How To Make Naturally Smoked Cheese At Home

If you have ventured beyond the simple cheeses, such as cheddar and mozzarella, then you will have probably noticed some which are smoked. Typically, a smoked cheese you find in the supermarket will not be naturally smoked. There are actually types of liquid smoke manufacturers can use to add a smoky flavor to cheese. Instead, you should buy a naturally smoked cheese from a specialty cheese retailer. If you are feeling adventurous, you can also buy some plain cheese and smoke it yourself to save money or experiment.

How Smoked Cheese Is Professional Made

As mentioned, some manufacturers (typically mass-producers) will use liquid smoke to add the smoked flavor to cheese. Artisanal cheese and those found from quality retailers, however, will use a natural method. There are smokers that the cheese can be placed in and they will waft smoke over aging cheese. Many high quality options, however, smoke the cheese using natural wood. Common choices include alder, chestnut, hickory, oak, and apple, with the flavor of the cheese partially depending on the wood used.

Cold Smoking

If you’d rather make naturally smoked cheese instead of buying it, then one choice is to cold smoke it. Start off with any cheese that isn’t too soft and if you want the smoky flavor to enter the whole piece, make sure you cut the cheese into pieces that are 4x4x2 inches or smaller. Dry the cheese by unwrapping it and leaving it in the fridge at night, then wipe off the moisture. You can then buy a cold smoker or an attachment. You will then cook the cheese on wood pellets or chips for 1 to 6 hours, turning it once (or more), before putting it in the fridge for 1 to 4 weeks.

Hot Smoking

When you smoke cheese, it always need to be cool, even if you are using a hot smoking method involving a grill or hot smoker. Ideally you should put the cheese on top of a grate on a large pan with ice. Start up your smoker or grill and make smoke using flavorful wood pellets. Make sure there is plenty of smoke before adding the cheese and then check it every 20 or so minutes. Smoke the cheese for a half hour to six hours and let it cure at least a week in the fridge.

Using An Old Refrigerator

You can also naturally smoke cheese by adjusting an empty refrigerator. Put a hot plate in the bottom of the fridge with a pan of wood chips on top. Then add the ice to the middle rack and smoke the cheese on the top rack. Once again, refrigerate the cheese afterwards.