How to smoke cheese in an electric smoker

Last Updated on: 20th April 2023, 11:19 pm

Electric smokers are user-friendly smokers that don’t require much effort to smoke your food.

The smoking process is not limited to meat, and you can smoke anything based on your personal choice.

Some people like to smoke cheese to enhance its flavor and preserve it for a longer time.

The process of smoking cheese inside the smoker can be distilled to preparing your smoker, preparing your cheese, smoking cheese, and finally storing it.

We are going to explain all of these steps in more detail in this article.

If you are a lover of cheese , then chances are you are going to get addicted to smoked cheese like us.

The one aspect of smoked cheese that we personally love is that you can smoke it in a large enough amount at once and then use it for months without any effort.

Smoked cheese can enhance the flavor of cheese by adding a smokey flavor to it.

Furthermore, it has been done for centuries to preserve cheese for a longer period of time.

The invention of the refrigerator has replaced it for preserving, but the smoked cheese flavor still remains unmatched.

The process of smoking can vary depending on the texture of the cheese and the type of smoker you are using.

But for electric smokers, you can follow this step-by-step guide to smoke your cheese in the most effective way.

Equipments

Like every process, smoking cheese also needs some equipment or ingredients to complete it .

You should consider collecting them in a place before starting the process to avoid panicking during it.

The most common things used in smoking cheese are given below.

Cheese: It is a no-brainer that if you are going to smoke cheese, then you will definitely need to use some cheese.
The cheese should be of good quality and have a higher melting point to avoid melting during smoking.

An aluminum pan is used to place ice or cold water below cheese inside the smoker to avoid melting.
It’s your personal choice of whether you want to use it or not, but it’s a good trick to avoid melting cheese.

Normal food racks have thicker wires which start to penetrate into the cheese as it softens over time.
which can produce different marks on the cheese , so a mesh wire rack is used to avoid the cheese from sinking into the racks.

Vaccum sealed bags: these are used to store the cheese after it has been smoked in the electric smoker.
If the cheese is not properly stored in a vacuum-sealed container, then it can lead to the spoilage of the cheese.

Wood Chips: Wood chips are the backbone of smoking, whether you are using electric smokers or traditional ones.you might soak them to keep smoking for longer time.
The flavor comes from wood chips, so you should also consider adding a bag of wood chips to your collection.

Prepare smoker

To start the process of smoking cheese, you first have to prepare your smoker for smoking.

The first thing to do is to make sure your smoker is cleaned properly.

You should remove any leftovers from the previous smoking process to avoid them affecting the taste of your cheese.

After you have cleaned your electric smoker, it’s time to place it in a suitable place.

As discussed above that cheese is a soft product and can melt easily, so the temperature should be kept low.

To do that, it’s better to place the smoker in a shady area .

You should preferably smoke in the morning because the weather conditions are not hot and suitable for smoking cheese.

After that, you should add mesh wire racks onto the cooking racks to support the cheese and avoid the cheese sinking .

After that, you should add mesh wire racks onto the cooking racks to support the cheese and avoid the cheese sinking into the racks.

You can add the wire mesh rack over the cooking racks or in place of the cooking racks.

They will be equally effective in both ways.

After adding them , you should consider adding oil onto their surface to avoid cheese from sticking to the racks.

Prepare Cheese

Up until now , you should have prepared your smoker for smoking cheese , so it’s time to start preparing the cheese to be used.

You should make sure that the cheese is of good quality and should have a higher melting point.

The preferable melting point for the cheese should be above 90 F .

But it should not be stiff, which can also affect the flavor of cheese.

After you have selected the cheese, you should consider cutting it into smaller pieces to smoke quickly.

But if you are going to store the cheese for a longer time, then it is better to keep the cheese in larger chunks.

You can then use it later when needed.

After that, you should consider removing any topping of cheese if you have bought it commercially.

Add Wood Chips

The flavor of smoked cheese comes from the smoke produced by the wood.

The smoke of each type of wood is different from the other due to its different composition.

So it’s better to select the appropriate type of wood first to smoke effectively.

This step is extremely important because if you select the wrong type of wood, it can result in a poor taste of the cheese.

Fruit woods are usually used to smoke cheese and add a sweet flavor, but they also have different types, among which apple and cherry woods are the most commonly used.

You should avoid using hardwood because it produces thick and dense smoke, which can result in over-smoking of your cheese and a bitter taste.

After you have selected the right type of wood to use, you should determine the size of wood chips to be used.

If you are going to cold smoke the cheese for a long time, then you should consider using wood pellets or chunks because they last longer.

After that, you should consider adding a handful of chips to the smoker to start producing the smoke.

Start smoker

After that, you should place the cheese on the mesh wire rack to start the process of smoking.

To avoid the rapid melting of cheese, you should preferably add an aluminum foil pan with ice or cold water below the cheese to keep the temperature low.

After you have placed the cheese inside the smoker, you should consider starting the smoker to start the process.

The temperature inside the electric smoker doesn’t need much effort, and you just have to set the required temperature.

You should consider setting the temperature to the lowest temperature possible to avoid melting the cheese.

Usually the temperature is set below 90 F to smoke the cheese without melting.

You should keep in mind that you have to smoke the meat and avoid cooking it with heat.

Keep smoking for sometime

After starting the smoker, you should wait for 1–3 hours to properly smoke the cheese because the temperature is kept low to avoid melting.

The time taken to smoke the cheese properly can vary depending on various factors.

One of those factors is the texture of the cheese being smoked. If it’s delicate, it will be smoked quicker than stiff cheese.

Morever ,The size of cheese chunks can also affect the time to smoke. The larger the chunks , the more time they will require to smoke properly.

Take out the cheese

After you have smoked the cheese properly, depending on its texture and size of chunks, you should consider removing it from the smoker to avoid over-smoking it.

After removing it from the smoker,you should place it on an open surface for a few minutes to let it breathe.

Breathing doesn’t take much time, but it’s definitely worth the effort.

When cheese is removed from the smoker, it’s soft in texture and the outer surface of the cheese has been smoked while the inner side remains unsmoked.

You should give it a few minutes to let the flavor sink in properly.

Store the cheese

Storing the cheese properly is as important as smoking it. If you don’t store the cheese effectively, then it will not last longer.

Fresh cheese is bitter because the smoke is on the outer surface, so sometimes storing it for a while enhances its flavor due to the distribution of smokey flavor.

For storing the cheese , first you should wrap it inside parchment or butcher paper and place it in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days.

You should keep in mind not to store it in the freezer because it will affect the texture of the cheese.

After 1-2 days , you should consider taking the cheese out of the refrigerator and putting it inside vacuum-sealed bags.

The air should be removed properly, either manually or by inserting the bag into water, keeping the opening outside of the water.

If the air is not removed from the bag, then the cheese will become sappy after some time.

After removing the air , you should place the cheese inside the vaccum sealed bags and close the bag.

After that, you should store it for 2 weeks to get the best flavor possible.

How long does it take to smoke cheese in an electric smoker?

The time taken to smoke the cheese inside an electric smoker depends upon various factors, but usually it can range from 1–5 hours.

There are several factors that can affect the smoking time of cheese.

Some of them are discussed below.

The most important factor that determines the time taken to smoke the cheese is the temperature at which the cheese is being smoked.

If the temperature is low, then it will take longer to smoke the cheese than if the temperature is higher.

Furthermore, it also depends on the size of the cheese chunks. If the chunks are larger, then they will take more time to smoke.

In addition to the above, the texture of cheese can also affect the smoking time . If the cheese is stiff, it will take a longer time to smoke it.

What is the best cheese to smoke on a smoker?

There are several types of cheese available that you can smoke depending on your choice, but cheddar cheese is the most commonly smoked cheese inside a smoker.

You can smoke any type of cheese as long as it has a higher melting point.

Other types of cheese that are used for smoking include mozzarella, Gouda, and halloumi.

All of these have an equally amazing taste as the cheddar, so you can choose any of them, but you should keep in mind to check their melting point.

Conclusion

Smoking cheese in an electric smoker is not rocket science .

You can smoke the cheese without any effort as long as it has a higher melting point.

Furthermore, after smoking it, you should consider storing it for some time for better taste.

If you have enjoyed this article ,then make sure to check our article on Are electric smokers bad for your health?