My first cheese

[bigboy]

Wait we can smoke blue cheese?!?!? I usually only see it in crumbles. I LOVE blue cheese and would love to smoke some of that. What type of wood for that?

 

[oregon smoker]

you can buy it in block form, usually wrapped in foil. I get most of mine from Costco.

Tom

 

[bigboy]

If you had a choice to let one of the ones I smoked above sit for a month or over which would you pick?

 

[mfreel]

ALL of them.  I have some going on 2 years.  They just get better.  Sharp gets sharper, IMHO.  Smoke enough so you can sample them at 1, 2, 4 and 6 months.  You tell us which one you like better.

 

[gary s]

Wow really never thought of that  

gary

 

[mr t 59874]

Wait we can smoke blue cheese?!?!? I usually only see it in crumbles. I LOVE blue cheese and would love to smoke some of that. What type of wood for that?

If smoking crumbled cheese, spread it our on a steam rack such as one of the collapsible ones and use a light wood such as alder.  You won't want to overpower the taste of the cheese.  This is going to take smoke on in a very short amount of time.  If using a pale blue smoke with medium density, suggest not smoking more than ten to fifteen minutes at most.  Place in zip bag and allow to rest for a minimum of one hour, then enjoy.

Have fun,

Tom

 

[dave17a]

How long does vacuum sealed cheese last?

Got 2 years and waiting on some. Long as oxygen is sucked out, no problem. Thinking of wax myself. Not a need for fridge. Think I will order tomorrow.

 

[gary s]

Wow I learned something 

Gary

 

[mfreel]

10 lbs of cheddar and 5 lbs of pepper jack.  Did these last night.  Minimum 2 weeks in the fridge.  I think the average time is a few months before they get eaten.  These went 2.5 hrs in alder.

BTW, I've left cheese out at room temp as long as it's smoked and vacuum sealed.  i don't know if there's a natural antibiotic in the smoke, but it comes out great.  IMHO, it has a softer texture and a bit of a rind, which I really like.  

11004638_1592577897627458_4876317074603161197_o.jp

• mfreel
• Feb 26, 2015

 

[gary s]

Nice supply of cheese

Gary

 

[oregon smoker]

looks great!!

my rull of thumb is "the more you make the longer it can sit around" I also have some well into two years as well as the latest batch that is 3 weeks this Saturday...on another note most of this will be waxed.

Tom

 

[mfreel]

Now's the time if you have the space.  Gets too hot in the summer months.  About 50-60 lbs will last us through the heat and the early football games.  We have our fair share of get-togethers.

 

[bigboy]

I'm going to stock up as much as possible. I already got a hard provolone, some gouda and a few others that I'll be doing tomorrow evening. I'm going so smoke a batch per week until the weather warms up.

At what temp should I start adding ice or something in the WSM? I'm trying to avoid trial and error if possible.

 

[chewmeister]

I'm going to stock up as much as possible. I already got a hard provolone, some gouda and a few others that I'll be doing tomorrow evening. I'm going so smoke a batch per week until the weather warms up.

At what temp should I start adding ice or something in the WSM? I'm trying to avoid trial and error if possible.

Keep the cheese below 90 degrees.

 

[mr t 59874]

At what temp should I start adding ice or something in the WSM? I'm trying to avoid trial and error if possible.

It's been my experience that most hard cheese will begin to change texture at 80°, so I pull mine when the internal temp reaches 70° - 75°,  soft cheese is pulled at 55°.   There are those who purposely will take their cheese to the melting point though.  Suggest starting at the lower temps and increase to your liking.

Tom  

 

[mfreel]

Ditto on Mr. T.  It's not the same smoking cheese as it is smoking meat.  If the temp creeps up, you can open the door and cool it off.  Just keep track of how much time you're putting smoke on the cheese.  70-80 is my cut-off.  If it's warmer outside, I'll do it in the evening, but I'll still put a probe in the smoker and open the door when it gets too warm.

 

[mr t 59874]

Maybe the following will help.   Mr T's "Smoked Cheese From Go To Show" w/ Q- View

T

 

[bigboy]

Sounds good and thanks for the help!

T, I have read that before, good stuff in there.

 

[bigboy]

image.jpg

• bigboy
• Feb 27, 2015

image.jpg

• bigboy
• Feb 27, 2015

The before and after of my batch today. Some gouda, hard provolone, extra sharp cheddar, sharp white cheddar and some colby.

 

[gary s]

Looks Great

Gary