Smoking cheese is fairly simple. The hardest part is waiting 2 weeks to enjoy it. You will need an outdoor grill, smoke tube, wood pellets, parchment paper, and cheese. Having a vacuum sealer is a bonus as it helps the cheese store as long as possible. Make sure to select a cool day so the temperature in the grill doesn’t get above 90 degrees or you will have a mess to clean up when the cheese melts. I have also found that cold cheese doesn’t take on smoke as well so I would say between 45 and 65 degree days are the best.

Start by selecting your favorite cheeses. Hard and semi-hard cheeses like cheddar, pepper jack, and gouda work the best. Soft cheeses can be used but they can take on too much smoke and have a lower melting point. I like to use the 8 oz blocks but you can cut larger blocks down to that size. Let the cheese sit at room temperature for 1 hour before smoking.

We will be doing a cold smoke so any outdoor grill or smoker can be used to hold your cheese and keep the smoke flowing around it. We will not be turning the grill on.

Fill the smoke tube with your preferred smoke pellets, place it in the grill, and light according to manufactures instructions. Once burning good extinguish the flame so only smoke is being produced.

Arrange your cheese on the grates so they are not touching, allowing smoke to flow all around them. Do not place directly over the smoke tube as it does give off some heat which can melt the cheese above it. Close the lid and smoke for 1-2 hours depending on how much smoke flavor you prefer.

Once the cheese is done smoking, remove from grill, wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for 24-48 hours. Remove cheese from the paper and vacuum seal it. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, place it in a zip-top freezer bag and get out as much air as possible. Label and date the cheese and put back in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. If you decide to try the cheese before the 2 weeks are up you may find that it is very bitter and be disappointed. Like I said before, waiting is the hardest part but the smoke flavor will distribute throughout the cheese and mellow out.

After 2 weeks open a bag and enjoy.