# Maiden Cheese Smoking Attempt



## SGMan (May 7, 2019)

Well today was the day - The lady was ribbing me about smoking most everything BUT CHEESE.  So, while at the store I picked up a few hunks on sale as well as some sticks.  

On the racks were:  Pepper Jack, Sharp Cheddar, Colby Jack, and Mozzarella. 
I also did some sticks of Havarti and Poly-O Cheddar/Mozzarella







From there, they went into the MES30 with my AMNPS and MB Mod with Pecan pellets.  
Temp was holding steady at around 76 degrees, and I planned to let them go for 2 hours on the smoke.   It was at this time that I was reminded of my monthly VW club meeting... Dang it, now I cant babysit. 

No worries, I only filled one row of the Amazen tray and that usually goes no more than 3 hours.  (So hopefully a little 'extra' smoke wont totally kill them.) 

Got home from the meeting and pulled the cheeses and into the vacuum bags and into the fridge for a couple of weeks to mellow. 













At a glance, the Havarti sticks look to have taken a LOT of smoky goodness - 2 weeks cant get here fast enough for me to start sampling!


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## pc farmer (May 7, 2019)

Looks great.  I wipe off the wet stuff if there is any and let dry then vac seal.


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## Jabiru (May 7, 2019)

Nice work. Glad I spotted this thread. I am just about to do my First Smoked Cheese, thanks for the info PC Farmer, I will wipe and let dry before sealing.


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## bregent (May 8, 2019)

SGMan said:


> From there, they went into the MES30 with my AMNPS and MB Mod with Pecan pellets.



Not sure how you have your MB mod configured, but I find if I run it though 8 feet of ducting, it mellows the smoke enough so that it does not need any rest time.


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## SmokinAl (May 8, 2019)

Looks real good!
Nice color!
And I agree with bregent, if you run the smoke thru some duct work, it will clean it & you can eat the cheese right away.
Al


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## SGMan (May 8, 2019)

Interesting... I *may* just have to sample some of the cheeses to see how they fared.

My MB does go through a couple of feet of hose to get into the smoker. 
And I *did* separate my cheeses into separate bags. 
1 each for the test subjects, and the rest (by cheese) in their own bags. 
All vacc'd and in the fridge.  Maybe today will be a test day to see how they taste!




Thanks everyone!


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## SGMan (May 10, 2019)

Ugh... 

No.  Just No. 

2-3 weeks it is.  LOL


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## chopsaw (May 10, 2019)

SGMan said:


> Ugh...
> 
> No.  Just No.
> 
> 2-3 weeks it is.  LOL


I remember that taste . I have some been in the fridge a year . Might be time to try it again .


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## SGMan (May 14, 2019)

Okay, so I got antsy and tried a lone piece of havarti stick just to see how its advanced.  

Still a bit harsh, but I can definitely see how it has mellowed (even over a week)  
I think that the 2-3 week mark might in fact be the sweet spot (if not longer)  

It wasn't terrible but it most certainly wasn't great either.


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