Vacuum sealed cheese has liquid in bag, bad news? (pics)

[cheese]

Hello!

First time cheese smoker here.

Wanted to see if this is normal for smoked cheese that has been vacuum sealed to have so much liquid.

Will this cause the cheese to go bad?

Many thanks!

tmp_12950-IMG_20161211_140255316-1718400308.jpg

• cheese
• Dec 11, 2016

tmp_12950-IMG_20161211_140307855-2099129123.jpg

• cheese
• Dec 11, 2016

 

[cmayna]

Did you let the cheese sit in the fridge for 24+ hours after smoking before you vacuum sealed it?

 

[SmokinAl]

Never saw that before!

Al

 

[wade]

When cold smoking cheese the smoke generator will create water vapour as part of the combustion process. This, along with any moisture in the air, can condense onto the surface of the cheese making it quite damp. You often do not notice this until you vac pack (like you have done). To overcome the problem, as Cmayna mentioned above, allow the cheese to sit uncovered for 12-24 hours in a cool place or in the refrigerator to allow any surface moisture to evapourate. Once you have done this you should not see any visible moisture inside the packaging.

My advice would be to open up any packs that are like the one above and allow them to dry before repackaging them. It will have not done any harm so far.

Packing the cheese damp can lead to mold growth inside the pack over time however this is dependent on the amount of smoke (smoke is a mild antiseptic) and what was floating around in the air just before you packed it.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

I wrap the cheese in cheesecloth on a rack on counter for 5-6 hours, this will take surface moisture from the cheese. Vac pressure on the bag can squeeze the cheese causing oils to be pressed out from the cheese.

 

[atomicsmoke]

It's not necessary moisture. It could be fat like nepas said. I had that happened (after drying the cheese for 24h). I opened the package , touched the liquid...it was oily, clearly not water.

Check it. If oil, no worries. If water let them dry and re-vacpac.