How To Cold Smoke Cheese
Smoked cheese is an amazing flavor boost to your charcuterie board, a sandwich, or any pasta dish. Learn how to cold smoke cheese at home!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1-2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4-6 ounces per person (varies on how much you make)
- Category: cold smoked cheese, smoked cheddar, smoked gouda, artisan cheese at home, cheese lover
- Method: smoker
- Cuisine: cold smoked cheese, smoked cheddar, smoked gouda, artisan cheese at home, cheese lover
Ingredients
- Hard or semi-hard cheese
- Yoder Smokers YS640
- 1–2 heat-safe mesh perforated baking liners
- Pellet smoker tube
- Vacuum Sealer (or super tight plastic wrap)
- Pellets (fruit is my favorite)
Instructions
- Line the top rack with 1-2 heat-safe mesh perforated baking liners. This allows the smoke to hit all sides of the cheese without the cheese sticking to the grates. Place the cheeses on the racks leaving about a 1″ space between each.
- Fill up a Pellet smoker tube about 1/3-3/4 full with your favorite pellet mix (I went with fruit blend). Set it on the bottom rack closest to the fan.
- Turn on the unit but do NOT press start. You only want the fan to run.
- With the smoker fan running, light the pellets inside the tube smoker until they all catch. Allow to burn for about a minute and then blow them out completely.
- Close the smoker lid and allow to smoke for 1-2 hours. *I left my damper 75% closed as I didn’t want an overly smoky cheese. Also, the time all depends on how hard the cheese is and how smoky you want it.
- Place the cheese onto a paper towel-lined pan. You’ll notice that the cheese has some liquid or condensation to it. Make sure to wipe it completely dry.
- Wrap the cheese in parchment paper and place it in the fridge for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, remove it from the fridge, wipe it again if needed, and then vacuum seal each piece. Place these pieces in the fridge for 2 weeks.
- Once fully rested, enjoy!
Notes
*Time does not include the 24 hour fridge rest or the 2 week vacuum seal rest
Nutrition based on 5 pounds of smoked sharp cheddar as an example. This will naturally vary based on the type of cheese you use