[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Cold Smoked Cheese (Page 2 of 5)
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Quoted: CC is next on my list. Did you cold smoke it or do it @ 225 ? Here's what I do; Take the cream cheese package and open it, keeping the foil it comes in (if you can). Place it on the foil. Score it with a knife, squares, diamonds, makes no difference. Apply your favorite BBQ seasoning. Place it on the BGE or smoker usually 200 degrees more or less. Allow it to smoke until it is soft. You notice your score marks are opened up. Serve it up with crackers or if you want a heartier treat, chop up your leftover brisket, prime rib, salmon,, etc. just chip it up fine and mix it in. |
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Difficult to do in Florida, nights are usually too warm. Right now might be good though. the smoker can't get too hot unless you want a runny mess. I haven't tried ice in the smoker, sounds like it could work. Amazon and walmart have big selections of wood pellets. +1 on the aging. kinda nasty for the first few days then vastly improves. |
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Quoted: Any tips to keep this thing lit? I get maybe five mins of light smoke before it burns out. I don't have a tube, I have the same tray as the OP. They probably work the same. Light it with a propane/butane torch until you have a good flame going. Let the flames burn for about 45 seconds the blow it out. If you blow it out too soon it will go out after a few minutes. |
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Quoted: @MobileHomie You have to cure it 1st, then smoke it. It's time consuming but well worth it. I use this guys method. Be sure to check out all of his recipes. When I make canadian bacon, I usually just eat it out of the pack. For buckboard bacon, I always fry or bake it like bacon. Edit: Jalapeno poppers or asparagus are excellent wrapped in thinly sliced buckboard bacon. That link is bookmarked on my computer. I have learned a lot for Mr. Bearcarver. May he RIP. Guy was an amazing asset to us!!! Just did belly bacon and his amazing dried beef a couple weeks ago. He is the reason I started curing fantastic meats!!! Attached File Attached File |
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I am gonna give the cheese a go this weekend. Thanks for the inspiration. Here is one of my batches of dried beef. Its fantastic!!Attached File Attached File |
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Quoted: I am gonna give the cheese a go this weekend. Thanks for the inspiration. Here is one of my batches of dried beef. Its fantastic!!https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/525471/IMG_20240703_193951159_jpg-3436382.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/525471/IMG_20240703_201128536_jpg-3436383.JPG 
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I cold-smoked some cheese a few years ago on my BGE. My advice would be to go less on the smoke than you think you need (i.e., maybe 20 or 25 minutes), vacuum wrap it and let it rest for a month. The smoke flavor will be overpowering if you eat it too early.  I'm probably due to make some more, it's good and pretty easy. |
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Just took some cold smoked maple bacon off the offset an hour ago. Temps in the upper 20's so the smoke tube in the firebox kept things refrigerator temps in the cooking chamber the whole time. (About 9 hours all together) I just placed it on a rack in the fridge for overnight, maybe a little more to off gas so to speak. Yeah, I know. The fridge is going to smell smokey for a few days.  I was thinking about vacuum sealing it but not sure I want to do than or not. |
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Quoted: @WDEagle Here's what I do; Take the cream cheese package and open it, keeping the foil it comes in (if you can). Place it on the foil. Score it with a knife, squares, diamonds, makes no difference. Apply your favorite BBQ seasoning. Place it on the BGE or smoker usually 200 degrees more or less. Allow it to smoke until it is soft. You notice your score marks are opened up. Serve it up with crackers or if you want a heartier treat, chop up your leftover brisket, prime rib, salmon,, etc. just chip it up fine and mix it in.   Sprinkle with rub. I like a Chipotle honey rub. Smoke and then top with bacon jam made with homemade double smoked bacon. 
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Quoted: https://i.imgur.com/ULDdgmp.jpeghttps://i.imgur.com/kqES3mu.jpeg Sprinkle with rub. I like a Chipotle honey rub. Smoke and then top with bacon jam made with homemade double smoked bacon. But like I said, you could try chipping up some leftover bbq meat and mix it in. |
| For those that have done the dried beef - Bear listed starting at 140 then eventually bumping to 180F. 180 is the minimum temp my pellet smoker will go to. OK to run with that for the duration? I could cold smoke(I have a smoke generator for cold smoking), then fire up the grill to 180, or some combination. |
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Quoted: For those that have done the dried beef - Bear listed starting at 140 then eventually bumping to 180F. 180 is the minimum temp my pellet smoker will go to. OK to run with that for the duration? I could cold smoke(I have a smoke generator for cold smoking), then fire up the grill to 180, or some combination. @Kipple I've never "stepped up" the temps on any of his recipes. Results have all been perfect. As you mentioned, you could always cold smoke for a short while 1st if you are concerned. |
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Quoted: @Kipple I've never "stepped up" the temps on any of his recipes. Results have all been perfect. As you mentioned, you could always cold smoke for a short while 1st if you are concerned. Quoted: Quoted: For those that have done the dried beef - Bear listed starting at 140 then eventually bumping to 180F. 180 is the minimum temp my pellet smoker will go to. OK to run with that for the duration? I could cold smoke(I have a smoke generator for cold smoking), then fire up the grill to 180, or some combination. @Kipple I've never "stepped up" the temps on any of his recipes. Results have all been perfect. As you mentioned, you could always cold smoke for a short while 1st if you are concerned. Awesome. Thank you! |
If you are smoking cream cheese, do this.  Texas Twinkies If you're a jalapeno fan this will change your life. |
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Quoted: https://i.imgur.com/ULDdgmp.jpeghttps://i.imgur.com/kqES3mu.jpeg Sprinkle with rub. I like a Chipotle honey rub. Smoke and then top with bacon jam made with homemade double smoked bacon. Salt too. |
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Quoted: For those that have done the dried beef - Bear listed starting at 140 then eventually bumping to 180F. 180 is the minimum temp my pellet smoker will go to. OK to run with that for the duration? I could cold smoke(I have a smoke generator for cold smoking), then fire up the grill to 180, or some combination. My Recteq has a low of 180 as well. Those roasts took almost 8 hours to get to 155 degrees at that. Results are perfect. Do recommend his recipes!!! |
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Quoted: Thanks OP. I was planning on cold smoking some cheese tomorrow, I never would have thought of cream cheese and butter  Cream Cheese Day One - OK but a little smokey Day Two - Very Good (see edit) Day Three - Probably won't have any left to report on. Edit: Made a few deli ham & smoked cream cheese rollups for lunch today. Very good! Butter Day One - Too strong on it's own. Mixed it up with spaghetti squash, parmesan cheese & garlic salt. It was good. Day Two - Nice Day Three - Pending Note: I'll probably use salted butter next time. |
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Quoted: Off to buy cheese today, smoke box will be here tomorrow. 20 degrees Sunday so that's when I'll attempt this. Checked my current pellet stock and I have charcoal, hickory, cherry, and almond wood pellets. Any suggestions on which to try? I can pick up some apple tomorrow if that is the preferred type. I'm leaning towards the cherry right now, the charcoal pellets are a no go I'm sure. I will be using one or two pellet tubes in a larger Pit Boss pellet grill, that will be powered off of course. |
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Quoted: Picked up about 5 lbs of cheese on the way home today. May add some more tomorrow. Pepper Jack, Cheddar, Gouda, Mozzarella. Cabot, Tillamook, Kroger brand, etc. And a pound each of cream cheese and Kerry Gold butter. Checked my current pellet stock and I have charcoal, hickory, cherry, and almond wood pellets. Any suggestions on which to try? I can pick up some apple tomorrow if that is the preferred type. I'm leaning towards the cherry right now, the charcoal pellets are a no go I'm sure. I will be using one or two pellet tubes in a larger Pit Boss pellet grill, that will be powered off of course. Here's the woods that I keep seeing mentioned. Attached File I did my 1st batch with an apple/oak blend. My next batch I plan on using a pecan/oak blend. |
now I have something to do this weekend!
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Quoted: Difficult to do in Florida, nights are usually too warm. Right now might be good though. the smoker can't get too hot unless you want a runny mess. I haven't tried ice in the smoker, sounds like it could work. Amazon and walmart have big selections of wood pellets. +1 on the aging. kinda nasty for the first few days then vastly improves. I saw on a cold smoke FB group where a guy built a cold smoker out of a running refridgerator. Fire was in a metal stove, smoke piped into the refrigerator whle it was running and stayed cold. Had a flu on top for the smoke to get out just like a regular smoker. Personally, I thought it was genius..... |
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Quoted: Picked up about 5 lbs of cheese on the way home today. May add some more tomorrow. Pepper Jack, Cheddar, Gouda, Mozzarella. Cabot, Tillamook, Kroger brand, etc. And a pound each of cream cheese and Kerry Gold butter. Checked my current pellet stock and I have charcoal, hickory, cherry, and almond wood pellets. Any suggestions on which to try? I can pick up some apple tomorrow if that is the preferred type. I'm leaning towards the cherry right now, the charcoal pellets are a no go I'm sure. I will be using one or two pellet tubes in a larger Pit Boss pellet grill, that will be powered off of course. Similar to my haul, two cheddar, pepper jack, motz, greuyere and provolone. Im trying this for the first time sunday. Need to get a torch and maybe pellets. I need to see what's in the competition blend i use. |
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Quoted: Similar to my haul, two cheddar, pepper jack, motz, greuyere and provolone. Im trying this for the first time sunday. Need to get a torch and maybe pellets. I need to see what's in the competition blend i use. My local Walmart had Pit Boss brand apple blend & pecan blend on clearance for $8.97/20lbs. I picked up a bag of pecan. Here's the apple. Attached File |
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Quoted: Any tips to keep this thing lit? I get maybe five mins of light smoke before it burns out. Quoted: Quoted: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/715v98vY+zS._AC_SX679_.jpg I've used a smoke tube for years to cold smoke cheese. Everyone likes apple pellets the most. I always vacuum seal them after smoking for 2 hours, and then refrigerate for at least 2 weeks before eating. I like white cheddar and mozzarella the most. Home smoked cheese and venison summer sausage are my favorite combo. I get maybe five mins of light smoke before it burns out. I think maybe 30 seconds - 1 minute. |
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Quoted: Try heating pellets in microwave to dry them out. I have used a pellet tube a few times, and I read that as a suggestion that was needed for some pellets. Since starting that, mine stays lit. I think maybe 30 seconds - 1 minute. Try using a heat gun to light them. It works great. |
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Well we just started. Its 15 degrees here and I lit both smoke tubes. Holy smoky with two of them. Three blocks of sharp cheddar. 2 moz and 1 colby jack. Going to let em go for 2 hours. With that much smoke it should be long enough....Attached File |
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Quoted: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/715v98vY+zS._AC_SX679_.jpg I've used a smoke tube for years to cold smoke cheese. Everyone likes apple pellets the most. I always vacuum seal them after smoking for 2 hours, and then refrigerate for at least 2 weeks before eating. I like white cheddar and mozzarella the most. Home smoked cheese and venison summer sausage are my favorite combo. @lowcountry @tusk212 Is there an advantage of the tube vs the tray type? I love smoked cheese.
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Quoted: @lowcountry @tusk212 Is there an advantage of the tube vs the tray type? I love smoked cheese. Quoted: Quoted: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/715v98vY+zS._AC_SX679_.jpg I've used a smoke tube for years to cold smoke cheese. Everyone likes apple pellets the most. I always vacuum seal them after smoking for 2 hours, and then refrigerate for at least 2 weeks before eating. I like white cheddar and mozzarella the most. Home smoked cheese and venison summer sausage are my favorite combo. @lowcountry @tusk212 Is there an advantage of the tube vs the tray type? I love smoked cheese. I don't think it makes much difference. I bought the tray before the tube was an option, so I don't know if one has an advantage over the other - the tray works for me. Attached File |
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Quoted: @WDEagle if you were in the DFW area I’d have to hang out with you from time to time. Between the football and food topics I feel like I’d learn a lot and have a blast. Attached File And we haven't even talked about brewing beer yet. |
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Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/174498/ttu_JPG-3438420.JPG And we haven't even talked about brewing beer yet. Quoted: Quoted: @WDEagle if you were in the DFW area I'd have to hang out with you from time to time. Between the football and food topics I feel like I'd learn a lot and have a blast. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/174498/ttu_JPG-3438420.JPG And we haven't even talked about brewing beer yet. I'm in on brewing beer - I've been doing that for the last 27 years!!! |
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I always slice cheese into sticks, a 1/2" or 3/4" inch square and the block long if or as needed. IMO, the smokes penetrates more thoroughly. It also saves you slicing it further after it is smoked as the more you handle it the less effective the preservative value of the smoking process becomes. Just handling cheese, fresh or smoked, starts to spoil just from your fingers touching it. Run your own experiment- Smoke it in smaller pieces and it doesn't take weeks to mello. Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Don't overdue the smoke either. Attached File |