It's Smoking cheese day.........

Yes, today's the day..I wanted to get the Brinkman out yesterday to smoke a block of mature Cheddar. Alas, it was not to be...as I had to take down the old shed and erect a new bugger. I should have started the smoke off then got on with taking the old shed down, but I was so fixed on doing it I forgot....must be old age??

It's a wee bit early at the moment, I give it another hour or so then get setup.....more to follow.

Haven't done any cheese for aaaaages

Mash wrote:Haven't done any cheese for aaaaages

We buy smoked cheese but I've never got around to doing any until today. A couple of photos at the start...

Pan of ice to help keep the smoke cool.



12 Slabs of very mature Cheddar....2kg in total.

How did you build your fire to stay cool enough?

good question - ICe?

Mine is offset. I built a tunnel on the side off the bradley and make a ice condenser above the smoker. Cracking for cold smoke salmons. Yummity yum yum.

Iv got a craving to do some salmon but was gonna wait till winter, I think with my setup I’d struggle to keep the temperature low enough as the weather is now

YEah I agree. I normally 2 two whole fish (4 fillets each) in November.

Overnight salting. Smoke. Vac pack. Freezer. Stash.

Mark85 wrote:How did you build your fire to stay cool enough?

I use a ProQ cold smoke generator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7j11-buJ8E

That sits on the fire grate in the bottom of the Brinkman, next up above is the bowl of ice to help keep the smoke cold. Then the cheese went on the top grill, so the cheese is I would say getting on for 3 foot away from the ProQ.

The burn went for 5 hours and use 4 lanes of dust, enough left over for another 2 hours.

Iv seen those things before. How much does the dust cost?
Iv also seen a sieve tube/pipe that will smoulder those pellets the traeger smokers use

Depends on what and where you shop...

https://www.smokedust.co.uk/product-category/wooddust/

That's a good burner.
I like these. Makes loads, really quick and clean.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183334992353

Just before we left for our holls, we did a little taste test...the first one which had 1.5 hours was ok a little light on smoke taste.

The next was a 3.5 hours smoke, this was by far the best one for both of us.

The last one of 5 hours was a smidgen to smokey for me but Mrs Ice was ok with it....as always it's all down to the taste buds.

All we have to do now is vac-pack it when we return home and store it for a few months. if that's possible?? can't wait to get stuck into the next batch.