I've been smoking meats and cheese for about 3 years. I recently graduated from my trusty Bladley electric smoker to a smoke hollow PS400. I've had a lot of trial and error, but am consistent now with pork shoulders, ribs, chicken, and turkey.
As one who leans towards the thinking of a capitalist economist, I've learned that smoking cheese over the exhaust produces an exceptional product that is infused with the flavor of both the smoke and the meat. Think economy of scale. I've also perfected my air/smoke mix and recently smoked two 2 lb blocks of cheddar for 2.5 hours. The cheese is so incredibly tasty, I served a gathering today of 20 people, the cheese was gone at the end (as was the pork).
The Bradley digital is a great way to start as successes come easy. Learning the nuances of the gas smoker has been fun. I discarded the standard wood chip trays and water pan. For the wood I use a 10x18 cast iron griddle, water soaked wood chips are wrapped in aluminum foil perforated with holes for the smoke escape. If I need more smoke I toss in another batch of wood onto the griddle. In place of the water pan is a 16 x 12 baking sheet with an aluminum foil pan for water and drippings. both pans catch everything and smoke still makes its way into the box.
My cheese smoking rack is 2x8 untreated lumber with ventilation slots. I throw a piece of aluminum foil behind the exhaust to keep the smoke from heading out of the back. The cheese sits on cookie cooling racks. The temp is perfect as the cheese doesn't melt.
I ran one of the burners on high throughout the smoke and kept a consistent 230 degrees. I am quite pleased with my transition to gas and wood chips, my Bradley setup will be sold to a friend looking to get into smoking meats. I look forward to sharing my experience with a friend who has taken an interest based upon my culinary offerings.
I do cheat on my ribs. 3 hours of smoke, 3 hours in a covered aluminum pan. They are excellent. During the winter months I also smoke shoulders for six hours and finish overnight in a roaster. I'm not a purist, I enjoy eating good BBQ.
Jason
As one who leans towards the thinking of a capitalist economist, I've learned that smoking cheese over the exhaust produces an exceptional product that is infused with the flavor of both the smoke and the meat. Think economy of scale. I've also perfected my air/smoke mix and recently smoked two 2 lb blocks of cheddar for 2.5 hours. The cheese is so incredibly tasty, I served a gathering today of 20 people, the cheese was gone at the end (as was the pork).
The Bradley digital is a great way to start as successes come easy. Learning the nuances of the gas smoker has been fun. I discarded the standard wood chip trays and water pan. For the wood I use a 10x18 cast iron griddle, water soaked wood chips are wrapped in aluminum foil perforated with holes for the smoke escape. If I need more smoke I toss in another batch of wood onto the griddle. In place of the water pan is a 16 x 12 baking sheet with an aluminum foil pan for water and drippings. both pans catch everything and smoke still makes its way into the box.
My cheese smoking rack is 2x8 untreated lumber with ventilation slots. I throw a piece of aluminum foil behind the exhaust to keep the smoke from heading out of the back. The cheese sits on cookie cooling racks. The temp is perfect as the cheese doesn't melt.
I ran one of the burners on high throughout the smoke and kept a consistent 230 degrees. I am quite pleased with my transition to gas and wood chips, my Bradley setup will be sold to a friend looking to get into smoking meats. I look forward to sharing my experience with a friend who has taken an interest based upon my culinary offerings.
I do cheat on my ribs. 3 hours of smoke, 3 hours in a covered aluminum pan. They are excellent. During the winter months I also smoke shoulders for six hours and finish overnight in a roaster. I'm not a purist, I enjoy eating good BBQ.
Jason
