# Worst smoked cheese ever



## Newglide (Feb 28, 2022)

So a few weeks ago thought I'd try making some smoked cheese.
I have a metal box that I got years ago to put in my gas grill to put wood chips in to smoke on the gas grill.
My neighbor has a pellet grill so I got a handful of pellets to try.
They seemed like a middle of the road wood mix, it was a hardwood and cherry and apple mix, Trager brand I think.
Filled the metal box and put it in the bottom of my kettle. Lit a corner of the box and let it roll. There was a lot of smoke.
Put in a 1lb block of cheddar and 1lb of Colby jack. Let them smoke for 3 hours, I think that's where I went wrong.
I flipped and rotated every hour, monitored my temps stayed around 80*.
Pulled them and noticed some oily drops all over the cheese, thought maybe this was the cheese "sweating"
Put them in the fridge for a few hours then vac sealed and back in the fridge.
I left them alone for 3 weeks, I cut into the cheddar this weekend and it was terrible. Way too much smoke, tasted like dirty smoke.
No way to doctor it up, I tried shredding and putting on nachos loaded with jalapeños, couldn't even eat them. 
I'm thinking next time I'd try an hour and half on the smoke and see if that helps.


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## BandCollector (Feb 28, 2022)

Your procedure sounded as though you did everything correct. 

From your explanation however it sounds to me that you had too much heavy smoke for too long of a period.

Pellets tend to give off much more smoke than dust.  Since your kettle is a rather confined space, you could of cut down the amount of time the cheese was exposed to the pellet smoke or used dust instead.

Don't give up on the cheese you have already smoked.  The aging process in the vac sealing should eventually calm down the strong smoke taste.  

I hope this helps,

John


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## indaswamp (Feb 28, 2022)

Bandcollector nailed it.....use wood dust for cold smoking cheese.


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## Newglide (Feb 28, 2022)

BandCollector said:


> Your procedure sounded as though you did everything correct.
> 
> From your explanation however it sounds to me that you had too much heavy smoke for too long of a period.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Sounds like I may be on the right track. 
Definitely not going to give up, like anything else it's a learning process, usually takes me a little longer to learn sometimes.
I was about to dump the cheese I have, if you think it'll mellow over time I'll leave it alone for awhile and see how it goes.


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## Brokenhandle (Feb 28, 2022)

Keep trying, you'll get it right! Look at the bright side...its gonna be easier to age this cheese.

Ryan


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## bauchjw (Feb 28, 2022)

I've never liked my smoked cheese unless I used a mailbox mod to clean up some of the smoke before it hits the cheese. I have a drainage pipe that runs to the MES30 that I run the smoke through first, otherwise its too much for my taste.


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Feb 28, 2022)

Good advice above and as said it will mellow over time!  Hopefully after, it will be to your liking!  IMO, the hour and a half instead of three hours is a move in the right direction!  Also if I could suggest… consider investing in an AMAZEN tray and some dust!  It will give off a light smoke and can be used for more than just cheese!


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## zwiller (Feb 28, 2022)

Dust will help for sure but smoking cheese appears very simple to do but in reality it's actually hard to perfect.  6 hours dust and American deli cheese is my best.


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## Lonzinomaker (Feb 28, 2022)

Also Traeger pellets are not 100% fruitwood.  I got really harsh smoke using pellets made for a grill.  Try getting some 100% fruitwood pellets from Amazn or other brand that says they are 100% fruitwood on label.
You will get a better milder smoke for cheese.


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## thirdeye (Feb 28, 2022)

I have an article on SMOKED CHEESE, it's kind of long, but it includes tips I've learned over 45 years or so. I believe it will get you back in the ball park.


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## Newglide (Feb 28, 2022)

Brokenhandle said:


> Keep trying, you'll get it right! Look at the bright side...its gonna be easier to age this cheese.
> 
> Ryan


True


bauchjw said:


> I've never liked my smoked cheese unless I used a mailbox mod to clean up some of the smoke before it hits the cheese. I have a drainage pipe that runs to the MES30 that I run the smoke through first, otherwise its too much for my taste.


Thanks, I see a lot about that on here. I may go down that road. I kinda like making changes one at a time and starting with the simple ones first. I'll keep it on the list



WaterinHoleBrew said:


> consider investing in an AMAZEN tray and some dust! It will give off a light smoke and can be used for more than just cheese!


Where do I get dust?



zwiller said:


> Dust will help for sure but smoking cheese appears very simple to do but in reality it's actually hard to perfect.  6 hours dust and American deli cheese is my best.


Thanks


Lonzinomaker said:


> Also Traeger pellets are not 100% fruitwood.  I got really harsh smoke using pellets made for a grill.  Try getting some 100% fruitwood pellets from Amazn or other brand that says they are 100% fruitwood on label.
> You will get a better milder smoke for cheese.


Thanks



thirdeye said:


> I have an article on SMOKED CHEESE, it's kind of long, but it includes tips I've learned over 45 years or so. I believe it will get you back in the ball park.


Thanks, Very good info thanks


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## crazymoon (Feb 28, 2022)

NG, IMHO it is always better to start out light on your smoke , with each batch you can increase the time a little until you get it to your preference. Too little smoke is edible but as you know too much smoke is inedible.


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## JckDanls 07 (Feb 28, 2022)

Lonzinomaker said:


> Also Traeger pellets are not 100% fruitwood.  I got really harsh smoke using pellets made for a grill.  Try getting some 100% fruitwood pellets from Amazn or other brand that says they are 100% fruitwood on label.
> You will get a better milder smoke for cheese.



I'm with Lonzino on this one...  It wasn't so much that it was to much smoke..  It was more so the pellets that were used...  As he says...  find 100% fruitwood or whatever...   make sure they are not cooking/heating pellets as these are mostly filler wood for heat ...  

As for dust..  

 daveomak
 has a thread here on how to make dust from pellets...


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## Newglide (Mar 1, 2022)

JckDanls 07 said:


> As he says... find 100% fruitwood or whatever... make sure they are not cooking/heating pellets as these are mostly filler wood for heat .


Thanks JD, Checked out your build in the link in your signature, very cool build


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## tallbm (Mar 1, 2022)

Newglide said:


> So a few weeks ago thought I'd try making some smoked cheese.
> I have a metal box that I got years ago to put in my gas grill to put wood chips in to smoke on the gas grill.
> My neighbor has a pellet grill so I got a handful of pellets to try.
> They seemed like a middle of the road wood mix, it was a hardwood and cherry and apple mix, Trager brand I think.
> ...


I don't smoke cheese but I have cold smoked salmon lox and I encountered slight stale smoke issues.

I wanted to raise the issue of Stale Smoke because it is something that totally happens when people cold smoke cheese and other items.

Stale smoke tastes horrible no matter the wood used! 
See smoke flavor is good when smoke is not thick and heavy AND smoke is allowed to circulate and be oxygenated. 
My understanding is that once the smoke lingers too long and doesn't have fresh oxygen it's flavor changes into nasty bitter stale smoke.
If this stale smoke is lingering over your cheese well you get nasty flavors.

I had a slight bit of this happening with my cold smoked salmon lox in my MES40.
All symptoms pointed to stale smoke and the solution was to keep the smoke flowing constantly just like when doing a regular hot smoke cook.

So the solution to your problem may be as simple as keeping a steady flow of smoking going where it doesnt linger.
How you do this is the tricky part.

I built a little cold smoke gadget that has a computer blower fan wired to a plug and the fan blows up a coardboard tube. I place that over my MES vent and boom, manufactured draft to keep a constant flow of smoke moving through, up, and out of my smoker.
All stale smoke issues solved!

Here is one I made for my brother just last month or so:







If you can use some kind of fan to even just blow horizontally over your smoker vent, that may be enough to cause a draft to keep circulating the smoke through your smoker and pull it up and out so it doesn't linger.

I just wanted to bring this up as it was not mentioned and is likely part of the problem you are experiencing.  I hope this info helps :)


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## Fueling Around (Mar 1, 2022)

I've successfully smoked cheese in my kettle using a pellet tube.
I don't have my journal with me, or I would give the conditions.

How big are your cheese pieces?
Maybe slice off the outer 1/4" and let it age some more.


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## Steve H (Mar 1, 2022)

Could you explain the "metal "box? What, exactly, is this? Is it perforated or have solid sides? How far open did you have the vents?


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## daveomak (Mar 1, 2022)

(3) Making dust from pellets... | Smoking Meat Forums - The Best Smoking Meat Forum On Earth!


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## Newglide (Mar 1, 2022)

tallbm said:


> I wanted to raise the issue of Stale Smoke because it is something that totally happens when people cold smoke cheese and other items


Thanks tallbm, Stale smoke may very well be my issue, there was a lot of smoke when I smoked it. I didn't have the thin blue line of smoke I am used to seeing with my stick burner


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## Newglide (Mar 1, 2022)

Steve H said:


> Could you explain the "metal "box? What, exactly, is this? Is it perforated or have solid sides? How far open did you have the vents?








Similar to this, it has holes on the bottom and the sides than this one. I had my vents wide open


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## Newglide (Mar 1, 2022)

daveomak said:


> (3) Making dust from pellets... | Smoking Meat Forums - The Best Smoking Meat Forum On Earth!


Thanks Dave


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## Newglide (Mar 1, 2022)

Fueling Around said:


> I've successfully smoked cheese in my kettle using a pellet tube.
> I don't have my journal with me, or I would give the conditions.
> 
> How big are your cheese pieces?
> Maybe slice off the outer 1/4" and let it age some more.


The pieces are 1lb blocks cut in half, I could try to cut off some of the outside but the smoke seemed to go pretty deep.


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## Steve H (Mar 1, 2022)

Newglide said:


> View attachment 527385
> 
> Similar to this, it has holes on the bottom and the sides than this one. I had my vents wide open



Yeah, I thought that was what you were talking about. You might want to look at A-Maze-N trays or tubes. I never had a problem with them.


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## forktender (Apr 9, 2022)

If you can see the smoke while smoking cheese it's too much smoke, in my opinion. Thin blue smoke is for meat and fish, for cheese I don't want to see hardly any smoke at all. Buy a maze and only fill it about 1/4' deep with a light fruit wood, maybe add a touch of pecan or hickory to it if you like smokey cheese.


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## thirdeye (Apr 10, 2022)

forktender said:


> If you can see the smoke while smoking cheese it's too much smoke, in my opinion. Thin blue smoke is for meat and fish, for cheese I don't want to see hardly any smoke at all. Buy a maze and only fill it about 1/4' deep with a light fruit wood, maybe add a touch of pecan or hickory to it if you like smokey cheese.


... and plenty of airflow.  I use one piece to sample smokiness along the way.


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## indaswamp (Apr 10, 2022)

thirdeye said:


> ... and plenty of airflow


Yep. since the temp. differential is not high when cold smoking, the natural draft is slow. So I usually crack the bottom door for maximum flow of fresh air into the smokehouse. Better draft.....better smoke....


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## forktender (Apr 11, 2022)

The best smoked cheese I ever ate was done by a chef friend.
He smoked it using a wire rack and an old cardboard  box and a few wads of tinfoil, that he used as a smoke maze. He said the key to the smoke was the small amount of sawdust, and cutting one of the flaps off the bottom of the box, which ended up being the top of the "smoker", if you will. LOL

As long as the outside temp's are no warmer than 70* in the shade, you can smoke cheese, most of them at least, maybe not the super soft cheese like brie or cream cheese. 

(edited by me) 
I've smoked plenty of cheese when the outside temp was 75*,  maybe even a touch warmed, but not by a whole lot.

He said, the key is having to look really hard for the smoke, better yet just hardly smelling the smoke. You can eat his smoked cheese right off the wire racks without waiting for it to mellow. His opinion, which is now mine as well, if your cheese needs to mellow you screwed up either in airflow or too much fuel or you used the wrong type of wood for your taste.


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## Newglide (Apr 12, 2022)

I gave it another try. Same setup just cut the amount of pellets and time in half. This batch was similar just with half the dirty smoke flavor. 
So I tried something different. I took a hot charcoal briquette and a hot lump. I couldn't get the lump to stay lit so that's why I added a briquette. Then added some apple and peach chips. Smoke was much better. Like 

 forktender
 said the smoke was light and thin. What I. Used to seeing when I smoke normally. I only let it smoke for almost an hour. When I took them off I noticed it was much different. Not as harsh of a smoke smell actually a good smoke smell and no oily residue on the cheese. I let them sit in the fridge overnight and was able to eat it the next day. It must have been good, my kids came over on Sunday for dinner and cleaned me out of cheese. Next is to work on airflow. I got a computer fan that I'll rig something up for the top vent to help pull air.  what 

 indaswamp
  said makes sense. Not as much heat to create the airflow. 
Sorry for the long post. I think a few attempts and I'll get it dialed in.


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## tallbm (Apr 12, 2022)

Newglide said:


> I gave it another try. Same setup just cut the amount of pellets and time in half. This batch was similar just with half the dirty smoke flavor.
> So I tried something different. I took a hot charcoal briquette and a hot lump. I couldn't get the lump to stay lit so that's why I added a briquette. Then added some apple and peach chips. Smoke was much better. Like
> 
> forktender
> ...


I think once you get this fan and airflow situation fixed you will be consistently producing good smoked cheese.  I really feel a lot of your bad flavor and spell issues are due to stale smoke.

Supporting info of improved cheese results from less smoke and less time helps me think you were/are suffering from stale smoke. 
Fix the airflow and I bet you start to nail it! :D


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## Newglide (Apr 12, 2022)

tallbm said:


> I really feel a lot of your bad flavor and spell issues are due to stale smoke.


I agree completely. 

Thanks everybody for all the tips and tricks.


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## forktender (Apr 13, 2022)

Newglide said:


> I gave it another try. Same setup just cut the amount of pellets and time in half. This batch was similar just with half the dirty smoke flavor.
> So I tried something different. I took a hot charcoal briquette and a hot lump. I couldn't get the lump to stay lit so that's why I added a briquette. Then added some apple and peach chips. Smoke was much better. Like
> 
> forktender
> ...


Ditch the pellets or make dust out of them and ditch  the charcoal and lump and the idea of adding a fan, and use sawdust and a smoke maze.

I've smoked tons of cheese on a 22'' weber grill, it's not the grill or the venting on the grill, it's your fuel. Like I said add a layer of dust about 1/4'' deep and light it using the directions.Nuke the dust in the microwave for a 30 seconds to minute before adding them to the maze. Light the maze and let it burn for 10 minutes before adding the cheese, so it has time to settle in. It's that simple, you are way over thinking things.


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## Newglide (Apr 14, 2022)

forktender said:


> Ditch the pellets or make dust out of them and ditch  the charcoal and lump and the idea of adding a fan, and use sawdust and a smoke maze.
> 
> I've smoked tons of cheese on a 22'' weber grill, it's not the grill or the venting on the grill, it's your fuel. Like I said add a layer of dust about 1/4'' deep and light it using the directions.Nuke the dust in the microwave for a 30 seconds to minute before adding them to the maze. Light the maze and let it burn for 10 minutes before adding the cheese, so it has time to settle in. It's that simple, you are way over thinking things.



Thanks, I haven't given up on that idea yet. I do tend to over think things, my thought is I would like to use what I already have rather than spend money.


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## Coondawg (Aug 12, 2022)

thirdeye said:


> I have an article on SMOKED CHEESE, it's kind of long, but it includes tips I've learned over 45 years or so. I believe it will get you back in the ball park.


Very good article, thirdeye!  I learned a lot.  Thanks.


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