Smoking cheese in the summer

[seaham358]

Man is it hard getting the temp low in the summer...
The other day I wanted to show my folks how to smoke cheese and it was 97 out.... Way too hot to even attempt, but I did and it was over 100 in seconds. So today its 86 and I figured I would give it another try..
Start pic ... temps ran 98 on average to a high of 104

mid way

end

As you can see it sunk some during the smoke.. Which to me is no big deal..
I will let you know how it tastes when it cools off in a hour or so..

 

[mossymo]

seaham358
With these warmers temperatures it is difficult. I run electric and gas and the only one I have gotten to smoke cheese in the summer in is my large propane using 3 or 4 briquettes in with wood chunks on top of the briquettes.

 

[seaham358]

Mossy thanks.. I used a couple chunks of lump charcoal a gold ball size piece of hickory.. After that I added 1-2 briquettes at a time and smaller pieces of wood. Took it slow to keep the temp down as much as possible. My last few smokes gave a darker color to the cheese but the taste is about the same.
I smoked it about 3 hours and it is great.. My folks love it..
IMO one of the keys is using fresh mozzarella cheese. It has lots of water still in it and can take the extra heat on warmer smoking days..

 

[t-bone tim]

seaham try this idea for doing a cold smoke :

 

[Deer Meat]

neat video t-bone

 

[fatback joe]

I have good luck with taking a disposable aluminum pan, filling it with ice, put foil over the top and put the cheese on that. Seemed to help protect things on those hot days. Flip the cheese so the side on the foil gets its time in the smoke as well.

 

[jts70]

The way I do in the summer is


On top of my GOSM
Place a cooling rack on a couple of chunks of wood and place a card board over top of that with some holes cut into to keep the temp down and in about 1 hour you have yourself some smoked cheese.

get a very nice snack while I am smoking whatever meats iinside the GOSM

 

[reflect]

I do what Mossy does. However I use an electric starter. I make sure all three pieces of lump get touched by it. This will give me a Minion method sort of. Only a fraction of the lump is going at a time. I then put a wood chunk or two on top of the lump. I did this two weekends ago. My smoker stayed at 100 degrees tops. I however only smoked it for maybe 1 1/2 hours.

Take care,

Brian

 

[bilvo47]

I do what fatback joe does - but I place another aluminum sheet pan with half inch holes over the whole bottom (available at most supermarkets) on top of the ice and place the cheese on the pan with the holes. This kept the cheese pretty cool to the touch even though the internal temp on my cg got up as high as 105.

 

[seaham358]

I like the Ice idea, I'll have to try that the next time I smoke cheese..
I used a pan with water in the fire box side and it helped keep it down around 98 after I added it.