1st cheese smoke

[LTS]

  Jeff,
        I just noticed your in Col. and I`m a flatlander from the Jersey Shore which  is about 17/64th
of an inch above sea level which will give you a" attitude " problem   So you need guys` with the same attitude 

  HTH  Paul

 

[SuperDave]

So for the tubes/trays I understand one uses sawdust... where does one obtain the proper sawdust?  Does sawdust provide the same kind of smoke as chunks?

Larry, as Paul mentioned, you can somewhat make your own by crushing some pellets.  I crumble mine up a little in a ziplock baggie with a hammer and then pulse it up in an old coffee grinder.  I also make most of my own sawdust by cutting limbs on the saw with a box underneath to catch the sawdust.  I've noticed that you can also order sawdust online.  There are some testimonials on here where some like straight pellets better than the sawdust.  I've had a difficult time keeping the pellets lit but maybe it is the brand of pellets that I'm using.  My standard cheese smokes are a combination of crushed pellets and sawdust made from my wood cutting.

 

[EFGM]

Cheese Cheese and more Cheese. This batch went in yesterday afternoon. The small slices on top are for Crackers and a slice of sausage on top. The last picture was just cause I was hungry and is waiting to get melted and warm.

 

[NDKoze]

NICE JOB!!!

You should be set for a couple of weeks

Very wise to use frozen water bottles instead of a tray of open ice too. Melting ice makes creates moisture and humidity which can, in turn, result in smoke droplets of water falling on the cheese and this is not good.

 

[petecofishing1]

Looks great, Greg.  Like the idea of the frozen bottles.  Curious how first smoke turns out. 

 

[EFGM]

Well, those thin slices on the top racks, the one destined for use with crackers and topped with sausage! They were mistakenly put in freezer instead of refrigerator! My bride misunderstood my directions so it was frozen for a day. I know your not suppose to freeze cheese but I don’t know if one day is long enough to do whatever damage freezing does. Anybody have any advice? 

 

[NDKoze]

You are correct in that you really should not freeze cheese.

However, all is not lost. The biggest issue with freezing cheese is that it changes the texture of the cheese and makes it more crumbly. I would have no problems at all still eating the cheese especially if you were able to pull it out of the freezer after only a day.

Even though I have not actually done this, my guess is that you will be just fine with your sliced cheese.

 

[SuperDave]

Smoke on cheese is always strong on the outside and needs time to mellow by absorbing into the block. I have more concerns about smoking a slice than the one day in the freezer.

 

[EFGM]

Thanks Gregg and Dave. I was hoping that in just one day it might not change the texture. My bride now knows to never freeze our cheese!  Dave, I wondered about the slices myself and tested it out last year and it worked out great for some snacky’s for a small function.

 

[NDKoze]

I was wondering about the smoke level on those slices too. My guess is that with some aging, they would mellow just like other cheeses and even out the smoke temp.

Thanks for sharing your 1st cheese smoke with us. This reminded me that I have some 2-year-old aged cheddar in my cheese stash that I should try again.