# Time to cut the cheese



## jokensmoken (Dec 9, 2018)

I purchased these cheeses a couple weeks ago and while it's been kicking around in the back of my brain, time almost slipped by me...
With the holiday season upon us  I've been so preoccupied that I didnt realize that Christmas is only two weeks away.
It's become tradition to gift smoked cheese, jerky and canadian bacon to my family and closest friends for holiday snacking.
I've got 10 lbs of both gouda and swiss...
5 lbs of baby swiss and
7 lbs of cheddar ready to slice up and smoke...
Tomorrow the 18 lbs of pork loin go into the wet brine for 8-10 days.
And the jerky marinades get made...
I've got about 10 lbs of CAB top round and another 7 lb loin for jerky...
I do a sweet teriyaki, a sweet and spicy, and a more traditional savory peppered beef...
Gonna be a busy 10 days...
I'll post more pics of the cheese smoke as it progresses and update the jerky with pics in that forum.


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## SonnyE (Dec 9, 2018)

I would suggest you remove the packaging for better smoke coverage....
But that's just my thoughts. o_O


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## hillbillyrkstr (Dec 9, 2018)

Lmao!

Must be breathable packaging.

Nice double post Walt!


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## SmokinAl (Dec 10, 2018)

Looks like a nice assortment!
I think I have smoked every kind of cheese there is, but the only one we really like is Muenster. So I buy the whole block from the deli section, still in the cryovac & cut it up & smoke it. That usually lasts us a year.
Al


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## jokensmoken (Dec 10, 2018)

SonnyE said:


> I would suggest you remove the packaging for better smoke coverage....
> But that's just my thoughts. o_O


LOL...yeah...it all got unwrapped and cut into about 1/2 lb hunks...got more pics to post.


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## jokensmoken (Dec 10, 2018)

SmokinAl said:


> Looks like a nice assortment!
> I think I have smoked every kind of cheese there is, but the only one we really like is Muenster. So I buy the whole block from the deli section, still in the cryovac & cut it up & smoke it. That usually lasts us a year.
> Al


Ha...
I've cold smoked just about everything from sour cream, cream cheese,  butter, multiple cheeses, hard boiled eggs and more...dont know why munster never made it into the mix...
And I love munster.  I guess that'll have to be next on my list


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## jokensmoken (Dec 11, 2018)

jokensmoken said:


> View attachment 382352
> 
> I purchased these cheeses a couple weeks ago and while it's been kicking around in the back of my brain, time almost slipped by me...
> With the holiday season upon us  I've been so preoccupied that I didnt realize that Christmas is only two weeks away.
> ...


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## jokensmoken (Dec 11, 2018)

jokensmoken said:


> View attachment 382521
> View attachment 382522
> View attachment 382523
> View attachment 382524


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## jokensmoken (Dec 11, 2018)

So here we are loaded up...
I did two loads.
One just swiss because I like a mellower smoke...It cold smoked for.4 hours with a apple pecan mix of pellets. 
The cheddar and gouda cold smoked 4 hours with a hickory maple pellet mix.
I've got them wrapped in wax paper and stored in a cool room (55°F ish) for a couple days to rest a bit before I refrigerate them till Christmas. 
I tried something a bit different with a couple hunks of cheddar...
I brushed a light coat of maple syrup on them about 6 hours before smoking then again just before loading them...
Cant wait to try it on new years eve with a little Canadian bacon on crackers...
Thanks for looking...
MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL...
Walt


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## SonnyE (Dec 11, 2018)

Looks great, Walt!
Have you tried deconstituting some pellets into sawdust, and drying the sawdust to use as your smoke fuel?
I've been following daveomak's lead about dissolving pellets, drying them out (I use my MES 30), and using the sawdust in an AMNPS for a cooler and more subtle smoke.
I'm liking it so much I might use the dissolved pellets for most things.
(This was Maken Bacon, cold smoking.)


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## jokensmoken (Dec 11, 2018)

Yes...actually I do exactly that...
Quite by accident about 3 years ago I had a just opened bag of lumberjack pellets HMC mix that got wet when my water heater sprung a small leak and flooded part of my basement...
They turned to mush so I laid them out in the sun and dried them and ended up with 20.lb of saw dust that worked perfect...
I had luck repeating the process with a 2 1/2 gallon bucket with holes drilled in the bottom...I layer the bottom with cheese cloth, fill.it about half full of pellets and fill the bucket with water.and stir a bit while the water drains... usually by the time the water drains the pellets can easily by "mashed" up...if they haven't quits broke down enough I just repeat (I use a split of what ever wood I've got on hand to stir and mash)...then I just lay them.out and let them dry...


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## SonnyE (Dec 11, 2018)

jokensmoken said:


> Yes...actually I do exactly that...
> Quite by accident about 3 years ago I had a just opened bag of lumberjack pellets HMC mix that got wet when my water heater sprung a small leak and flooded part of my basement...
> They turned to mush so I laid them out in the sun and dried them and ended up with 20.lb of saw dust that worked perfect...
> I had luck repeating the process with a 2 1/2 gallon bucket with holes drilled in the bottom...I layer the bottom with cheese cloth, fill.it about half full of pellets and fill the bucket with water.and stir a bit while the water drains... usually by the time the water drains the pellets can easily by "mashed" up...if they haven't quits broke down enough I just repeat (I use a split of what ever wood I've got on hand to stir and mash)...then I just lay them.out and let them dry...



Yep, there's a mountain of dust in a bag of pellets. I'm really liking the more subtle flavor.
It's like you can gauge the result better. For lack of a better term.
Glad you already know the trick, Walt. ;)


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