# New to Cheese Smoking



## iowa josh83 (Dec 7, 2012)

So I built my own cold smoking attachment for my refrigerator conversion smoker. Fired it up for the first time and smoked some cheese on Wednesday. My temps never got above 60 degrees. Is this too cold for smoking cheese? I didn't know if there was such a thing. Maybe you need to warm the cheese to get the best smoke penetration.

Either way I smoked using some Trager hickory pellets I had laying around. I'm thinking hickory may be too strong for cheese. Any input?

Thanks

-Josh


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 7, 2012)

60* should be fine. IMO hickory would be a bit strong, but that's just me. I've done a couple batches using Todd's Pitmaster's Choice which is a blend of hickory, maple and cherry which turned out nice. Will be using some peach and/or apple next time though.


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## tjohnson (Dec 7, 2012)

Hey Josh

Hickory is a little potent for cheese

I like using apple or my Pitmaster's Choice blend

Any Apple or Maple down your way?

Maybe some Cherry?

Your Traeger pellets are 70% oak, and 30% Hickory

Todd


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## iowa josh83 (Dec 7, 2012)

I use a lot of apple that I cut up myself but my cold smoker runs best on pellets.

Thanks for the info on the Traeger pellets, I've never like the smell of the smoke they produce so I won't be buying them again. Sounds like I may have ruined my cheese. The one thing I might have going is I didn't smoke it very long. About 2 hours is all.

Are you the infamous "Todd" with A-maze-n products that everyone talks about ordering pellets from?
 

Thanks for the info!


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## driedstick (Dec 13, 2012)

Iowa Josh83 said:


> So I built my own cold smoking attachment for my refrigerator conversion smoker. Fired it up for the first time and smoked some cheese on Wednesday. My temps never got above 60 degrees. Is this too cold for smoking cheese? I didn't know if there was such a thing. Maybe you need to warm the cheese to get the best smoke penetration.
> 
> Either way I smoked using some Trager hickory pellets I had laying around. I'm thinking hickory may be too strong for cheese. Any input?
> 
> ...


You now have my attention, cold smoker for fridge unit??? do you have any pics, this intrests me, I also have a fridg build but I just put the amps in bottom of my fridge and smokes right along??? I was thinking at one time to do the same and put a little chief on side of fridge and run 3" flex pipe to side of fridge but thought it would be easier to buy one from Todd and boy that thing works great.

Pics please if you have any.


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## roadkill cafe (Dec 13, 2012)

Iowa Josh83 said:


> I use a lot of apple that I cut up myself but my cold smoker runs best on pellets.
> 
> Thanks for the info on the Traeger pellets, I've never like the smell of the smoke they produce so I won't be buying them again. Sounds like I may have ruined my cheese. The one thing I might have going is I didn't smoke it very long. About 2 hours is all.
> 
> ...


Josh, he is the one and only. You won't find a nicer person to do business with.


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## iowa josh83 (Dec 14, 2012)

Good to know, I'll probably be ordering some pellets in the near future. Save the Traeger pellets for some bacon or ham.


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## 1beezer (Dec 15, 2012)

2 hours is about the longest I like the cheese to smoke.


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## venture (Dec 16, 2012)

Hard to say about smoke times as each rig and smoke generator will work differently.

As said above, you might think about your choice of smoking wood.  Most do not use the strongest woods for cheese smoking.

At our house we like a mix of maple and cherry in the AMNS.

I use that and smoke for 2 1/2 to 3 hrs in a Weber kettle rather than in a bigger offset.  Every rig will differ.  At 60 deg ambient?  Temp is not your problem, unless your pit temp is getting way higher because of heat from your smoke generator?

Having said that, I highly recommend:

http://www.amazenproducts.com/

I use the AMNS, but the AMNPS has high regard among those who have used it too.

I can tell you that Todd's customer service is top notch!  His products are not too shabby either!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## iowahurler (Dec 16, 2012)

I personally have been smoking cheese for a few years now and i have always used hickory.  For all the bricks it gets 2 hours in the smoker.  This goes for cheddar, provolone, swiss, colby, and colby jack.  The only cheese i drop the time on is parmesan.  For that i take the wedge and break it into chunks just big enough to fit in my rotary style grater and it only gets about 20 minutes.  That stuff really takes the smoke flavor fast and seem to amplify the natural flavors in the cheese so it does come out on the potent side.


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## iowa josh83 (Dec 17, 2012)

Well its been sitting (vac sealed) in the fridge for 2 weeks. I'm curious to find out how it tastes. When should I try my first sample? Is 2 weeks long enough rest time?

I'm pretty sure its going to be too strong but like TJ said the Traeger pellets are only 30% hickory and 70 % oak. The smoke did not smell very appetizing. I never thought the smoke from my cold smoker smelled right. I'll be gifting those to my dad this xmas, he's got a pellet stove he uses for heat, lol!

Venture, thanks for the recommendations. I'm planning on purchasing some pellets from Todd this week. I'm hoping to have some time between xmas and new years to smoke some more cheese.

And Driedstick, When I saw the original AMNS I thought to my self, I've got a piece of perforated thin gage steel, if I roll that into a pipe it might work kind of like that AMNS. Low and behold, Todd comes out with the AMNPS. So my cold smoker for my fridge is just a ghetto looking ANMPS that I sit in the bottom. I've got a muffin fan on the back of my fridge which I switch on to pull in constant cold temps.  I'll see about getting some pics.

Thanks guys!

-Josh


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