Learning how to smoke cheese at home is a bit easier than I thought it would be. When something tastes so delicious I often think it’s way more complicated than it actually is.
I love cheese and want to use natural cheesemaking methods for better health and delicious products. But when you add in the smokey goodness to already delicious cheese…. well, let’s just say I’ve been known to eat an entire wedge of smoked Gouda all by myself. In one sitting.
So I asked my friend over at HomesteadDreamer to share how she smokes cheese. Settle in and let the drooling begin.
It is a rare thing to find someone who doesn’t like smoked cheeses. When you even mention this delectable food, most reactions include “Ohhhh, that sounds SO good,” or possible drooling.
One day I asked myself, “Wait, can I smoke my own cheeses? How hard is it? What kind of equipment will I need?”
I have a co-worker that smokes her own cheeses regularly and went to ask about how she did it along with any tips and tricks she can pass along. What I learned from her opened my eyes to how incredibly easy the process is and how fast it goes! Grab a cup of coffee or tea and get ready to learn how to smoke your own cheeses, even if you have little or no experience.
The first thing to understand is that when you are smoking cheeses, you are doing what is called a cold smoke. You do not want the cheese to get overly warm and melt. It can be a difficult balance to keep ample smoke around the cheeses but also regulate the heat. There are different types of smokers available but many people have built their own. We use this smoker from our affiliate partner Amazon Little Chief front-loading smoker tends to work easier for smoking cheeses. You can use a top loading smoker but the cheese will get jostled around when rotating the cheese and the amount of smoke that stays around the blocks of cheese will be lessened. We use this off-grid charcoal top loading smoker for smoking our meats.
The Process
1. Cut cheese into blocks. EXAMPLE: If you have a 2-pound block of cheese, cut it into thirds.
2. Line a cake tin with some tin foil. You will put your cheese blocks in the tin.
3. Put tin foil on the rack that the cake tin will sit on. Leave the sides open so the smoke can curl up around the cheese at the top. The extra tin foil will serve as a heat barrier.
4. Place tin foil over the rack that will be placed on the bottom. Be sure to leave the sides open so the smoke can flow up the sides. This tin foiled rack, like the one above, will help as a heat barrier.
5. Place the cheese blocks in the cake tin so there is ample room around each block and make sure they are standing tall, not on their sides.
6. Bring the racks and cheese outside. Plug the smoker in and place your racks.
7. Fill the pan to the brim with wood chips (for smoking). I prefer alder chips
8. Set the pan with wood chips in place and put the door on properly. It will take 5 minutes or so for you to see smoke.
9. Once you see smoke consistently pouring out of the smoker, reposition the door so that a crack will be left open at the top. You should be able to see your cheese blocks through the crack.
10. Each pan of smoke chips takes approximately 30 minutes to finish. Once the smoke is finished, take the pan out and refill it. Before placing the pan back, rotate the cake tin 180 degrees. Place the fresh chips in place and follow steps 8 & 9 again (wait for the smoke to build up before adjusting the door).
SPECIAL NOTE: Your cheese blocks should be noticeably darker on the outside as your progress in the smoking process; it kind of looks like a crust. They will ‘weep’ a little (it is some of the oils coming out) which is 100% normal and expected. What you need to watch for is actual melting. The blocks will get soft and might lean over a bit but as long as it is not actually melting, you should be fine.
11. When your second pan has finished smoking, the cheese blocks need to be flipped so they are standing tall on the other side. This is VERY important for even smoking and to help avoid melting. Fill the pan up and repeat steps 8 & 9.
12. This is your final smoke session. Fill the pan with fresh chips, rotate your cake tin 180 degrees and follow steps 8 & 9. Once completed, you are done!
After the Smoke
Congratulations! You have smoked your first cheeses (don’t you feel like a rock star?). A few things need to be finished up before you go raiding the dairy aisle. If you can stop yourself from taking bites right out of the blocks of cheese, you will want to put it uncovered in the fridge for an hour. It will help stop the weeping and get it cooled down so it ‘seals’ the flavors in.
The method, time smoked, and chips used are my preferences. I prefer a good, solid smoke flavor so went with the 4 trays. If you want a hint of smoke, 2 trays should give you the flavor you want.
Tips and Tricks
Outside temperatures play a VERY important role when smoking cheeses. If it is 80+ degrees outside, you may want to wait for a rainy day. Your cheese will most likely melt. It was about 55 degrees out when I did this batch. One of the ways to work around this is to partially freeze the cheese (yes, you can freeze most cheeses) so it will not tend to melt. This is not foolproof but is a nice workaround. To be perfectly blunt, I really don’t know anyone who would turn their nose up at partially melted hunk of smoked cheese. Once you get it cooled back down, there isn’t much difference other than shape.
Cheese can be frozen for future smoking projects. My co-worker waits until cheese is on sale and then stocks up, keeping them in the freezer until she needs them. Since it only takes a couple hours to do, it comes in handy for office parties, potlucks, and other events. You end up saving money on a superior product and as a bonus, you will be known as the person who makes smoked cheeses. Don’t be surprised if people offer to buy cheese to have you smoke it for them or you find that everytime there is a church picnic or a family reunion, people start talking about the amazing food you bring!
~Homestead Dreamer lives in beautiful Southeast Alaska with her husband, dogs and cats. The ‘dream’ is to own land and live as self-sustainably as possible. You can follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter as well as on the main site, Homestead Dreamer.
This post is featured on The Prairie Homestead.
When I read you prefer alder chips my first thought was if you lived in Alaska. I’m up in Southcentral. Thanks for sharing.
I buy the one pound blocks of Tillamook extra sharp cheddar cheese. Taking it out of the package, leaving it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before I smoke it. I use the 12 inch tube from http://www.amazenproducts.com/ this tube holds 2 cups of pellets which will smoke for 4 hours turning the cheese 180 after 2 hours, no need to plug in smoker. Prop open the small door as wide as it can go, this keeps temp down. If the temp starts to rise above 85, I will open the main door leaving about an inch at the top open. I monitor my temp with the ET-732 (ebay) keeping temp below 90 degrees.
I personally don’t like any heat except what is ambient outdoor temperature. I have a stainless steel smoker that uses gas but I only use the box of the smoker as a vessel to hold the cheese. I made my own smoke generator which only produces cold smoke, no heat. I just put the smoke tube through one of the vents in my smoker box and let her rip. I have smoked cheese with heat but didn’t really like it, hence I made a cold smoke generator that uses wood pellets like you would use on a traeger grill. I get excellent results with about 4 to 5 hours of smoking. I am presently smoking some cheese and plan to vacuum bag the cheese as soon as I take it out of the smoker. My theory is that the vacuum will help drive the smoke deeper into the cheese. This is the first time I tried this so hope it is effective. Happy smoking.
Your site on bread helped me greatly and I would like give back. Your cheese and my cheese vary greatly in two ways. First, you can see your cheese has been smoked. Mine you can’t; place my smoked white cheese along side the same unsmoked white cheese and you can not tell them apart. Secondly, biting into your cheese you taste smoke first and then the cheese. Mine you taste cheese first and then smoke. I use a very different concept when smoking cheese. NO SMOKE! I do not want to any smoke near my cheese. The smoke you see is the same smoke you see when smoking a cigarette and like cigarette smoke it does more damage than good. People smoke cigarettes for the nicotine which you can’t see. The goes for smoking cheese. Wood chips when heated but not burned give off a gas. It is this gas which flavors the cheese and the visible smoke masks that flavor. I smoke cheese for 36 to 48 hours using only two (2) handfuls of chips. One handful when starting and replace that handful with the 2nd handful after 24 hours. I place the chips in a pan on an electric burner and pipe the gas over to my smoker. Try it with 2 cardboard boxes, burner in bottom box and cheese in top box. Cut a hole into bottom of both boxes (opposite ends). PS; I have sold a great amount of smoked cheese to customers
Lol your not smoking cheese your gassing cheese
Just smoked some cheese way down here in New Zealand. First time smoking cheese. And hey it turned out realy well thanks to your guidance.
as a matter of fact I’m sitting here eating some of it right now with some smoked garlic tomatoes I did up yesterday . Yummy yummy
I use a little chief smoker with a 12 inch tube from a-maz-n products, (you get fours hours of smoke) no heat, do not plug the smoker into electricity, because the tube filled with pellets will get up to 107 degrees after a couple hours, just crack the door open a bit to keep it under 90 deg. While you are smoking cheese you might as well put in a dozen or two hard boiled eggs an smoke them also. Smoked deviled eggs with smoked cheese and smoked salmon chunk on top of egg, great for a party.
Dave,
Fantastic idea on the eggs…. I never thought about smoking them!
I´ve been smoked cheese since two years ago.
I have smoked KIRKLAND cheddar cheese soft and strong from COSTCO.
Also Menonita cheese, Gouda and Monterey.
Monterey cheese is a grease one so take care with your smoking temperature, because it will melt so fast.
In summer, most of the times I smoked the cheese by night, so the heat from the wood will not rise above 75 F.
In autumn and winter I can smoke by day but watching frequently the process to avoid a melting cheese.
You also have to take care on the intensity of the smoke, because to much smoke from the wood will create just an ash layer over the cheese and is not desireable.
Your smoking process must be as slow as you can… this way you can let the smoke create a crust thicker enough that can transmit the smoked flavour to your whole cheese.
The best smoked cheese have a good dry crust similar to the red wax on the Classic Dutch Cheeses
: )
A good tip to keep the cheese´s shape if you are smoking whole pieces (specially round cheeses) is to make a “plastic mesh belt” that holds the cheese tight enough to don´t let it get flattened, even if your temperature is not to high.
The mesh will let the smoke to keep in contact with the cheese so you can get a good smoked product.
You can find the plastic mesh in a hand craft supply store, a fabric store or an upholstery supply.
http://www.industrialnetting.com/plastic-mesh/extruded-mesh.html
: )
Just curious….what temp do you use for smoking cheese?
If you can keep it under or at 90 degrees, you’ll have the best results (aka no melting cheese everywhere).
Hi Melissa
I found your cheese smoking interesting
I also play around with this smoking of the cheeses
and alot of other things!!
It has always been a fall through early spring enjoyment for me.
That is untill now!!
I found a super easy way to smoke cheese
year round, my favorite is velveeta, when its done,
it goes back in its original package!
if your interested just email me
I will try(computor working with a dummy of course)
send you pics and try to explain as it goes!
sincerely
Edward Mix
Carthage Mo.
[email protected]
Enjoyed your smoked cheese pictures and comments.I smoke my own cheese and salmon in a home made smoker made out of wine boxes which I got (free) from my local Costco and a garden incinerator bin,can forward photos if interested,regards Gerry
Thanks to share it with other people.
What is the temperature of your smoker? Thanks
What is the smoking temp set at ?
Never use smoke inexpensive cheese. I usually use Tillamook from Costco. Finally cloudy in Western washington, so I am able to smoke pepper-jack.
I love Tillamook! Even though they’re not organic, their cows are grass fed pasture raised.
I love love love smoked cheese. I was smoking ribs and wondered if I could smoke cheese. I just figured it would melt. I don’t have an electric smoker but would love to try this sometime. Great post!
Thanks, Lacie.
Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
We just bought our first smoker. I can’t wait to try this. Also, like your last name, it’s my maiden name.
Mindy,
I love your first name, it was my grandmother’s. 🙂
It is better to vacuum pack and leave in your fridge for a couple weeks for the flavour to develop, then you can freeze for keeping
I think this just changed my whole world!
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