smoked some chedder and nuts for thanksgiving dinner w qview

[dalton]

wanted to add something to thanksgiving dinner so I decided to serve an appetizer of smoked salmon and smoked chedder and crackers.  I decided to do some sharp chedder and some colby jack.  bought some big bricks from costco and cut them in to stick about 1" x 1" x 6".  then I had some pecans and coated them lightly in butter and sprinkled some garlic and some salt on them.  I haven't finished my custom built smoker yet so all I had to work with was my big cheif, outside temps were right round 34 and raining.  so I had to cycle my smoker on and off every 20 min or so to keep the temp down and still provide smoke.  I got it a little hotter than I wanted and the cheese started to sweat a bit but I am sure it will still taste good. 

let them cool on the counter for a bit them vacumpaked the to rest in the fridge for a couple days

here is the pecans

 

[mballi3011]

Now don't you have to let the cheese sit in the refrig for a couple of weeks. Now the pecans I know you can eat right away. Now I guess you can eat it for I'm sure that the smoke police will have tomorrow off.

 

[dalton]

forgot to mention that I used a combination of hickory and cherry chips.  wanted to use apple but didn't have any.

as far as letting it sit,  I looked around abit and the answer seems to vary for everyone.  some folks eat it right away and of course I had to sample it last night but the informed minimum seems to be 2 days.  I am hoping it will be enough and that it tastes good tomorow for appetizers!!  I am sure that it will get better as it sits in the fridge though, I plan to try it every few days and keep notes! 

learn, learn, learn...   that is part of the fun.

 

[tjohnson]

Looks Great!

Gets better the longer it sits, but try it and see if you like it.

Todd

 

[dalton]

ok I have a question.  as i said before I read everything from eat it right away to wait 2 weeks.  can anyone explain to me what exacty happens while it is resting?  what is really the difference from 2 days to two weeks?  while its resting does it matter if it is vacumed packed or not?  can you vacuum pack different cheeses together in the resting period?  last question...   how long is two long?

just the four year old in me always asking "why does it do that!"  LOL

 

[dale5351]

What I've heard said is that during the resting period, the smoke flavor seeps into the body of the cheese more, instead of being mostly on the surface.  What I know, is that after a couple of weeks it does taste better.   I vacume sealed mine right away, and let it rest.  Some of it is still there -- more than two months now, and still looking good.

Question on the nuts.  I've tried couple of times to smoke raw almonds, and not been satisfied that they have picked up much smoke flavor.  Were your pecans already roasted or were they raw?   Did they get good smoke flavor or only just a little?  I'm guessing that you did the nuts in the same cold smoke as the cheese -- I did mine in a hot smoke since they were raw to start with.

 

[dalton]

What I've heard said is that during the resting period, the smoke flavor seeps into the body of the cheese more, instead of being mostly on the surface.  What I know, is that after a couple of weeks it does taste better.   I vacume sealed mine right away, and let it rest.  Some of it is still there -- more than two months now, and still looking good.

Question on the nuts.  I've tried couple of times to smoke raw almonds, and not been satisfied that they have picked up much smoke flavor.  Were your pecans already roasted or were they raw?   Did they get good smoke flavor or only just a little?  I'm guessing that you did the nuts in the same cold smoke as the cheese -- I did mine in a hot smoke since they were raw to start with.

I think they were raw?  I am actually not completly sure...  they tasted good but plain before smoking.  they had been in the cupboard awhile (forgot about them).  I melted some butter and lightly covered them.  I wouldn't say that the smoke flavor was very strong but enough to change the flavor for the better.  I smoked them on the bottom (hottest spot) and the cheese in the coldest spot.  cycling on and off for about 3 hours.  I plan to experiment with nuts some more but I would think that almonds are harder to get to pick up the flavor because they are a denser nut...   just my opinion no research to back that up.  I have read that the coating really picks up most of the flavor.  this was my first smoking attempt at either cheese or nuts. 

 

[tjohnson]

How long did you smoke your cheese and nuts?

TJ

 

[tom37]

I'm liking the looks of the cheese, thanks alot man. Now I am gonna have to go raid the frig, looking at the cheese and nuts is making me hungry.

Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to hearing your findings about the resting of the cheese.

 

[dalton]

How long did you smoke your cheese and nuts?

TJ

about three hours.  since I was using a big chief I had to keep cycling it on and off to keep the temp down.  this will be much easier when I get my smoker finished.

thanks to all for the positive feed back.  The cheese and pecans were much enjoyed for appetizers on turkey day!  The cheese was definately much better after resting for a couple days.  I plan to try some at a week and see if there is much improvment...   I will let you know.

 

[tjohnson]

dalton,

I'm with ya for 3 hours, but any longer, and my wife won't eat it.

SOB and I have both noticed that when cheese "Sweats", it seems to take on a little more smoke flavor.  Don't know if it's a fact or not??

I smoked sharp white cheddar in my last batch and really like the results.  Try mozzarella sticks next time.  Great for a quick snack.

ENJOY!

Todd

 

[squirrel]

That looks awesome! I agree that the longer it sits up the deeper the smoke penetrates. I make mozzarella and it seems to absorb the smoke much quicker than aged cheeses so I am able to enjoy it the next day. I do notice, however, it does take on a more mellow flavor after a week or so.

 

[sqwib]

How long did you smoke your cheese and nuts?

TJ

Hey now...getting a bit personal there!

 

[stwallace]

I just trid cold smoking raw almonds and it didnt work so well.  The walnuts on the other hand were pretty good.  I upped the temp to 200 for about and hour and a half and then turned it back down to around 100 for a while longer.  I honestly didnt keep track to much of the time (bad habbit I have unless im following a recipe).