my first time smoking cheese... so if some of the veterans could chime in i'd appreciate it. i used mesquite wood chips in a pellet tube and smoked for about 3 hours. started with the tube under the cheese, but the chips were burning too fast (and starting to melt the cheese) so i moved the tube to the firebox in my offset and had to fill it every hour or so. smells n tastes burnt - way too much smoke on them... the cheese flavor still comes through with the sharp cheddars but the gouda and colby mostly just taste like smoke. i really like the mesquite flavor on my meats (contrary to what everyone says about mesquite). all i can get around here is hickory (which i don't like the way it smells when its burning or the flavor it imparts), cherry, pecan, and mesquite. ran it with the stack vent open maybe 1/4" the whole time. it was 45f out, and the temp never registered on my pit thermometer.