What wood for smoked cheese?

Steve-O

I plan to smoke some mild cheddar and peppercorn jack cheese this weekend. What kind of would do any of you recommend who have smoked cheese? I was thinking maybe some cherry unless that would be too strong. I also have maple, hickory, pecan, alder and mesquite.

BBQfan1

SteveO,
Go with the cherry. It imparts a nice flavor AND color to smoked cheese. Pecan is real nice too. I really like apple, personally, but that wasn't on your list.
Stay away from the mesquite; it's too strong and the hickory is kinda ubiquitous in flavoring foods, so mark your own territory with the other smokewoods (or combination of same). Cheese is fairly delicate in flavor, so make sure you have a clean smoke; if it's a smoldering grey-black or you've dampered down so much that you have a partially smothered burn, you'll taste it right up front....
I have a hard time getting the Egg to low enough temp (80-95F with clean burning smoke is ideal) that I don't smoke it in the Egg. You CAN do it; others have, using secondary cookers with venting between them or with much heat absorbing/deflecting mass between fire and cheese and/or smoking the cheese over drip pans filled with ice. I've personally had mixed success using the single Egg I own, and now tend to share a cook with a buddy with an offset cooker. That way, we buy 4 big chubs of cheese and split it up between us; more variety at half the cost.
What method and temp are you looking at using?
Qfan

BlueSmoke

BBQfan1,[p]I concur. Fruit woods and cheese seem made for each other. Alder's nice too, but not as nice as apple, cherry, peach, etc.[p]Ken

Steve-O

BBQfan1,
Thanks for your suggestions. I knew when I hurriedly typed that list of woods that I had left out something - apple. I plan to build a small fire in my small egg and run a clothes dryer vent hose from the top of my small to the lower vent of my large. The cheese will be in the large (should I use an indirect set-up in the large with my platesetter or just put the cheese on the grill?). I was leaning towards the cherry anyway, so that is probably what I will use.

DTM

Yo SteveO,
If you can get a good indirect going skip all of the vents and plumbing. Keep the temp at 150 or less and keep ice in the pan. Check often...it vents the heat and remold any trying to escape. Good luck and give us a report.
DTM

[ul][li]Smoked cheese[/ul]