# First cheese smoke and I have questions



## dhoovler (Oct 8, 2011)

I recently made a trip to Wisconsin and bought some smoked cheddar (smoked with hickory) at Seguins. This cheese was great! It got me to thinking...I own a smoker but how do you smoke cheese? Next thing I knew I was browsing the internet for cold smoke generators. Some that caught my eye were the smoke pistol, smoke daddy, a-maze-n smoker and of course the tin can/soldering iron rig. Money is tight right now so the tin can method was looking good to me but I kept on reading where the soldering iron would burn up if not set up correctly.

Yesterday I was out in the garage and found some that would work for me. It just needed to be shaped and I had to go to the hardware store to get some rivets to hold it all together. It resembles the AMNPS. Some day I plan on buying the real McCoy but for now it will have to wait. I don't have any pellets but what I have on hand is a blend of Oak, hickory, and apple. Below are some pics and questions.














How much smoke should there be in the smoker? Is my cold smoke generator producing too much smoke? There were times when I opened the door to the smoker and have to wait for some of it to clear out just to see the cheese.

How long do you smoke it? I had this in for a little less than 4 hours. More or less?

Do different types of cheese require more or less time?

What's the preferred wood for smoking cheese? Does it depend on the type of cheese I'm smoking? Is there a chart somewhere online I can use as an aid?

How long do I have to let the cheese cure after smoking it? Do different types of cheese cure faster/slower?

I think that's all the questions I have for now. Sorry for so many questions. I'm sure there's probably a book out there that would be helpful. Any suggestions?


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## pops6927 (Oct 9, 2011)

You can find just about all answers using the search tool up at the top.

If it was producing too much smoke you'd have a creosote flavor to the cheese, very bitter.

4 hours is the usual time; it'd up to you how much smoke you want on it.

As long as the surface is dry, most cheeses will take on about the same amount of smoke; but the flavoring of the cheese can make them taste different from one another.

Personal preference on the wood or product used for smoking.  I just discovered corn cob pellets that are cheap and plentiful, thanks to Todd Johnson, inventor of the AMAZEN pellet smoker, available at Tractor Supply.

The AMAZEN Pellet Smoker is a small investment for what it does!

Most people cure the cheeses about 2 weeks.


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## dhoovler (Oct 9, 2011)

Thanks for the reply Pops. I greatly appreciate it. I hope it wasn't too much smoke. it did have a bite to it right after i took it out of the smoker...is that normal??


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## tjohnson (Oct 9, 2011)

Gotta sit for 2 weeks to rest and the bitter flavor will mellow out.  The longer the better.

Oak is mild, but Hickory can have a "Bite" to it,  What's the ratio in the blend?

I use Apple or Maple

Todd


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## dhoovler (Oct 9, 2011)

not sure what the ratio is....doesn't say on the bag.....stubbs wood chips bought at lowes. I'm beginning to realize i need to pay attention to detail. I hope the bite goes away! Just bought some pellets from you Todd. Thanks!


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