Why one should learn to control their smoke when smoking cheese or other products.

[mr t 59874]

 For years, I have emphasized that the length of time a product should have smoke applied to it depends on the color and density of the smoke itself and one’s personal taste. I will add another dimension to that, and it is “how the smoke is applied”. For example, a cocktail may be smoked in a few seconds using a dense whitish smoke and a cocktail shaker. Cream cheese, butter, or soup stock can be smoked in less than a minute, using a hand held smoke generator and a blender or food processor,  while a  block of cheese may be done in anywhere from as little as a few minutes using a dense smoke to 24 hours or more using a very lite, cool, clean, bluish white smoke.

Just because you are using a smoker or a grill does not mean that smoke has to be applied to your product constantly, it is okay to use them as ovens also.

Since being associated with SMF It has been my pleasure to assist members, in learning the art (yes, I look at it as an art) of cold smoking cheese. Noticed, for whatever reason, to save time, space, or to use a particular smoke generator is it seems that many are becoming accustomed to eating creosote. When cold smoking they are placing their smoke generators inside with their cheese and even sometimes going as far as adding ice to the chamber to keep the heat down, then smoking it for an extended period. On top of that, they then have to let it rest, sometimes for months before they can eat it, as if the excess creosote is going to go away, they call it mellowing. The sad thing is, it has become common practice and felt it is the proper way to smoke cheese.

There are those whose cheese taste terrible, those whose cheese taste good, and then there are those who make excellent smoked cheese. If you are happy with your results and see no need to improve them, by all means, continue with your process. Keep in mind though; one does not deliberately over smoke a chicken then let it rest for days before consumption, so why would you want to do it to cheese or any other cold smoked product?

It has always been my intention to meld smoke flavor with the flavors of each individual type of cheese, not overpower it.

As Dennis Miller would say, “This is my opinion, I could be wrong”.  

Tom

If you are having trouble with bitter or off tasting cheese, you may find help in the following related threads.

Related threads:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/240463/what-is-going-on-with-smoking-cheese

http://smokingfoodwithmrt.com/smoke-direct-vs-indirect

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/123130/mr-ts-smoked-cheese-from-go-to-show-w-q-view

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/139474/understanding-smoke-management-updated-12-08-14

 

[ab canuck]

Thx. for the info. I went through your page on cold smoking cheese as it is something else I am interested in. A great tutorial with excellent info. 

 

[papa g]

Can't wait to try it again, but using a lot less time and the sampling method during the process. Thanks for the thread.

g

 

[mr t 59874]

 
Thx. for the info. I went through your page on cold smoking cheese as it is something else I am interested in. A great tutorial with excellent info. 

Thank you for the kind comment. If you decide to give smoking cheese a shot, let us know how it goes.

T

 

[mr t 59874]

 
Can't wait to try it again, but using a lot less time and the sampling method during the process. Thanks for the thread.

g

Let us know how it goes. If you feel I can help, please let me know.

You are welcome.

T

 

[forluvofsmoke]

 
 For years, I have emphasized that the length of time a product should have smoke applied to it depends on the color and density of the smoke itself and one’s personal taste. I will add another dimension to that, and it is “how the smoke is applied”. For example, a cocktail may be smoked in a few seconds using a dense whitish smoke and a cocktail shaker. Cream cheese, butter, or soup stock can be smoked in less than a minute, using a hand held smoke generator and a blender or food processor,  while a  block of cheese may be done in anywhere from as little as a few minutes using a dense smoke to 24 hours or more using a very lite, cool, clean, bluish white smoke.

That speaks volumes. I've used varied colors and density for various reasons. Once you learn what you like and how to get it, life in the smoke is SO much better.

Just because you are using a smoker or a grill does not mean that smoke has to be applied to your product constantly, it is okay to use them as ovens also.

I've been doing this very thing for several years, especially with smaller and/or more delicately flavored foods/dishes.

Since being associated with SMF It has been my pleasure to assist members, in learning the art (yes, I look at it as an art) of cold smoking cheese. Noticed, for whatever reason, to save time, space, or to use a particular smoke generator is it seems that many are becoming accustomed to eating creosote. When cold smoking they are placing their smoke generators inside with their cheese and even sometimes going as far as adding ice to the chamber to keep the heat down, then smoking it for an extended period. On top of that, they then have to let it rest, sometimes for months before they can eat it, as if the excess creosote is going to go away, they call it mellowing. The sad thing is, it has become common practice and felt it is the proper way to smoke cheese.

Oh boy...been there, done that...yep, even used ice in a water pan with smoke underneath, to keep things cool. Some of my best smoked cheese using internal smoke came out of my SnP 40" horizontal...I expect this is due to having more distance between the smoke and the product. Direct smoke with verticals was a bit more difficult to manage, as there is far less distance to create an area for smoke to condense before reaching the product.

There are those whose cheese taste terrible, those whose cheese taste good, and then there are those who make excellent smoked cheese. If you are happy with your results and see no need to improve them, by all means, continue with your process. Keep in mind though; one does not deliberately over smoke a chicken then let it rest for days before consumption, so why would you want to do it to cheese or any other cold smoked product?

It has always been my intention to meld smoke flavor with the flavors of each individual type of cheese, not overpower it.

As Dennis Miller would say, “This is my opinion, I could be wrong”.  

Everyone has an opinion...on this topic, yours is also mine. We learn through experience, and experience comes from turning out less than desirable product along with somewhat, to very, desirable products...and looking back on what we did to create each result. I remember back when I was doing experiments with wet-to-dry smoke chamber and stumbled upon your thread "Understanding Smoke Management". Strange how we were basically doing the same thing, but with different approaches...seeking the same results, for different reasons. I'm right here with ya, Tom!!!

Tom

If you are having trouble with bitter or off tasting cheese, you may find help in the following related threads.

Related threads:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/240463/what-is-going-on-with-smoking-cheese

http://smokingfoodwithmrt.com/smoke-direct-vs-indirect

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/123130/mr-ts-smoked-cheese-from-go-to-show-w-q-view

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/139474/understanding-smoke-management-updated-12-08-14

You bring back a lot of memories here, Tom...things that took a lot of work and time to learn the hard way. Keep on educating us, brother. Your insight is priceless!!!

Eric

 

[prowler53]

I knew a fellow years ago who smoked his own cheese.  He would smoke it on a Sunday and bring it in for us to eat on Monday.  It was excellent! 

I will try this method the next time I smoke cheese.  I just finished my first cheese smoke this weekend and I have my doubts about how well it turned out.

I know it's a bit of an art and I'm not expecting much on the first try.  I'm thinking about tasting some now, and then waiting the two weeks and

tasting again to see the difference. 

 

[mr t 59874]

 
I knew a fellow years ago who smoked his own cheese.  He would smoke it on a Sunday and bring it in for us to eat on Monday.  It was excellent! 

I will try this method the next time I smoke cheese.  I just finished my first cheese smoke this weekend and I have my doubts about how well it turned out.

I know it's a bit of an art and I'm not expecting much on the first try.  I'm thinking about tasting some now, and then waiting the two weeks and

tasting again to see the difference. 

Hope you enjoy, if not we can help. The waiting period can be eliminated.

T

 

[wisco-q]

Mr. T. ,  I have not read your info yet and I certainly will. Don't claim to be a an expert of any form either. I have never heard about "mellowing out" but I always try to give my cheese a few days wrapped in foil in the fridge. I felt as though it actually made the smoke flavor build body. I use an electric and built a rack system to cold smoke on top of the unit. I think usually about 2 hours maybe 3 max of smoke time. I have noticed that cheese density by variety plays a big roll in how long I smoke. looking forward to reading more about it! Ben

 

[mr t 59874]

 
Mr. T. ,  I have not read your info yet and I certainly will. Don't claim to be a an expert of any form either. I have never heard about "mellowing out" but I always try to give my cheese a few days wrapped in foil in the fridge. I felt as though it actually made the smoke flavor build body. I use an electric and built a rack system to cold smoke on top of the unit. I think usually about 2 hours maybe 3 max of smoke time. I have noticed that cheese density by variety plays a big roll in how long I smoke. looking forward to reading more about it! Ben

Ben,

Using your smoker as a heat sink is a good start on smoking cheese. After reading the provided information, you will have a good understanding of how small changes can affect your product.

Glad you are enjoying your cheese.

T

 

[wisco-q]

I just read a few things online where guys were saying if it doesn't taste like an ashtray right out of the smoker you didnt do it right! That seems crazy to me. Letting it sit for months to make it edible? I'm glad I got the system I do and thanks for all the info Mr. T

 

[mr t 59874]

I just read a few things online where guys were saying if it doesn't taste like an ashtray right out of the smoker you didnt do it right! That seems crazy to me. Letting it sit for months to make it edible? I'm glad I got the system I do and thanks for all the info Mr. T

Common sense is a huge factor when smoking foods.

You are welcome.

T

 

[pitbulmom]

Thanks Mr T! I am wanting to try cold smoking next fall, it is already too warm to try it now!

 

[hillbilly jim]

I own a cooking group on Facebook and sell my smoked cheese from there. I must be doing something right because there are several members just shy of camping on my door step waiting for the next batch.

As I write this, I have three pounds of unsalted sweet cream butter in the smoker.

 

[mr t 59874]

 
Thanks Mr T! I am wanting to try cold smoking next fall, it is already too warm to try it now!

If you nights are cool, we can get you going.

 
I own a cooking group on Facebook and sell my smoked cheese from there. I must be doing something right because there are several members just shy of camping on my door step waiting for the next batch.

As I write this, I have three pounds of unsalted sweet cream butter in the smoker.

If your customers are happy, keep doing what you are doing.

I used to smoke butter blocks until I tried the following. Heavy cream to perfectly smoked butter in 15 minutes. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/142289/smoked-butter-from-scratch-q-view

T

 

[slotown]

Mr T,

I live in Florida so cold smoking cheese is a challenge.  We might get 5-7 days of cold weather to play with.  I also work so those days need to land on a Saturday to boot.  Today was one of those days, but I got a late start that I won't even try to explain.  Needless to say by the time I did start the ambient temp had crept from 49 degrees to 65.  I had no margin of error to keep below 70.  I use an AMNPS with a mailbox mod.  In the past, it has worked very well.  Today was different though.  To ensure the temp did not shot past 70 I filled the MES water pan with ice. After lighting the AMNPS, and watching for 15 minutes I noticed that the smoke was not moving through the MES.  It filled up with smoke but no draw.  I noticed the mailbox was puffing out smoke through every crack.  I had never seen this before and was concerned that my AMNPS would go out due to a lack of oxygen.  I was also concerned about an unhealthy amount of smoke on the cheese.

IMG_20170304_131332210_HDR.jpg

• slotown
• Mar 4, 2017

After pondering the problem I think the issue is that the temp inside is equalling the ambient temp outside.  Because of this, there is no "draw" to keep the smoke moving smoothly through the MES.  To beat the problem I set a small fan facing away from the vent.  This is pulling the smoke through the MES quite nicely.  In fact too nice.  Even on the lowest setting I have a pretty good draw.  Still appears to be a lot of smoke inside, and the temp inside is sitting nicely at 67 degrees.  

IMG_20170304_131348597.jpg

• slotown
• Mar 4, 2017

If the temp goes over 70, my cold smoke is over.  Right now I have about three hours in.

I would like to hear your comments and suggestions.  Thanks for all your good posts!

 

[mr t 59874]

Slotown,

Wish you had responded last year when the offer was made, to pay for the modifications to one of you Florida smokers if you would do a few test for me, but that is water under the bridge now.

You definitely have your challenges, but it is clear that you have done your homework as far as temperatures go, keep up the good work by not pushing it.

 Keeping the product chamber at or very near ambient can be a challenge when cold smoking. Your thoughts on draw are correct. As you found out placing ice in with the cheese did not work well for you. The reason was the chamber was too cool to allow a natural draft, heat rises. If the chamber is cooler than the firebox, you will get a back draft, which you did. It would have worked better if the ice was placed in, on or along the piping to the product chamber. Of course, you can push or pull the air through the chamber, as you have done, if you wish also.

If you feel you are getting too much draft using the fan, try turning the exhaust vent a bit away from the fan until you achieve the desired amount.

There is a very good chance that you have enough smoke on your cheese now. If not you can add more later.

Thank you for the pictures. Good on you for using a white firebox. Every little thing helps.

Enjoy your cheese,

T

 

[slotown]

T,

Thanks for the comments.  Glad you think I'm heading in the right direction.  Pulled the cheese at about 4 1/2 hours.  No sweat and dry to the touch.

cheese.jpg

• slotown
• Mar 4, 2017

Pepperjack from Sam's.  I'm the only one who appreciates it in my house, so I don't smoke too much at a time.  Hopefully this will last a few months.

Cheese turned a little yellow, but not much.

 

[mr t 59874]

Hopefully it taste as good as it looks. It is plain to see you kept the temps low.

Good job,

T