Description
This smoked cheese recipe is the only step-by-step guide you’ll need if you want to smoke cheese. The same method can be used for a variety of cheese and you can switch up the flavor easily by choosing different wood chips! You can use an offset grill, pellet grill, or water smoker – any grill type can be used for cold-smoking.
Ingredients
- Small cut blocks of your favorite cheese ((Brie, Cheddar, Gruyere, Gouda, and Swiss are great options))
Instructions
- Prepare the cheese: Let the cheese come to room temperature. Remove the cheese from the refrigerator at least 2 hours before smoking. Make sure there’s no moisture forming on the cheese before smoking it.
- Select the right fuel for smoking cheese: Applewood, maple, hickory, oak, and cherry are all great options for smoking cheese.
- Prep the smoke: Light the smoking tube according to the manufacturer’s instructions and put it in the smoker. Once the smoke starts coming from the smoking tube, place the cheese on the grill pan or grill grates. There should be enough airflow between the blocks of cheese to ensure the smoke reaches all sides of the cheese.
- Smoke your cheese: Close the lid and smoke your cheese for two to four hours.
- Rest your smoked cheese: Once you pull the cheese out of the grill you will need to let it rest. The rest period allows the smoke flavor to set firmly. Carefully blot smoked cheese with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Then wrap the cheese with butcher paper or plastic wrap and place it inside the refrigerator for 7 days. This aging period helps the smoke flavor to develop even further.
Notes
Check the weather: Smoke cheese at home when the weather is cool (less than 60 degrees F outside).
Use a reliable probe thermometer: Use a good probe thermometer to check the temperature. The smoker temperature should not rise over 80-90 degrees F.
Small blocks of cheese: Smaller blocks of cheese will bring out more smoke flavor than large blocks.
Ice pan: You can place an aluminum foil ice pan or icebox in the smoker underneath the cheese to lower the temperature near the cheese during the smoking process.
Room temperature: Let the cheese come to room temperature and remove any moisture forming on the entire surface area of the cheese before smoking.
No flame: Smoke your cheese with a consistent stream of smoke with no flame or heat.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 4 hours