I have a OBS with no cold smoke attachment. I put a block of ice on the bottom rack and just run the smoke generator. If it gets too hot I'll crack the door about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Works pretty good for me. Just remember to tightly wrap/seal the smoked cheese for 4 to 6 weeks before enjoying.
Perso, when I leave the smoke generator attached, the temp does not go down enough so I bought the cold smoke adaptor but I had to call them cause the bypass plug that came with it does not fit the Smart Smoker and they sent me the one that fit this smoker.
I agree with RedJada and do much the same, except I freeze water in plastic 20 oz soda bottles and change them out as they melt. When through with the smoke, I wipe off the smokey condensate and re-freeze for next time. I smoke for 2 hrs using apple targeting a box temp of 80* F. And as RedJada says, the most important thing is to seal and wait 4 - 6 weeks before eating, no matter how good it smells coming out of the smoker. Have you ever been at a party, picked up what you thought was your beer/soda and discovered that someone had put out a cigarette in it? That's what fresh from the smoker cheese tastes like! Good luck and enjoy this cold time of year. Perfect for smoking cheese!
I made my own cold smoke adapter out of a few pieces of scrap plywood and some flexible aluminum dry vent hose. Have been using it for about 5 years now,without a problem . Cheap fix to the heat problem .
- how do I find time to sleep !
Jim, do you use your smoke generator? Or some other form of smoke source?
Seasonal temp changes in this part of the country allow cheese smoking much of the year. My practice is to smoke cheese in the morning, before it starts to warm up. Although, I have smoked cheese at night, after the temp has dropped some. I find that the puck feeder will boost the temp by about 60F above the ambient temp. So, temps below 40F are cold enough to work for me.
Disclaimers: I start with a cold smoker. I leave the door open while the puck burner heats up. And I don't smoke for extended periods of time. I like a light smoke, so an hour or so of smoke is plenty for me. Colder temps may be required when smoking soft cheeses, such as mozzarella or Brie.
I used my smoke generator for years, but now I use the AMAZ N SMOKER tube exclusively as my smoke source. I only use the SG for an additional 125 w of power when hot smoking.
I have a beauty block of 4 yr old cheddar I'd like to smoke, any suggestions on the length of time? 2-3 hrs?
Depending on the size of the block, I'd cut it into smaller pieces to allow the smoke to penetrate more ares,then smoke for 2- 21/2 hrs . Let stand for a few hours then wrap/vac seal,then leave in fridge for at least 3-4 weeks,then ENJOY !
The block size is 4" long 3" wide and 2" thick. Thanks for the advice!
That's not too big a block. I'd smoke "as is " .
I'd stop by the store and get some more cheese if you're going to have smoke rolling anyway. That little amount seems hardly worth the effort and you can smoke other types of cheese and give it away to others. I just finished smoking $60 worth and plan on giving most of it away in a month, after it ages.
Yep, due to the rest time fill the smoker up. Do an assortment of cheese. If your a blu cheese person smoked blu is great! Main thing is to get all your favorites and load the smoker, cant go wrong there. Remember, smoked cheese goes great with everything, even other smoked goodies.