# Want to try my first cheese smoke...



## shaneyb72 (May 19, 2018)

So I want to try smoking some cheese for the first time.  I’ve read a lot of posts on here and have gathered that this is a winter project right?  At 70 degrees it’s way too warm to do this right?  My plan is to use my propane smoker cabinet, but without any heat. I have a new A-MAZE-N tray with some pellets.  But this still generates a fair amount of heat correct?

Thanks for any help here!


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## oddegan (May 19, 2018)

I don't smoke cheese if the outside temp is over 40. For myself I don't run cheese this far into spring I just suck it up and wait till fall to start cheese again.


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## SonnyE (May 19, 2018)

I do cold smokes during the night. It's naturally cooler.
And for my method, I have my version of a mailbox mod where the smoke travels 8 feet through an aluminum flexible dryer vent hose to further cool it, and to filter out any crosote. Kind of "cleans" the smoke.
That actually gives the smoker only a 2 degree rise over the ambient air temperature.
Some folks simply set their tray inside their sm00ker box. As long as you can control the incoming cool air to help vent heat if it occurs.
But try and stay low in temperature, I try for 65-80 range. I've even modified my MES 30 to run with an external temperature controller that can function at 1° points. It operates in a tight band, but in reality the temperature swings a total of 9 degrees, nominally.

So give it a go. If the temperature gets wonky, use sawdust. It's supposed to run a much cooler smoke. I'm assuming you have an external temperature monitoring device you trust?

I had a bit of trouble getting my Oak dust to stay lit. I laid in about a 1/3-1/2 row of pellets, and overlaid with saw dust in my AMNPS. The pellets acted like a fuse under the Oak and kept everything going.

Let your cheese age after the smoking process. And nothing wrong with running small batches until you find a level and method that YOU like the taste of.


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## kenn67 (May 19, 2018)

I’ve tried smoking cheese a couple of times. Still working out the timing. Less is more with smoking cheese. As long as you can keep the temperature below 90 degrees you should be safe. The amazen tray will work great for you without raising the temperature too much. You could always sit the cheese above a tray of ice. My first attempt was using the propane burner to create smoke. I used an aluminum roasting pan full of ice to keep the temperature down.  Worked well. My second attempt was with the amazen tray and no ice was needed. I just have to cut back on my smoking time a bit. It’s all trial and error until you find what works for you. Good luck.


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## gmc2003 (May 20, 2018)

Personally I use two 32oz soda bottles full of frozen water instead of ice when it's on the warmer side. It seems to keep the moisture level at bay in my WSM. Also sawdust smokes cooler and cleaner then pellets, but takes longer to penetrate the cheese so it will be a longer smoke. I've been playing around with doing my cheese in two stages about 2 - 3 hrs each with the dust. I've almost got it to the point were it can be eaten right out of the smoker without the resting period. I'm not quite there yet but almost. Let us know how it goes. 

Chris


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## SonnyE (May 20, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> Personally I use two 32oz soda bottles full of frozen water instead of ice when it's on the warmer side. It seems to keep the moisture level at bay in my WSM. Also sawdust smokes cooler and cleaner then pellets, but takes longer to penetrate the cheese so it will be a longer smoke. I've been playing around with doing my cheese in two stages about 2 - 3 hrs each with the dust. I've almost got it to the point were it can be eaten right out of the smoker without the resting period. I'm not quite there yet but almost. Let us know how it goes.
> 
> Chris



I'm never able to let mine rest. It's just too good to wait.
OINK!


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## shaneyb72 (May 20, 2018)

Well, I’m giving it a shot now.  I just went and picked up 8 fairly low cost 1/2 pound blocks to try out.  I got Colby jack, pepper jack, Cabot Habanero, NY Sharp Cheddar, NY Xtra Sharp Cheddar, VT Sharp Cheddar, and 2 mozzarella.  I have them in the smoker with a pan of ice.  The A-MAZE-N tray has Pitmaster’s Blend pellets and is smoking away in the bottom.  I seem to have nice smoke flowing through.


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## tropics (May 20, 2018)

You can always open the door a crack That will cool it a little.Your location would get you better info
Richie


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## shaneyb72 (May 20, 2018)

tropics said:


> You can always open the door a crack That will cool it a little.Your location would get you better info
> Richie


I’m in the Buffalo, NY area.  It’s only about 60 degreees out today and is damp and cloudy.  The temp inside the smoker is holding at 67 at 90 minutes in.  Thinking I should be okay.


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## tropics (May 20, 2018)

shaneyb72 said:


> I’m in the Buffalo, NY area.  It’s only about 60 degreees out today and is damp and cloudy.  The temp inside the smoker is holding at 67 at 90 minutes in.  Thinking I should be okay.


Sounds good I like 3 hours of smoke when I do it
Richie
Oh Throw some Hard Boiled eggs peeled in while your at it


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## SonnyE (May 20, 2018)

Oh, I LOVE sharp Cheddar's!
Especially NY Extra Sharp!
Have fun, and sample a bit to find what level of sm00kiness you like.


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## shaneyb72 (May 20, 2018)

Went for 3 hours and just pulled it all.  Nice golden color on all sides and looks great!  Smells extremely smoky and tasted a bit of mozzarella and it was what I expected...too smoky right now.  I’m going to let them air out in the beer fridge for 24 hours, vac pack, then back in the fridge for 4-8 weeks I’m guessing.

Does this sound reasonable?


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## SonnyE (May 20, 2018)

shaneyb72 said:


> Went for 3 hours and just pulled it all.  Nice golden color on all sides and looks great!  Smells extremely smoky and tasted a bit of mozzarella and it was what I expected...too smoky right now.  I’m going to let them air out in the beer fridge for 24 hours, vac pack, then back in the fridge for 4-8 weeks I’m guessing.
> 
> Does this sound reasonable?



Sounds reasonable. But let's see how your perseverance holds out.
If you each the 8 week mark and it's all gone, I guess you will simply have to do more. LOL!
No shame in that! ;)


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## shaneyb72 (May 20, 2018)

Moving on to some almonds now...another first for me!  Picked up 2 pounds of raw almonds and split them into 4 ziplocs, added a touch of oil to each, seasoned each differently, and now on the smoker at 220.  We’ll see!


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## tropics (May 20, 2018)

shaneyb72 said:


> Went for 3 hours and just pulled it all.  Nice golden color on all sides and looks great!  Smells extremely smoky and tasted a bit of mozzarella and it was what I expected...too smoky right now.  I’m going to let them air out in the beer fridge for 24 hours, vac pack, then back in the fridge for 4-8 weeks I’m guessing.
> 
> Does this sound reasonable?


That looks good the color will get better as it ages. Weres the Eggs LOL
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/cold-smoked-eggs-deviled.200685/
Richie


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## SmokinVOLfan (May 21, 2018)

Nice looking cheese. The Hot Habanero is my favorite and its 10x better smoked


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## Careff (May 26, 2018)

I have been smoking cheese for a few years now and found a magic number for mine. I cut mine no thicker than one inch thick and cold smoked it for two hours. No heat had my smoke vented into my cabinet and then wrapped sarhan wrap or vacuum packed. If left in the fridge for six weeks it turned out great no matter what kind you use as long it is in bulk.


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## SonnyE (May 26, 2018)

_"I have been smoking cheese for a few years now and found a magic number for mine. I cut mine no thicker than one inch thick and cold smoked it for two hours. No heat had my smoke vented into my cabinet and then wrapped sarhan wrap or vacuum packed. If left in the fridge for six weeks it turned out great no matter what kind you use as long it is in bulk."_

Sounds good!
What do your use for your smoke? (Hickory, Alder, Apple, Oak, ???)

I use my version of a Mailbox Mod, with 8 feet of aluminum dryer vent hose to cool the smoke, and a small fan.
In tests, the temperature between Ambient and inside my smoker held at 2° difference.
I've been real pleased.
Glad you are as well! Smoke on! :D


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## daricksta (May 30, 2018)

shaneyb72 said:


> So I want to try smoking some cheese for the first time.  I’ve read a lot of posts on here and have gathered that this is a winter project right?  At 70 degrees it’s way too warm to do this right?  My plan is to use my propane smoker cabinet, but without any heat. I have a new A-MAZE-N tray with some pellets.  But this still generates a fair amount of heat correct?
> 
> Thanks for any help here!


Yes, it does generate heat. I use the 6x6 AMNS with Dust and it also generates heat, as much as 20°F additional in my MES 30 Gen 1. I have to place it on the 4th rack which is higher than I like. I set the controller to only 100°F and it's proven to work perfectly. The cheese directly over the AMPS gets darker with more gridmarks from the Q-MATZ I place them on, but I monitor the heat to not let it get over 130°. If it does, I turn the controller off. I try to cold smoke on cool days but the heat on warmer days helps to maximize air circulation within the smoker, which is crucial for older MES units like mine.

Here's my post on the cheese cold smoke:  https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...ked-cheese-with-the-amns.274941/#post-1823693


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## Careff (May 31, 2018)

SonnyE said:


> _"I have been smoking cheese for a few years now and found a magic number for mine. I cut mine no thicker than one inch thick and cold smoked it for two hours. No heat had my smoke vented into my cabinet and then wrapped sarhan wrap or vacuum packed. If left in the fridge for six weeks it turned out great no matter what kind you use as long it is in bulk."_
> 
> Sounds good!
> What do your use for your smoke? (Hickory, Alder, Apple, Oak, ???)
> ...


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## Careff (May 31, 2018)

SonnyE said:


> _"I have been smoking cheese for a few years now and found a magic number for mine. I cut mine no thicker than one inch thick and cold smoked it for two hours. No heat had my smoke vented into my cabinet and then wrapped sarhan wrap or vacuum packed. If left in the fridge for six weeks it turned out great no matter what kind you use as long it is in bulk."_
> 
> Sounds good!
> What do your use for your smoke? (Hickory, Alder, Apple, Oak, ???)
> ...



I have tried a lot of different smokers and my Bradley seems the best even better than a real expensive one. I have put a small fan permanently in the cabinet to circulate the smoke all the time. I also put the generator in the tote for Cold smoking which I have lower down or underneath the cabinet. I to also used a flex pipe to send the smoke up to the cabinet. I have tried most flavors of smoke and found for most I use the apple pucks, they seem to be a nice mild smoke not to harsh. 

Devil hates a coward


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## SonnyE (May 31, 2018)

Careff said:


> I have tried a lot of different smokers and my Bradley seems the best even better than a real expensive one. I have put a small fan permanently in the cabinet to circulate the smoke all the time. I also put the generator in the tote for Cold smoking which I have lower down or underneath the cabinet. I to also used a flex pipe to send the smoke up to the cabinet. I have tried most flavors of smoke and found for most I use the apple pucks, they seem to be a nice mild smoke not to harsh.
> 
> Devil hates a coward



I used a Bradley smoke generator for probably a decade and a half. I grafted it into a Brinkman Smoke N Grill. Called it my R2D2. Smoked a ton of stuff in it.
But Bradley priced themselves off my market. It's bad enough having to buy my Salmon and meat now, but paying $45-$50+ for a box of pucks was the deal breaker. Screw Bradley.
So my search for better ways brought me here to SMF. I use pellets, in an AMNPS.
Papa's got a brand new bag. ;) I spit in the Devils face many years ago, and pissed on the hubs of Hell.


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## daricksta (May 31, 2018)

SonnyE said:


> It's bad enough having to buy my Salmon and meat now.



I agree. I'm a snob when it comes to salmon; I prefer to buy fresh Copper River sockeye salmon when its on sale only because the CR king salmon is now unaffordable, when you can find it. It's right up there with Alaskan King Crab Legs. With meat, I buy it at Safeway or another chain called Winco when there are good sales. I usually buy STL ribs or b-backs at Costco since they sell 3 to a Cryovac pack.


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## SonnyE (May 31, 2018)

daricksta said:


> I agree. I'm a snob when it comes to salmon; I prefer to buy fresh Copper River sockeye salmon when its on sale only because the CR king salmon is now unaffordable, when you can find it. It's right up there with Alaskan King Crab Legs. With meat, I buy it at Safeway or another chain called Winco when there are good sales. I usually buy STL ribs or b-backs at Costco since they sell 3 to a Cryovac pack.



Yeah, I fish the shores of the frozen fish isle.
And like my "Plastic Ribs" from Sam's Club. Our Costco apparently over sold itself and is a friggen madhouse any given day. So I stay home and roll the dice that the wife comes home with the goods when she goes to Costco.
(Crowd's of brain dead people make me want to pull my .45 ACP)


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## Bearcarver (May 31, 2018)

daricksta said:


> Yes, it does generate heat. *I use the 6x6 AMNS *with Dust and it also generates heat, as much as 20°F additional in my *MES 30 Gen 1.* *I have to place it on the 4th rack which is higher than I like. *I set the controller to only 100°F and it's proven to work perfectly. The cheese directly over the AMPS gets darker with more gridmarks from the Q-MATZ I place them on, but I monitor the heat to not let it get over 130°. If it does, I turn the controller off. I try to cold smoke on cool days but the heat on warmer days helps to maximize air circulation within the smoker, which is crucial for older MES units like mine.
> 
> Here's my post on the cheese cold smoke:  https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...ked-cheese-with-the-amns.274941/#post-1823693



Hi Rick,
If you remove that big floor pan on the bottom, your AMNS should fit under the support rods on the left.
That's what I did with mine, before the invention of the AMNPS. Then I just covered the bottom with foil.
I never did put that bottom pan back in. I just changed the foil every now & then when it got pretty bad.

Bear


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## saltysandman (May 31, 2018)

kenn67 said:


> I’ve tried smoking cheese a couple of times. Still working out the timing. Less is more with smoking cheese. As long as you can keep the temperature below 90 degrees you should be safe. The amazen tray will work great for you without raising the temperature too much. You could always sit the cheese above a tray of ice. My first attempt was using the propane burner to create smoke. I used an aluminum roasting pan full of ice to keep the temperature down.  Worked well. My second attempt was with the amazen tray and no ice was needed. I just have to cut back on my smoking time a bit. It’s all trial and error until you find what works for you. Good luck.



yes to the tray of ice but also make sure the tray of ice is on a rack below your cheese rack(s) or the condensation water droplets will fall on your cheese.


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## daricksta (May 31, 2018)

bearcarver said:


> Hi Rick,
> If you remove that big floor pan on the bottom, your AMNS should fit under the support rods on the left.
> That's what I did with mine, before the invention of the AMNPS. Then I just covered the bottom with foil.
> I never did put that bottom pan back in. I just changed the foil every now & then when it got pretty bad.
> ...


NOW you tell me that hack, Bear? It's a great idea. As soon as I read about removing the big floor pan I figured I'd need to lay down some foil. Shoot, I don't change the foil on the pan anyway if it's not greasy. I'm _really _looking forward to using the AMNS now! I totally sold on using it with Dust for cold smokes.


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## daricksta (May 31, 2018)

SonnyE said:


> Yeah, I fish the shores of the frozen fish isle.
> And like my "Plastic Ribs" from Sam's Club. Our Costco apparently over sold itself and is a friggen madhouse any given day. So I stay home and roll the dice that the wife comes home with the goods when she goes to Costco.
> (Crowd's of brain dead people make me want to pull my .45 ACP)


I had to Google ACP to find out what it meant although I understood the .45 part.

Costco remains one of my favorite stores. But there's a local Fred Meyer in town that is the very definition of mob scene during after work hours and especially during the holidays when it's out and out gridlock.


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## daricksta (May 31, 2018)

SonnyE said:


> I used a Bradley smoke generator for probably a decade and a half. I grafted it into a Brinkman Smoke N Grill. Called it my R2D2. Smoked a ton of stuff in it.
> But Bradley priced themselves off my market. It's bad enough having to buy my Salmon and meat now, but paying $45-$50+ for a box of pucks was the deal breaker. Screw Bradley.
> So my search for better ways brought me here to SMF. I use pellets, in an AMNPS.
> Papa's got a brand new bag. ;) I spit in the Devils face many years ago, and pissed on the hubs of Hell.


Sonny E., you need to get busy either as a novelist or a country song writer. You have got talent, my man!


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## SonnyE (May 31, 2018)

daricksta said:


> I had to Google ACP to find out what it meant although I understood the .45 part.



*A*utomatic *C*olt *P*istol. Colt 1911.
I believe it was developed for the Military, They need a pistol round that would knock a man sized target DOWN even if hit in a non-leathal area. (Think arm or leg)
I managed to find the Moro account down in this page.
Interesting history.
Still a revered ammunition choice for Police work. But being squeezed out by the 9 mm. ;)


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## Bearcarver (Jun 1, 2018)

SonnyE said:


> *A*utomatic *C*olt *P*istol. Colt 1911.
> I believe it was developed for the Military, They need a pistol round that would knock a man sized target DOWN even if hit in a non-leathal area. (Think arm or leg)
> I managed to find the Moro account down in this page.
> Interesting history.
> Still a revered ammunition choice for Police work. But being squeezed out by the 9 mm. ;)




Yup---Great Hand Gun!!
And those who fired an Army Issue .45 knew why they referred to it as a "Close Quarter Battle Pistol".

Bear


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## SonnyE (Jun 1, 2018)

bearcarver said:


> Yup---Great Hand Gun!!
> And those who fired an Army Issue .45 knew why they referred to it as a "Close Quarter Battle Pistol".
> 
> Bear



Mine is Number 997 out of 1000 made in 1929. Colt Government Model. I'm the third in it's lineage.
As far as I know from Family History, totally original except for the extractor I broke and replaced myself.

As a kid, I couldn't hit a barn with it. Now, I loved going to the range on Thursday's.
Thursday the range reopened from their days off, and all the steel targets were freshly repainted with flat black paint.
I use to relish in putting a sliver star in the center of all of them. (I cast my own, and reload my brass.)
Told you I was an A'hole, go messin up the range on Senior Seven Dollar Day.

The High Power Rangemaster would occasionally leave me alone up there if I was the only one there. He'd let me set up my Chronograph and computer when developing loads. I loved ring the 400 yard gong with my 30-06.
when that smacked that iron, it rang like a bell down the canyon.

One day I showed up and it was just him and I again. I noticed there was a BUNCH of .45 ACP casings scattered about.
I asked him if it would be OK to gather some up for reloading. He told me to help myself as long as nobody else showed up to shoot. Then he helped, too.
Seems they had a "Private Party" and a Thompson Sub-machine gun was one of the stars. From the boxes I picked out of the trash cans, I figure a case of 1,000 rounds went that day. And I got the bulk of the once-fired brass.
All of it cleaned in my brass tumbler after decapping and resizing, it is tucked away reloaded with my pet load and cast bullets.

Yep, a red dot, in a blue State...

I know... no pictures didn't happen....
Looks like dis:











A batch of brass out of the Thumbler's Tumbler.
Another "hobby"...
But I haven't been to the range in years now.

*Hard to Port...*
Big Birthday Party tomorrow! Ava turns 5, June 11th!
We won't be here. So Grandma and I are throwing her a Birthday Party and BBQ!
I'm gettin too old for the work it takes. o_O I've been bustin a move all day.
Hamburgers and Hot Dogs, and all the other stuff.
I figure on Kielbasa and *diced smoked cheeses for appiteasers.*
Trying to get back on track here...


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