this cheese. My butt is already about as wide as Montana.

I am anxious to report back on this "four way cross." But I must give it time. Right now the chees tastes a bit raw.

 

Thanks RP. First report will be around Thanksgiving. I'll survey the family and get a consensus.

You know what they say, there's no accounting for taste <grin>

Phil

 

You know I discovered something a couple days after the cold smoke. Thought I would pass it on.

I have an MES 30. Because the electronic controller is on the top of the unit I store it in the garage when not in use to protect it from the rain. This causes my garage to be a LITTLE smoking smelling, but I kinda like that. Seems real "woodsy."

Well after four cold smoking sessions where I used zero heating, but full trays of wood, when I stored the
Smoker in the garage it was REALLY smokey smelling. To the point when my "woodsy" turned into "garbage dump fire."

Solution, last night I fired up my now-empty smoker to 275^. It started smoking almost right away and continued to
smoke for about 90 minutes. When it cooled I put it back in the garage. We are back to "woodsy." :yahoo:

Phil