Smoked Cheese - first try

Misippi Egger

I've been wanting to try the smoked cheese "caveman" technique as posted by Firetruck a while back.

Friday afternoon I hit Sam's Club and loaded up on a variety of cheeses.

I vacuumed out the large, filled a can with a mixture of dry apple and maple chips, inserted a soldering iron and plugged it in.

It wasn't too long before the smoke started showing. This was a new soldering iron and I did notice a burned paraffin smell at first, so I waited until that cleared (figured it was a coating on the iron tip). The ambient outdoor temp was 57* as the smoke started. The maximum reached was 78-79*.

Here is the cheese (cut the large blocks into smaller pieces). I smoked for 1 hr 45 minutes. No after pics, as they pretty much looked the same.

I put them in ziplocks and in my outdoor frig overnight and today I cut the larger ones in half and vacuum sealed them before putting back in the frig.
They tasted a little too smokey when trying little samples, but "Hoss" has assured me the will mellow over time in the frig.

Thanks to "Firetruck" for posting a great, easy cold smoking technique and to "Hoss" for his post last week with the huge amount of goodies that got me inspired to 'get off my duff' and "Do it".

Today I roasted a couple of pounds of pecan halves (another "Hoss" inspiration) for the kids to munch on when they all arrive for Christmas. Tonight I cooked four pizzas (haven't cooked zas in a couple of years).

Also just learned tonight that one of my step-daughters is pregnant with her first! Second Grandbaby coming this summer! :woohoo: :woohoo:

Back to work tomorrow (On Call - yuck).

Merry Christmas from our family to all !

BBQMaven

Clark
The Cheese will be great and Congrats on the new GB!

WokOnMedium

I thought I had figured out a good method for smoking cheese, but the more I see this the more I think I need to buy a soldering iron. I have no other use for one, but I think this is use enough!

Luvs to shoot clay

Wow! I am impressed big big. I tried it once and had to scrape the cheese off the plate setter, still tasted good just looked like melted cheese.

Rolling Egg

About 3 bucks at Harbor Freight if you have one near by.

Hoss

Lookin YUMMEE! Congrats on the new egger!

Misippi Egger

Thanks, Kent. This daughter has had difficulties getting pregnant, including a miscarriage a year ago. She just told us tonight and we are so excited. Our only other grandbaby is her sister's son and is about 18 months old.

I'm looking forward to enjoying the cheese!

Merry Christmas!

Misippi Egger

Staci, I bought one at Lowes ($5.00 ish) just for this purpose. Worked great !

Misippi Egger

It helps that the outside temp was only about 57*, but if it had gotten close to 90* in the Egg, I would have added a pan of ice chips under the cheese to cool things down.

Misippi Egger

Thanks!

Any luck hunting this weekend?

Hoss

They are cheap.You can get one that will do just fine for 5 bucks.

Hoss

Did'nt get to go.Too many Holiday Festivities goin. I'll be gettin after them the next 2 weeks though.

Misippi Egger

Gonna miss the next 2 weekends. Christmas and the kids in town, then going to the Cotton Bowl the next weekend!

I hope the ducks have moved farther south for January hunting!

Hoss

We NEVER have many ducks til Jan!

Firetruck

Way to go Clark, congrats on the new addition.

I did some cheese this week too. My wife and kids got into it so I had to smoke some more today.

Firetruck

Yeah then the season ends

Misippi Egger

Tell me about it !

Last year, due to the lack of rain, we had good hunting til about Christmas, when it started raining. Our January last year sucked!

I'm hoping things are better this year, as it has really been 'hit or miss' this year - and I'm not talking about my shooting skills! :ohmy:

Misippi Egger

Gets a little pricey, though! :laugh:

Hoss

EGGZACTLY!!!

Ross in Ventura

Good job Clark

Ross

Canugghead

Great job Clark, welcome to the cave!
-Gary

PWise

Hey Clark!! what did you use inside the can? I used hand cut chips I made off a plank for salmon once but could only get about 1 hour worth of smoke... did you have this problem?

cheers!

civil eggineer

I live in South Dakota smack dab in the middle of the Central flyway. Besides a very few flocks of geese, I have seen little movement from the northern waterfowl. Maybe they all got frozen in the lakes up north?

Misippi Egger

Tim, A friend was pheasant hunting in SD back before Thanksgiving and he said they saw tons of ducks - he said there were ducks in every puddle. They then went to Nebraska to duck hunt and only killed 3 total ducks. The guide told them all the ducks were in South Dakota!

Maybe they have come halfway after that first huge freeze and are living high in Iowa or Missouri ! :ohmy:

Misippi Egger

Misippi Egger

Thanks, Ross. Looking forward to enjoying the cheese and giving a lot away!

Misippi Egger

Thanks, Gary. "Even a Caveman can do it" really works!

Misippi Egger

Thanks, Pato.

I used "Western" brand chips - a mixture of apple and maple. After about an hour, I did notice less smoke coming out, so I rotated the soldering iron and shook the can a little. That got more chips smoking and I was able to finish with that. The next day I looked in the can and all that was left was ashes a heavily burned chips - nothing reuseable.

Merry Christmas !