Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Cold Smoking Cheese - follow up - (June 16th)

Options
RGBHV
RGBHV Posts: 1,318
edited June 2013 in EggHead Forum
We've been waiting for this day for two weeks.  

I cold smoked 6 different cheeses with 4 different types of wood on June 19th and today is tester day.

The 6 cheeses I smoked were; gouda, cheddar, havarti, mozzarella and 2 different types of edam.

The 4 types of wood were; apple, cherry, pecan and sugar maple.

Each batch was smoked between 1-1.25 hours.

We only tested the gouda because we wanted to see if we could taste the difference in wood smoke. I'm sure others can, but my palate can't distinguish between the different kinds of wood.

The gouda smoked with applewood doesn't smell or taste smokey. However, there was a subtle smokey after taste.

The gouda smoked with cherrywood has a nice aroma and a smokey flavour. Not too much smoke.  Very nice!

The gouda smoked with pecan has a nice aroma and a smokey flavour, Not too much smoke. Vice nice - my favourite of the bunch.

The gouda smoked with sugar maple didn't smell or taste smokey - no after taste.

I am wondering if my eggsperiment is a true representation of each wood type OR are my results based on how much smoke was imparted for each test? It was my maiden voyage after all so I'm sure the smoke levels weren't consistent for each type of wood?

As the gouda smoked with apple and sugar maple weren't smokey, I'm wondering if I can (if I should) smoke them again? 

The gouda, cheddar and edam cheeses held up the best. They remained firm throughout the smoke. The mozzarella and havarti seemed too soft.

I'm also wondering what the results would be if I smoked for a longer period of time - 2 or 3 hours.

I'm assuming that I should vacuum seal ALL of the cheese today.  The smoke is really mild, so I don't see any reason to let it mellow in plastic wrap any longer. Will the cheese continue to mellow in the vacuum seal or would I be preserving the taste as of today?

I'm looking forward to hearing your comments, recommendations, etc

Cheers,

Michael







 
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • fletcherfam
    fletcherfam Posts: 935
    Options
    Vacuum sealing it is a good idea. The flavor will not mellow any more after two weeks in the fridge. Can put in freezer for later. I usually go 2 hours on cold smoked cheeses.

    Next try smoked deviled eggs, life changer
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,596
    Options
    Michael, I would vacuum seal them all now, except the ones you want to re-smoke.  From my  experience, I had a batch that was way too smokey with 'after taste' even after two weeks and they were already sealed ... I left them sealed and in the fridge, months later they tasted just fine. Happy Canada Deh Eh!
    canuckland
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RGBHV
    RGBHV Posts: 1,318
    edited June 2013
    Options
    (posted a pic - photobucket - at least I thought I did - it's been a while)

    From left to right - Apple, Pecan, Sugar Maple, Cherry From top to bottom - Gouda, Edam Saputo, Cheddar, Edam Austrian, Havarti, and mozzarella - ALL vacuum sealed. This time I tasted all of them - I like the pecan the best, cherry second, apple and sugar maple undecided. Pecan and Apple added a fair amount of colour. The cheeses that seemed to accept the most smoke were the Gouda and the Edam.


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RGBHV
    RGBHV Posts: 1,318
    Options
    image
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories