Sweat, humidity, dryness and packing

[PolarSuns]

Last summer was my first one smoking cheese. I took some out of the freezer a couple months ago that was 4 months old by that point, and it was -so- good. So now I'm looking to get a little pile bulked up and sit around for a while maturing. I've got several batches done already in the last couple months.

I bought a vacuum sealer last month, and have a couple questions for you guys.

1. I've noticed that sometimes my cheese comes out of the smoker perfectly dry, other times a tad sweaty, and a few times very sweaty. I believe it all has to do with the weather/humidity at the moment. Do you all always dry your cheese off then before packing it up?

2. I've noticed that sometimes my cheese (I'm only talking about cheddar) is moist and pleasant after I take it out of the ziplock bag a few weeks after smoking, but sometimes it is a bit dry and crumbly, and once now I've had the experience of it actually being kind of rubbery. Do you all feel as though there is any way to control this aspect of smoking the cheese?

I live in Fairbanks AK and ironically it is a "desert-like" climate, the humidity is super low here always. I didn't put any water in my smoker at all last year but have started to put a bowl in with the last few batches, since my buddy says he always does. Have yet to sample the results of those batches yet.

Looking for your guys thoughts and advice on the issues I've posted here, thanks for your time.

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

As far as the cheese coming out of the smoker sweaty I think its the temperature and could be the humidity. When you say cold smoke are you using any heat at all? Ill run my pellet tray in one of my smokers and usually the cheese only comes out sweaty when the temperature climbs. Say for instance if I put it in my MES which is insulated I've got to watch the temps to make sure it doesn't get too high. If I put it in my smoke vault which is not insulated I never have any problems as long as the outdoor temp isn't up.

Just my opinion on the texture of the cheese. After I smoke I let it air dry in the fridge overnight. The next day ill dry off any condensation that might be on it and then vacuum seal up the blocks. The big thing here is NO need to freeze it. As long as its vacuumed sealed it will stay good in the fridge for years. I have some I did two years ago in my fridge right now and it looks great. Vacuum seal and put it in the beer fridge drawer until its time to eat!

I don't think there is any need to put a water pan in the smoker. There is no benefit to it that I can think of and might have something to do with your sweaty cheese. Only time I have put water in is when I added ice water to get the temps down. What type of smoker are you using?

Its addicting! I've done several large batches and eat it throughout the year and also give it away as Christmas presents. Hope I helped let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[deb.williams]

Nice way of smoking cheese!

 

[PolarSuns]

What type of smoker are you using?

Sorry I forgot that vital piece of info.... I'm also using a MES with the cold smoker attachment. I love it. I smoke when the ambient temps are between 25 and the low 70's. I do usually let my cheese get to room temp before going out to the smoker, and of course cut the cheese into 1-inch thick or so slabs.

I also smoke up a whole bunch more than I need, and give away a ton of it. Last year I definitely built up a a little group of friends who had never had smoked cheese before and were always very happy to see me coming their way with more.

So far I've only done cheddar, swiss, and this year I've done some pepper Jack. Our Costco opened up in Nov and that has really helped. We have Fred Meyers, Safeway and Walmart here, and on average cheese runs $4.50-6.50/lb depending on brand and type. But Costco sells their 5lb blocks which brings price per lb down to about $2.20 or so. So really nice there to be able to buy enough to experiment with. I much prefer Walmart's Swiss to Safeway's.

I've pretty much settled on my "main" method so far of going about 4 1/2 hours in the smoker, and I like a mix of 50/50 apple and hickory chips. A few weeks ago I did a batch of all cherry and am looking forward to tasting that here in a bit. Fred's had chips on sale last week so I bought a couple bags of Alder to try, have any of you used Alder for cheese? How did you like it?

Also I had only done mild cheddar but did some sharp a few weeks ago as well. Haven't tasted it yet. Just last night I bought a brick of Mozzarella from Costco, I'll smoke it up in a few days.

Thanks for the info about not needing to freeze. I bought that vacuum packer specifically for the cheese and love it. I just did not connect the dots that it would keep the cheese so well, even in the fridge.

When you say you let the cheese air dry in the fridge overnight... does that not make the skin or outside of the cheese get to too dried out and cracked?

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Sorry I forgot that vital piece of info.... I'm also using a MES with the cold smoker attachment. I love it. I smoke when the ambient temps are between 25 and the low 70's. I do usually let my cheese get to room temp before going out to the smoker, and of course cut the cheese into 1-inch thick or so slabs.

I also smoke up a whole bunch more than I need, and give away a ton of it. Last year I definitely built up a a little group of friends who had never had smoked cheese before and were always very happy to see me coming their way with more.

So far I've only done cheddar, swiss, and this year I've done some pepper Jack. Our Costco opened up in Nov and that has really helped. We have Fred Meyers, Safeway and Walmart here, and on average cheese runs $4.50-6.50/lb depending on brand and type. But Costco sells their 5lb blocks which brings price per lb down to about $2.20 or so. So really nice there to be able to buy enough to experiment with. I much prefer Walmart's Swiss to Safeway's.

I've pretty much settled on my "main" method so far of going about 4 1/2 hours in the smoker, and I like a mix of 50/50 apple and hickory chips. A few weeks ago I did a batch of all cherry and am looking forward to tasting that here in a bit. Fred's had chips on sale last week so I bought a couple bags of Alder to try, have any of you used Alder for cheese? How did you like it?

Also I had only done mild cheddar but did some sharp a few weeks ago as well. Haven't tasted it yet. Just last night I bought a brick of Mozzarella from Costco, I'll smoke it up in a few days.

Thanks for the info about not needing to freeze. I bought that vacuum packer specifically for the cheese and love it. I just did not connect the dots that it would keep the cheese so well, even in the fridge.

When you say you let the cheese air dry in the fridge overnight... does that not make the skin or outside of the cheese get to too dried out and cracked?

That's great you have some more cheese buying choices now! I usually buy blocks on sale or on manager clearance throughout the year and vac seal it so when the cooler temps come I have a big stash ready to go. You got to diversify a little and branch out on your cheese types man you will thank yourself in a few weeks! I've smoked all different kinds. Gouda, Monterey Jack, and Muenster are awesome. Don't know if you get cabot cheese up there but they have awesome sharp yellow/white cheddars and my favorite hot habanero.

I usually roll with apple but have done some cherry and it was good. Haven't tried the Alder yet but have read good things about it.

As far as air drying goes I'm not sure if it really helps or not. I will take the racks with the cheese on them out of the smoker and let them chill on my counter for a 2-3 hours then ill just put the racks straight in my beer fridge uncovered(no foil or saran wrap) for an overnight rest. When I first started out doing cheese I picked it up from a couple guys on here that had been doing it for years. I think it kind of lets the smokiness mellow a little before it goes in the vac bag.

 

[gmc2003]

1. I've noticed that sometimes my cheese comes out of the smoker perfectly dry, other times a tad sweaty, and a few times very sweaty. I believe it all has to do with the weather/humidity at the moment. Do you all always dry your cheese off then before packing it up?

If it's to warm you'll get a case of the cheese sweats, you'll also notice the edges of the cheese rounding off. Humidity will also cause sweats/moisture buildup.

2. I've noticed that sometimes my cheese (I'm only talking about cheddar) is moist and pleasant after I take it out of the ziplock bag a few weeks after smoking, but sometimes it is a bit dry and crumbly, and once now I've had the experience of it actually being kind of rubbery. Do you all feel as though there is any way to control this aspect of smoking the cheese?

With cheddar the sharper it is the more crumbly it will become. As it ages it looses moisture.

I live in Fairbanks AK and ironically it is a "desert-like" climate, the humidity is super low here always. I didn't put any water in my smoker at all last year but have started to put a bowl in with the last few batches, since my buddy says he always does. Have yet to sample the results of those batches yet.

If your using water to help keep the temps down, use a bottle of frozen water instead of a dish. Less moisture added to the inside of the smoker and colder temps.

You mentioned that you store your cheese in the FREEZER, that alone will change the texture of the cheese. Store it in your fridges veggie drawer. Frozen cheese turns crumbly. After smoking I will let my cheese sit on a wire rack on the kitchen counter for a couple of hours then put the rack in the fridge for an overnight rest. I usually loosely cover the cheese with plastic wrap to help prevent it from absorbing other flavors. The next day I will vacuum seal it up and put it back into the veggie drawer. If there is allot of moisture then I will pat it dry with a clean paper towel before sealing.

Chris

 

[PolarSuns]

If it's to warm you'll get a case of the cheese sweats, you'll also notice the edges of the cheese rounding off. Humidity will also cause sweats/moisture buildup.



With cheddar the sharper it is the more crumbly it will become. As it ages it looses moisture.



If your using water to help keep the temps down, use a bottle of frozen water instead of a dish. Less moisture added to the inside of the smoker and colder temps.

You mentioned that you store your cheese in the FREEZER, that alone will change the texture of the cheese. Store it in your fridges veggie drawer. Frozen cheese turns crumbly. After smoking I will let my cheese sit on a wire rack on the kitchen counter for a couple of hours then put the rack in the fridge for an overnight rest. I usually loosely cover the cheese with plastic wrap to help prevent it from absorbing other flavors. The next day I will vacuum seal it up and put it back into the veggie drawer. If there is allot of moisture then I will pat it dry with a clean paper towel before sealing.

Chris

Chris, thanks for the feedback, especially the freezer part. I did not know that the freezer changed the cheese's consistency and I am going to stop doing that.

 

[daveomak]

Smoking cheese at too high a temp, could cause the fats in the cheese to ooze to the surface...
I have found using an AMNPS with dust made from pellets, the smoker temp does not rise more than a few degrees F... Also, having the cheese at or slightly above ambient, does not allow for condensate to form on the surface...
"Burning" chips or pellets or dust can create moisture in the smoke stream.. Moisture is a product of combustion..
I will daub any droplets, on the surface of the cheese, with paper towels prior to vac packing... and I always stored cheeses in the refer...