Food Smokers and Smoking Tips/Tricks/Techniques

No alcohol, not even spicy...garlic and black pepper in small amounts... Just a really good flavor enhancer.

 

Did a ton of cold smoked cheese 2+ weeks ago hickory/pecan pellets in a tube - swiss, jack, pepper jack, colby jack, cheddar, etc just now getting really good and mellow.

 

Nice color on it.

 

this is my venture in the next few months once it gets cool enough here. Question for you: does the cheese you start with make much of a difference? Or do you just start with a store brand brick and not fuss? Any other advice for a nim rod trying it out soon?

 

From a friend, he said cut into smaller blocks for more even flavor. The bigger bricks wont get good flavor in middle. Also use a better quality cheese

 

You are smart, even here I waited for a coolish day and still was a bit warm in the smoker. Gotta keep it cool. Smoker in the shade for sure.

Really you don't need expensive cheese at all. I use store brand cut it long ways to get roughly square as viewed from the end. Good cheese is better but not required, I did such a large batch this time it would have been expensive frankly. I mean maybe the rule is, use a cheese that you wouldn't be afraid to eat. Here store brand "Lucerne" is absolutely fine.

Cheese is so easy - no brine, no spices, etc

I have an upright and just used a Amazon smoker tube, filled up. 3 hours. Do not put the tube under the cheese, will get too warm. Smoker tube on one side, cheese on the other.

I used to use just Alder or Apple or Apple Mash - the product mellows quicker. Hickory and pecan mix has more bite, and takes longer to mellow but is awesome, especially in cooking. Eggs, potatoes, pasta, beans,Mex, etc

Oh and yeah TWO WEEKS MINIMUM before tasting, then THREE WEEKS ON - FREAKING AWESOME. The major drawback is the patience. After the smoke cool in the house, then wrap in freezer paper, label, and place in large zip locks in the fridge and forget about it.

 

Pans full of ice inside the smoker to keep it cooler.

Cut blocks into smaller blocks for more surface area.

Fruit woods are best for cheese.

 

Some thick rib eyes getting reverse seared this evening, along with whole idaho’s in a pan with olive oil and vampire #1.

 

Trying this snake method tonight and smoking overnight. I’ve read you’ll get 10-12 hours out of it. Started at 7:15 pm ET, gonna set the alarm for 5:00 am to check it. So far, so good and holding steady around 225 on the kettle.

 

At 14 hours with the snake method I still had fuel for probably another couple hours. I'm convinced.

Fourteen. I keep getting the time wrong.

 

I’m hoping to try my hand this fall/winter at cheese. Had some smoked mozzarella awhile back and it was totally amazing. Found a block of smoked cheddar at a local farmers market last week and it’s got a nice taste also. I gotta get a smoke tube and figure out how to get them lit and smoke (tried some disk type ones and have had no luck) .

I’m definitely saving your post to help me out when it cools down and I can try it out.

 

I actually had some really lousy smoked cheese from the store. Not inspiring that's for sure.

This one:

$10 Smoke Tube for Pellet Smoker, 12'' Smoker Tube for Pellet Grill - Hot or Cold Smoker Accessories for Electric Gas Charcoal Grilling, Premium Stainless Steel Portable Barbecue Smoking Tube, Bonus Brush

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JGVBKN3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fill with pellets, light with propane torch, I have MAPP gas in mine. Lights right up.

 

Cheese, just keep the pit temp below 90F, if hotter, put a pan with ice in the smoker. Keep a nice light smoke as much as possible. I prefer apple wood.
I haven’t done soft cheese and prefer the hard cheese. I normally do white and yellow sharp cheddar, and pepper jack. I have around 15 lbs that have aged for two years that i plan to do at the new house as soon as the ambient temps drop.

 

Got up before the alarm around 4:15 am ET. It’s a good thing I was early because the last bit of charcoal on the snake was dying out and the temps in the kettle were around 180F.

I started a new snake and got everything rolling again by 4:35. The butt is registering 152F at hour 9. I’m surprised, I expected it to be pushing through in the 160-170F stall range at this point. I’m hoping that it didn’t lose too much momentum while I was sleeping and the coals were dying.

Back to bed for a couple hours.

 

16 hours to hit 200F. Not sure why this one took so long...

I’ve got some Hungarian and Polish kielbasa going on later. Gotta figure out some sides to go with all this.

 

I’ve learned not to wonder about long or short cooks. Cook to temp. This is why I do butts the day ahead now.




Doing a pork loin, unfortunately they only had the marinated ones at the store. And my favorite, sausages. Not chorizo this time because I went to the cheap store they only had sausages. Pork loin is going to shred again so I tossed on some of the packeted fajita seasoning, god knows what’ll happen with this. I’m also doing this on the gasser, without smoke just low and slow indirect heat. Basically I’m being lazy as possible today. might toss some chips in a pouch in there and see what happens.

 

5 hours in. 155*. Paper wrap coming soon.

 

Smoking beef ribs and pork side ribs along with baked bean with bacon and hot peppers. Smoke with mesquite and maple wood.

 

Put the brisket leftovers in the sous vide at 140°F.

Great nachos.

 

Yummy!