Smoked Cheese - Batch Number One of 2018: White Cheddar

[TomKnollRFV]

I thought you guys wore your Cheese on your Heads!!!

Bear

Ha! Funny! <I admit I own one of those cheese wedge hats>

 

[Bearcarver]

Ha! Funny! <I admit I own one of those cheese wedge hats>

Do they sell them Smoked too???
Probably not, or you'd be sitting at the stadium, and the guy behind you would be chewing on your hat!!!

Bear

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Do they sell them Smoked too???
Probably not, or you'd be sitting at the stadium, and the guy behind you would be chewing on your hat!!!

Bear

Lol! I haven't been to a sports game in many years ..aunt still gets packer tickets.

 

[Bearcarver]

Lol! I haven't been to a sports game in many years ..aunt still gets packer tickets.

I don't blame you!!
If you wore one of those "Cheese-Hats" in Philly, somebody would be cutting it up to put in their Steak Sandwich!!!

Bear

Sorry for the HiJack, Chris----I couldn't resist.

 

[Bearcarver]

Thanks Bear for the compliment and like. Wow $8/pound. Normal/Average prices around here is about 2.50/8oz so 5.00/lb, and I thought VT was expensive to live in.

Chris

Maybe it is more expensive to live in Vermont, but it's more expensive to eat Cheese in Pennsylvania. :D

Bear

 

[gmc2003]

I smoked a block of mango fire and I'm letting it age. I actually want to get to their location, it's about 35 mins from me and get that maple syrup one. So the next time in your WI..you know where to find weird stuff.

I'll be waiting for a report on that mango fire cheese - that sounds great, but I'm not fond of tree piss(go figure) so I'll pass on the maple. Thanks for the link to the shop. I'm always out looking for new things.

Chris

 

[gmc2003]

I don't blame you!!
If you wore one of those "Cheese-Hats" in Philly, somebody would be cutting it up to put in their Steak Sandwich!!!

Bear

Sorry for the HiJack, Chris----I couldn't resist.

No problem Bear with the HiJack it's funny reading. Also if you wore one of those cheese hats here in VT you'd probably get elected to the Senate. Just look who we have representing us.

Maybe it is more expensive to live in Vermont, but it's more expensive to eat Cheese in Pennsylvania. :D

Bear

Each state has it's pluses and minuses. Try getting a good Philly cheese steak sammie around here.

Chris

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I'll be waiting for a report on that mango fire cheese - that sounds great, but I'm not fond of tree piss(go figure) so I'll pass on the maple. Thanks for the link to the shop. I'm always out looking for new things.

Chris

I've had it unsmoked, it's got a nice kick to it. I want to use it for Cubano sammies or some thing to give them a good heat.

 

[zwiller]

Hope these turn out well. Pics look great! You are one of the reasons I am gonna try dust on the next batch. I feel even with aging and 2hr on pellets are still a little too much for us. Kinda funny you mention mailing smoked cheese. I thought about suggesting a holiday smoked cheese swap here. Kinda like a secret santa type thing.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Hope these turn out well. Pics look great! You are one of the reasons I am gonna try dust on the next batch. I feel even with aging and 2hr on pellets are still a little too much for us. Kinda funny you mention mailing smoked cheese. I thought about suggesting a holiday smoked cheese swap here. Kinda like a secret santa type thing.

Now that's an interesting idea! I'm just not sure how you mail cheese. As it has to be cold...but you don't want to freeze cheese..

 

[zwiller]

Not entirely sure but Hickory Farms and many other companies ship cheese. I think vac sealed cheese would ship well. Bubble wrapped mailer might insulate and keep things in check.

 

[bbqbrett]

Not entirely sure but Hickory Farms and many other companies ship cheese. I think vac sealed cheese would ship well. Bubble wrapped mailer might insulate and keep things in check.

Now I could be wrong but most of the harder cheeses, cheddar etc. don't need to be in the fridge or even necessarily that cool. I think as long as they stay at reasonable temps and are sealed you can ship them safely and won't go bad right away. Not sure if there are any regulations about the shipping though.

 

[gmc2003]

Hope these turn out well. Pics look great! You are one of the reasons I am gonna try dust on the next batch. I feel even with aging and 2hr on pellets are still a little too much for us. Kinda funny you mention mailing smoked cheese. I thought about suggesting a holiday smoked cheese swap here. Kinda like a secret santa type thing.

Dust is the way to go - at least for us. It's a much lighter cleaner smoke. I left this batch on to long(had to make a trip to the dump and local grocer) so I didn't smoke them as planned. I'm sure they'll turn out good. When you try dust give the the cheese a two hour smoke and then try a small slice. If it's where you want your golden. If not put them back on for a short bit of time. A cheese swap would be kinda cool.

Chris

 

[gmc2003]

KrisUpInSmoke thanks for the like appreciate it.

Now that's an interesting idea! I'm just not sure how you mail cheese. As it has to be cold...but you don't want to freeze cheese..

Not entirely sure but Hickory Farms and many other companies ship cheese. I think vac sealed cheese would ship well. Bubble wrapped mailer might insulate and keep things in check.

Now I could be wrong but most of the harder cheeses, cheddar etc. don't need to be in the fridge or even necessarily that cool. I think as long as they stay at reasonable temps and are sealed you can ship them safely and won't go bad right away. Not sure if there are any regulations about the shipping though.

I've also read that cheeses like cheddar don't have to be kept on ice. I'm sending my daughter a batch in November unless she makes a trip up here beforehand. We'll see how it goes. I agree with zwiller, Hickory farms and other gift box produces send cheese thru the mail all the time.

Chris

 

[hawgrider]

Looks like it was border line too hot. I can see that the oils in the cheese started to surface. Keep the temp under 80 and that won't happen.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I think we're all starting to think of the insterstate cheese exchange.. :P

 

[CSR]

If I go with the pellets should I plan for a shorter smoke or a longer period in the fridge to age (or both)?

Block cheese on sale for 1.29/8 oz and mozzerella on sale for $1.99 lb has me eyeing up a cheese smoke for 10/14 when it cools down here... Just bought the a-maze-n tube with the pellets and don't want to have to buy a new toy before trying this one first.

 

[crazymoon]

Chris, nice batch of cheese !!! Gotta love those Cabot sales ! :)

 

[gmc2003]

Looks like it was border line too hot. I can see that the oils in the cheese started to surface. Keep the temp under 80 and that won't happen.

When I started it was plenty cool and partly overcast. I made the mistake of leaving it unattended for a few hours. The direct sunlight heated up my smoker and caused the cheese to start sweating. My initial plan was to smoke for 3hrs pull it and taste it. Let the cheese rest and give it a second smoking session if needed. Unfortunatly things didn't go as I had planed. Thanks for the advise.

Chris

 

[gmc2003]

If I go with the pellets should I plan for a shorter smoke or a longer period in the fridge to age (or both)?

Block cheese on sale for 1.29/8 oz and mozzerella on sale for $1.99 lb has me eyeing up a cheese smoke for 10/14 when it cools down here... Just bought the a-maze-n tube with the pellets and don't want to have to buy a new toy before trying this one first.

Stock up on those prices and experiment with various smoke times. My best advise would to smoke one block - pull it off at 2hrs and taste it. If it's too strong wrap it up and place in the fridge overnight. Try it the next day and see how it goes. If it's not strong enough then put it back on the smoker for an hour and repeat tasting process. My wife and I like a lighter smoke so I like to pull it at about 2 to 3 hrs with dust. If my smoker isn't producing enough smoke then I might toss it back on for additional time. My kids like a stronger smoke flavor so I normally use pellets for 3 hours and a one week rest. Different types of wood will affect the flavor also. I use hickory or apple. Hickory is much stronger. Mozzerella is one cheese I'm not really fond of smoked, but that's just me. Allot of folks like it smoked. I think it takes on smoke rather quickly so be careful with time in the smoker and choice of wood.

Chris, nice batch of cheese !!! Gotta love those Cabot sales ! :)

Thanks crazymoon for the like and comment. Yeah those sales make it easier to justify to the wife. Especially when I come home with two grocery bags full of cheese.

Chris