Smoked cheese is one of the easiest things you can make with a smoker, as long as you keep it cold. The trick is smoke with almost no heat, so the cheese takes on flavor without melting. Plan ahead, because the cheese needs a week or two of rest before it tastes its best.
The recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb firm or semi-firm cheese, such as sharp cheddar, gouda, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, provolone or Swiss
- 1 pellet tube smoker or maze smoker
- Hardwood pellets or sawdust (apple, cherry, pecan or alder for mild smoke; hickory for stronger)
- 1 pan of ice (optional, for warmer days)
- Vacuum-seal bags or plastic wrap
Steps
- Pick a cool day, ideally below 60°F outside. The inside of your smoker needs to stay below about 90°F the whole time.
- Cut the cheese into blocks about 1–1 1/2 inches thick. Smaller blocks take smoke faster and more evenly.
- Unwrap the cheese and let it sit uncovered in the fridge for 1–2 hours, or pat it dry. A dry surface takes smoke better.
- Fill the pellet tube or maze with pellets or sawdust. Light one end with a torch, let it burn for about 10 minutes, then blow out the flame so it smolders.
- Place the smoldering tube or maze in the smoker with the burner or pellet grill off and no lit charcoal. Set a pan of ice on the rack above it if the day is mild.
- Put the cheese on the top rack, spaced apart so smoke can reach every side. Put a thermometer probe near the cheese, not touching it.
- Close the lid and cold-smoke for 2–4 hours, keeping the air near the cheese below about 90°F. Flip the blocks halfway through. Go shorter for mild cheeses and longer for sharp ones.
- If the cheese starts to sweat oil or soften, take it out right away and finish another day.
- Pat off any moisture, then let the cheese chill in the fridge for about 1 hour.
- Vacuum-seal or tightly wrap each block and refrigerate for 1–2 weeks before eating, so the harsh smoke flavor mellows into the cheese.
Why it has to stay below 90°F
Cheese is mostly fat and protein. Once the air around it climbs past about 90°F, the fat starts to soften and weep out. You end up with greasy, slumped blocks and a rubbery texture. That is why this is a cold-smoke recipe. The tube or maze makes smoke from a small smoldering pile of pellets, so it adds very little heat. Leave the main heat source off the whole time.
Hot days are the enemy. If it is warmer than about 70°F outside, wait for a cool morning, or set a pan of ice in the smoker to keep the temperature down. A good smoker thermometer with a probe near the cheese tells you exactly where you stand.
Best wood
Cheese picks up smoke fast, so milder woods are a safe start. Apple and cherry give a light, sweet smoke. Pecan and alder are also gentle. Hickory works well on sharp cheddar if you like a bacon-like flavor, but keep the time short. See the wood pairing chart for more ideas, and our best smoking pellets for good pellet brands.
What smoker works
Almost any smoker works with the heat off: a pellet grill, an electric smoker, a kettle grill or even a cardboard box. The pellet tube or maze is doing the real work.
Why rest it?
Right out of the smoker, the cheese tastes sharp and ashy on the outside and plain in the middle. Sealing it and resting it in the fridge for one to two weeks lets the smoke spread through the block and soften. Many people think two weeks is the sweet spot.
Storage
Vacuum-sealed smoked cheese keeps in the fridge for several weeks, about as long as the same cheese unsmoked. Once opened, wrap it well and eat it within a couple of weeks. It also makes a great gift, and it is perfect in smoked mac and cheese.
Keep reading
The Best Fish for Smoking (and the Ones to Skip)
Which fish smoke best? Compare 18 fish by fat, flavor, best smoking style and wood, plus which lean fish to skip and how to smoke shellfish.
Beef Brisket Injection
A simple beef broth brisket injection that keeps the flat juicy, with how much to use per pound, where to inject and how to keep it safe.
Cajun Beef Jerky
Spicy Cajun beef jerky with a homemade Cajun rub, hot sauce and garlic, heated to the USDA 160°F before drying.