# AMAZEN MATZ Not So Cold Smoke...Cheese Test



## s2k9k (Feb 6, 2013)

I've seen a lot of pictures on here of cheese smokes gone bad because of higher temperatures. This can happen easily in warmer climates and warmer months. I've been thinking the mat would add a good bit of support and might just help out smoking cheese in warmer temperatures but I needed to test it to see if my thoughts were correct. So I decided to test it this evening.

I smoked 6 lbs of cheese for 3 hours then removed 4 lbs and left 2 lbs for the high temperature test. I had two 1/2 lb blocks of cheddar and two 1/2 blocks of mozzarella. I placed one of each on the mat and one of each straight on the plain rack.

The outside temperature was 69* when I started and dropped to 56* by the end. The smoker temperature was 78* when started and 83* at the end of the cold smoke. 

I am using a GOSM propane smoker and the coldest I can get it while burning is 135* and I wasn't sure how much heat the cheese would take and I didn't want it dripping all over the inside of my smoker, I just wanted a slight melt letting it droop through the plain rack. I lit the burner and let it warm to 100* then turned it off. It dropped 10* in 8 minutes so I lit it again and took it to 125*. I kept doing this every 10 minutes taking it up 10* - 15* each time and keeping an eye on the cheese. At 35 minutes I still wasn't getting any droop of the cheese so I took the temp up to 160* and let it sit for 10 minutes. It dropped down to 130* so I looked and the cheese was starting to droop so I called an end to the test.

The cheese was about 80* when I started the hot test and it spent 45 minutes over 100*, up to 160* at the end.

The mozzarella got softer and drooped a bit more than the cheddar through the plain rack. Both blocks on the mat got soft but not as soft as the blocks on the plain rack. Both blocks on the mat didn't droop a bit, when I flipped them over they were as flat as when I put them on.

Here they are on the rack at the end of the test:













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__ s2k9k
__ Feb 6, 2013






Bottom view:













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__ s2k9k
__ Feb 6, 2013






Flipped over:













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__ s2k9k
__ Feb 6, 2013


















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__ s2k9k
__ Feb 6, 2013






Side view:













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__ s2k9k
__ Feb 6, 2013






So what I suspected was true, the mat added a lot of support to the cheese, it didn't droop at all. The cheese did get soft but I couldn't even feel the slightest indentation to the surface next to the mat.


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## mike johnson (Feb 6, 2013)

I cant wait to get some. When are they available?


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## smoke happens (Feb 6, 2013)

Great job on the side by side


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## smoking b (Feb 6, 2013)

Nice test Dave - really shows what you can do with those


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## BGKYSmoker (Feb 6, 2013)

Yeah gotta love them frog mats, been using them for 5 years now.

Dave

Dont use no heat, just the AMZNS. I dont use ice either.


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## tjohnson (Feb 7, 2013)

Hey Dave

Great side X side comparison on the cheese


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## pgsmoker64 (Feb 7, 2013)

Great idea Dave!  Looks like a successful test.


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## 05sprcrw (Feb 12, 2013)

Looks like those matz really did the trick I am sold now just need to go and order some.


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## smokinhusker (Feb 12, 2013)

Outstanding test and great results!!!!


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## smker (Feb 15, 2013)

to me its kinda obvious that cheese would droop through a 1 inch wide grating  with enough heat,  but not with a tight mesh screen under it,   the cheese would have to be really melted to get through a screen mesh like that, but what do i know
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





ive got GOSM's to,   they just dont do cold smoking,   then i got the  wood pellet smoke generator and now in doing all sorts of cheese.













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__ smker
__ Feb 15, 2013


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## smker (Feb 16, 2013)

a few weeks ago i smoked some Velveeta cheese,  and it has a really low melting point

the tray below has a mix of nuts to smoke, that didnt turn out so well. but the cheese turned out perfect. 

the outside temp was below freezing, the smoker temp was below 30 deg,  ideal for smoking that cheese













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__ smker
__ Feb 16, 2013


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## driedstick (Feb 16, 2013)

Nice, going to have to get me some


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