We can all agree that cheese has become an important part of our lives. Adding cheese to a meal can drastically improve its taste, texture and flavor.
Prime example: the burger. We love burgers, but how much better do they get when you add some cheese as garnish?
Why not take it a step further? Have you tried smoked cheese on your burger? It’s a game changer, trust us on this one.
You can even make smoked cheese mac and cheese, or try smoked cheese on your favorite crackers for added flavor.
We think that it is time you learned to love your smoked cheese. Try it once and you will never go back to regular cheese. You can even smoke your own cheese at home.
Unlike store bought smoked cheese, home smoked cheese has its own delicate, subtle flavor as it is done with a smoker or grill.
We think that it is time you learned to love your smoked cheese. Try it once and you will never go back to regular cheese. You can even smoke your own cheese at home.
Unlike store bought smoked cheese, home smoked cheese has its own delicate, subtle flavor as it is done with a smoker or grill.
Wood fired smoked cheese has a soft, savory taste that makes it an exquisite delicacy. Whereas store bought smoked cheese is infused with liquid smoke and can be overpowering or too strongly flavored.
The best thing is, you can smoke your own cheese in the colder months. Gone are the days where you stare longingly out of the window, waiting for warmer weather to get the smoker out again.
If you want to try your hand at smoking your own cheese, then you are in the right place. We have created a guide of how to smoke cheese, and trust us, there’s no cheddar guide than this one.
What you will need:
- Your choice of cheese
- Charcoal
- Wood chips
- Smoker or grill
- Ice water
How to smoke cheese
To smoke your own cheese, you will have to use the process of cold smoking. Cold smoking is the method of smoking your food between the temperatures of 68-86 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is so the food doesn't cook or melt. Cold smoking simply infuses the flavor of smoke to your foods without heating them.
First you will have to pick your cheese. You can use a variety of different cheeses such as cheddar, swiss, Pepper Jack, or mozzarella. The choice is yours, just brie yourself.
You should also aim to leave your cheese out of the refrigerator for at least an hour or until it reaches room temperature before smoking.
You will also benefit from picking different types of wood chips. We recommend that you use either hickory, cherry or apple wood chips for the ultimate flavors. Remember to check that your wood chips are not toxic or release harmful additives.
The first step to smoke your cheese is to soak your wood chips in water for about 45 minutes prior to smoking.
We recommend that you use the smallest wood chips that you can find as you want to create a lot of smoke rather than heat.
You will also want to cut the cheese into 4 x 4 inches by 2 inches pieces to allow the smoke to fully penetrate the flavor.
The next step is to place a lit charcoal briquette inside of your smoker’s firebox to start the fire. Then, you can pile your chosen wood chips on top.
Once this is done, you can close the lid and provide some airflow for the smoke to go through.
You should also make sure that you keep the temperature below 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This is to ensure that your cheese does not melt, that is not what we want.
Then, you can add your cheese to the smoker and leave the wood chips to work their magic for a few hours. Remember not to turn on the smoker or heat or your cheese will melt.
If your smoker does not have this option, then you may place a pan full of ice water on the rack underneath your cheese to keep it cool.
If you do not have a smoker at home, you can still smoke your own cheese on a grill!
To smoke cheese on a grill, the method is pretty much the same. However, you will need to create your own smoking box to get the flavors to soak into the cheese.
Just light one ring on your grill and place an aluminum foil tray filled with your soaked wood chips over the top. Cover the lid of your tray with aluminum foil, and poke holes through to allow the smoke to flow.
Then, you can place your cheese as far away as possible from the flame, to prevent it from melting. For this method, keep ice water below your cheese to maintain its cool temperature.
After around an hour of smoking, you should check in your smoked cheese. You may need to add in more wood chips so that there is lots more smoke than heat. This will give you optimal levels of smoke infusing your cheese.
Once your cheese is ready, you can remove it from the smoker or grill. Try not to cut the cheese just yet! You will want to leave it to settle and cool. This is best done in the refrigerator and left to chill.
If this is done correctly, the smoky flavor will fully penetrate and infuse the cheese for the best taste.
Our top tips
For a grate result every time, you should always remember to clean your smoker or grill extensively before use. The last thing you want is to taste last week’s dinner on your homemade smoked cheese.
You should also keep the smoker temperature below 90 degrees for best results.
Most cheeses will need to smoke for at least 2 hours. You should try to turn the cheese every now and then to ensure the smoke penetrates all sides.
You should also remember to taste the smoked cheese after a while smoking. One this is done, you can gauge whether it needs to smoke for longer periods of time to get that real smoky flavor.
Follow our guide of how to smoke cheese and start making your own gourmet cheese with a delicious, mouth-wateringly smoky flavor in the comfort of your own backyard!