# cheese!



## mike w (Jan 4, 2015)

I got 9 kilos of cheddar cheese from Costco all aged from 12 months to 18 months for about £6.50 per kilo. Since its chilly out I'm doing it today with the amazin pellet smoker from Todd. I'm following Mr. Ts cheese guide and I am wondering if I should let the cheese rest before vacuum sealing or just go ahead and do it when the cheese is smoked. The smoker temperature has been 48F. I plan on smoking it for 2.5 hours total.













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__ mike w
__ Jan 4, 2015


















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__ mike w
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Red neck air flow :biggrin:


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jan 4, 2015)

I prefer to let mine rest a day or two prior to vac packing.


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## mike w (Jan 4, 2015)

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__ mike w
__ Jan 4, 2015






I had to go ahead and vac seal it all. I made the mistake of letting my two year old try some and he kept coming in to steal blocks of cheese :jedismily:


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## kc5tpy (Jan 5, 2015)

Hi Mike.  Looks good.  In a couple weeks you should know what you have.  I haven't smoked cheese yet but from research I understand it needs to sit a while before eating.  Can't believe he liked it so much straight from the smoker.  What wood did you use?  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## mike w (Jan 5, 2015)

I plan on letting the majority of it sit for a month and then ill put it up for sale. Ill open one pack on Friday for my father in law to try. He had a taste the day it came out of the smoker and liked it. So it should be a little mellowed by then.I used the hickory pellets from traeger. I've got one bag left and I'm going to switch to the company that Wade recommended. American BBQ.

I forgot to call them today to place an order. Finishing up some more ham today and I was distracted :)












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__ mike w
__ Jan 5, 2015


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## mike w (Jan 5, 2015)

KC5TPY said:


> Hi Mike.  Looks good.  In a couple weeks you should know what you have.  I haven't smoked cheese yet but from research I understand it needs to sit a while before eating.  Can't believe he liked it so much straight from the smoker.  What wood did you use?  Keep Smokin!
> Danny



I forgot to mention that the landscaper who cuts my garden is going to hook me up with a couple bags of cherry wood chips. He cut down a tree and chipped it. I gave him some kielbasa and Canadian bacon and snack sticks for Xmas yesterday. So ill save them for you since I can't really use them too well


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## kc5tpy (Jan 5, 2015)

HEY!!  Don't throw anything away.  Cold is about over.  Hope to see you and the family soon.  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## mike w (Jan 5, 2015)

KC5TPY said:


> HEY!!  Don't throw anything away.  Cold is about over.  Hope to see you and the family soon.  Keep Smokin!
> Danny



Still got it all. Canned goods last a while lol.


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## wade (Jan 5, 2015)

Hi Mike

You need to leave it in the fridge at least overnight before vac packing it to let any surface moisture from the smoker dry. From experience, if you don't let it dry before vac packing it is likely to mold and it can feel damp and clammy on the surface when you open it after it has matured.


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## mike w (Jan 5, 2015)

Hi Wade, the highest temperature in the smoker was 10 degrees Celsius. I got no visible condensation. Do you think it'll be ruined? I've.got the cheese in a room that about 12 degrees Celsius. I could pop it all in the.fridge if that will help.


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## wade (Jan 5, 2015)

Hi Mike

The temperature is not a problem at 10 C but I got the impression from your posts that you vac packed it as soon as it came out of the smoker without letting it dry overnight. This is what may cause you a problem as it matures over the next few weeks/months. If this is what you did it is still not too lake to take it out of the bags and let it dry - vac pack bags are cheap compared to the cheese. If you did give it a chance to dry then you should be fine.


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## mike w (Jan 5, 2015)

Wade said:


> Hi Mike
> 
> The temperature is not a problem at 10 C but I got the impression from your posts that you vac packed it as soon as it came out of the smoker without letting it dry overnight. This is what may cause you a problem as it matures over the next few weeks/months. If this is what you did it is still not too lake to take it out of the bags and let it dry - vac pack bags are cheap compared to the cheese. If you did give it a chance to dry then you should be fine.



Ok that makes sense. I'm going to have to take it out then. I vac packed it after about 3 hours of resting. Thanks Wade


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## mike w (Jan 6, 2015)

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Unwrapped and resting again. I was really surprised to see the moisture on the cheese after unpacking the blocks. I didn't think it would sweat that much. When I originally started vacuum sealing the cheese it was dry to the touch.


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## wade (Jan 6, 2015)

A good looking batch of cheese there Mike


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## mike w (Jan 6, 2015)

Thanks Wade! I've got both trays in the fridge to rest until tomorrow and then ill reseal them. Hopefully I'll be good to go then :)


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## mike w (Jan 9, 2015)

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__ mike w
__ Jan 9, 2015





And so the wait begins down in the coal cellar for at least a month.


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## mr t 59874 (Jan 9, 2015)

Wade said:


> Hi Mike
> 
> You need to leave it in the fridge at least overnight before vac packing it to let any surface moisture from the smoker dry. From experience, if you don't let it dry before vac packing it is likely to mold and it can feel damp and clammy on the surface when you open it after it has matured.


I have not experienced the mold problem mentioned above unless it was a bad seal allowing air to remain in or enter the bag.  I let hard and semi-hard cheese such as cheddar rest at room temperature, 70°F - 21°C or less until the surface is dry, then seal.  As for the dampness on the surface of refrigerated cheese, if any, it will dry in minutes after opening, but I really don't recall that happening.  Could be because I do let the surface dry well before vac packing or waxing. The softer cheeses are vac packed as soon as moister, if any, evaporates and then refrigerated or stored at or below 55°F - 12.8°C. 

I would think that Mikes coal cellar would be the perfect place to do all.  I wonder if he will be inspecting his cheese by candle light? LOL

Tom


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## kc5tpy (Jan 11, 2015)

Hi Mike.  Looks good.  May have to put off my visit for about a month.  Wouldn't wanna get there before the cheese is ready.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## mike w (Jan 12, 2015)

February for taste testing :)


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