What's Your Favorite Smoked Cheese?

TentHunter

Moderator
With Art & Carter13 posting their smoked cheese threads, I got to wondering.

What's your favorite smoked cheese (including smoke wood), and favorite uses for types of smoked cheese?


Some of my faves:

- Any cheddar, sometimes rolled in paprika. Either Apple or hickory smoke. Hickory gives a bacony flavor that's really good with any cheddar.

- Apple Wood smoked Amish Yellow Gouda rolled in paprika is killer good!

- Smoked Blue Cheese, especially Gorgonzola. Sugar maple gives a nice light sweet smoke. Man is smoked blue cheese great crumbled on salads with some slices of apple tossed in.

- Apple or Sugar Maple Smoked Swiss (sometimes rolled in carraway seed). Great for munching with summer sausage or on sandwiches.
 

Chili Head

New member
I've smoked a lot of cheese but my variations are limited.
I usually stick to the sharp cheddars yellow and white the most. Cabot habanero is soooo good smoked! It gives those nachos a flavor profile I love. I just smoked some farmers cheese and some super sharp white cheddar using hickory. Half the super sharp is gone already in less than a week! I'm holding out for 6 months on the other half. Provolone smoked with apple is outstanding!
I need to try adding rubs ect for that extra flavor boost.
 

Rip

New member
Jalapeño cheddar, habanero cheddar. Going to have to try smoked provolone, that sounds good.
 

ACW3

New member
I have smoked some jalapeño cheddar and habanero cheddar that are really good. I have done each of those with apple one time and sugar maple the other. The apple was great. I'll let you know about the sugar maple as soon as I open the latest batch up for sampling. One cheese that really surprised me was the garlic cheddar I smoked with apple. I put it out on two separate occasions with other cheeses and smoked sausages. It disappeared first both times. I have some waiting to be opened that I smoked with the sugar maple. One chees that I haven't smoked (yet) is a blue cheese like gorganzola. I am on the lookout for a nice piece to try. I will also be trying Cliff's idea of using some paprika. I have about three different types of paprika: sweet, Hungary half-sharp, and smoked Spanish. I may need to get more cheddar to try them all. then the question of what flavor to smoke them with. Choices, choices, too many choices.

Art
 

Carter13

New member
Let me get back to you on that in about two months. :)
I'm guessing it will be cheddar because that is my favorite.
 

pondfishr

New member
Here is a link to a Wisconsin Farmstead all natural cheese maker Gingerbread Jersey est 1918. I live in Tennessee and we order their cheese and have it shipped to our home. We have no relation to the business other than we love their products. I am new to pellet smoking and could use instruction on the process of smoking cheese. Gingerbread Jersey also sells smoked cheese if you want to purchase it. We found them on a road trip to Wisconsin and have been hooked since.
Gingerbread Jersey Cheese
 

TentHunter

Moderator
I am new to pellet smoking and could use instruction on the process of smoking cheese.


There's lots of info in the forum, but it's not hard if you follow these basics:

- Cut your cheese into 1/2 - 1 lb blocks (I prefer 1/2 lb blocks). Let the cheese sit out on wire racks for 1 - 2 hours to form a rind.

- Put in your smoker and cold smoke BELOW 90° for one to several hours depending on your taste. If you're doing this in a pellet grill, I'd look at getting one of the A-Maz-N pellet smokers. Prop the lid open a bit if needed in order to keep air flowing or keep the temp below 90°.

- Fruit woods work well and give a great color. Hickory & pecan will give a bacony sort of smoke flavor. Sugar Maple also gives a nice light sweet smoke.

- Check the cheese by taking a piece away from the smoker and smelling it. When it smells good and smoky to your satisfaction, Its done.

- Ignore the color, it will NOT look dark brown like commercially smoked cheese that has most likely been sprayed or dipped into liquid smoke.

- Munch on what you want and wrap the rest (or vac-pack it) and let it sit for a couple weeks or longer to let the smoke penetrate the cheese and mellow.
 

Hobbit

Member
New York extra sharp cheddar with hickory. Would love to get some Tillamook but haven't been able to find it on the East Coast. Also pepper jack with hickory was very good as well. Some one suggested that vacuum packing some and letting it age in the refrigerator was spot on. Cheese really ages well with the smoke. Looking to try some of the local dairies for the locally made cheeses and see what I can make.
 

SisInLaw

New member
A couple of years ago I tried being a Vegetarian for about six months, then I went full Vegan for several months. It was really hard and not much fun. I learned that cheese has ADDICTIVE properties and this is why it's so hard to quit. I LOVE CHEESE.
 

delsurf

New member
I smoked some parmesan cheese that was incredible. Added a very nice touch to pasta with homemade sauce. I have a piece of mozzarella I am going to do next just waiting for the rain to end.
 

Carter13

New member
UPDATE:

My favorite cheese is definately white cheddar. I am still eating it from when I smoked it in Jan and have another 20+ pounds to go from Feb. The cheddar has really mellowed out nicely and is a great compliment to smoked and non smoked meals.
I will be doing more pounds next year than I did this year to give to friends and family although I did give quite a bit away.
 

Smokinman88

New member
Sharp cheddar and Gouda are my favorites and i usually use BBQr's Delight apple. The last batch I did was Bear Mountain alder and I was very pleased with how it turned out.
 

Kevin Arsenault

New member
Hey everyone, sorry I have not been posting so much, but thank you all for posting such good information. I was thinking of smoking some cheese and a few other things to give as gifts for some friends for when I go back to MD.
This should all help me figure out how best to do it!

Also, my favorite smoked sharp cheddar.
 

mbark

New member
HMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When you roll the cheese (in paprika, seeds, etc) at what point do you roll it to get it to stick? While it'warm, in the smoker
 
Top Bottom