Cooking or smoking, in particular, usually involves meat that gets too hard when seared over high heat. Here, we have a guide on how to smoke cheese in a Masterbuilt smoker for you.
Smoking cheese is not a very common practice but I recommend learning how to do it as it significantly improves the texture and flavor of the cheese you have bought from the store.
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For most, it might seem like you have had the best cheeses by eating them plain. However, smoking cheese can improve the cheese not only in taste but also with the nutritional content.
Masterbuilt is a company that produces smokers that many people love because of the amazing features that you can get and use from their smokers. Making the work hassle-free.
The electric smoker from Masterbuilt is one of the many examples where a smoker can get up to any temperature that you want it to and cook the food or recipe just how you want it to.
So with cold smoke, which is the process for smoking cheese, we put the Masterbuilt electric smoker to the test and see that it can smoke cheese. Here is the whole process behind it.
Setting Up
If you have different types of cheese, figure out which is hardest and which cheese is the softest. That way, you will know how to properly arrange them on each rack of the smoker.
There is not a lot that you can do with an electric smoker as it has automatic settings. However, there are some things that you can do to prepare the smoker for cheese.
First, remove the wood chip tray from the Masterbuilt electric smoker. Plug the smoker, you just need to prepare to smoke the cheese.
From there, you will need to take a look if you have enough wood chips on the smoker. If not, refill it and make sure that the wood chips are enough for you to smoke for at least 4 hours.
Tip: smoking cheese can be better or more manageable if the weather outside is cooler. This is where you can retain the low heat inside the smoker to slowly smoke the cheese.
The Masterbuilt electric smoker is well-built and the insulation is impressive. So I do not mean that it is necessary to smoke cheese with this smoker only when it is cold outside.
However, some smokers do not have insulation as impressive as this smoker. So as much as possible, make sure that you do not heat the smoker too much with cheese.
Smoking Cheese In A Masterbuilt Electric Smoker
Step 1: Prepare Everything You Need
Set up the electric smoker somewhere preferably under a shade. If you have trees in your backyard, I suggest putting it under there or better yet, place it on the patio near an outlet.
You will also need a gallon of water and ice to keep the insides of the smoker cool while smoking. You can also put it on a tray if there is no space for a tall gallon.
Prepare the blocks of cheese and a mesh tray or just use the racks on the smoker. The benefit of this smoker is that it has a relatively tall lid so you can fit many layers or racks of cheese.
Step 2: Preheat The Smoker
Get the wood chip starter and then preheat the electric smoker at any temperature that you want. This will not matter that much as you can let the smoker rest later after it preheats.
Close the lid for at least 15 minutes to distribute the heat evenly inside the smoker. After preheating, turn the heat down but do not extinguish the flame and smoke just yet.
Keep in mind that you will be needing the smoke so just turn the temperature down. Let the smoker rest for at least 45 minutes to cool it down to melt the cheese later.
Step 3: Prepare The Cheese
While the electric smoker is resting to cool down, prepare the blocks of cheese that you are going to smoke. Again, if you have different types of cheese available, arrange them properly.
Tip: The types of cheese that are softer absorb more of the smoke and its flavors than hard cheeses. That is why you need to place them on the top rack of the electric smoker.
Slicing the blocks of cheese into smaller pieces will also help them absorb more of the smoker. Arrange them on each rack according to hardness with at least an inch between each cheese.
Step 4: Smoke The Cheese
Place the tray with ice and water at the bottom rack and then palace the rack with the hard cheese on top. As the rack gets higher, the cheese on them should be softer or stringier.
Close the smoker’s lid and then let the cheese smoke at a temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit. You can then leave it in the smoker as it will now take some time.
After two hours, check the temperature if it is still at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If not, then do what is necessary to get back up to that temperature and then flip the cheese over.
Let the cheese smoke for another 2 hours and then check again if the cheese has attained the color you wanted. There should be a golden brown color on the edges of the cheese.
Step 5: Letting Them Rest
Once you get the color you want on the cheese, you can remove them from the smoker. Place them on a cutting board and then let them completely cool down.
Remove excess moisture from the cheese and then wrap them in parchment paper. Make sure to label the cheese by writing the date to know when is the best time to consume it.
Place the cheese inside the fridge and let them stay there for up to 3 days. You can consume them after 3 days but the best time to eat the cheese is after 2 weeks in the fridge.
What Cheese Is Best To Smoke?
There are many types of cheese that you can smoke but not every type of cheese can be smoked. I recommend using hard types of cheese so that they do not melt easily in the smoker.
Types of cheese such as mozzarella, brie, and gouda are perfect for smoking. The secret is to always keep the temperature below 100 degrees Fahrenheit so the cheese will not melt.
Can I Smoke At 100 Degrees Fahrenheit
100 degrees Fahrenheit is the threshold temperature for cold smoking. It is already too hot for most cheese and some or most of the cheeses will already start melting at this temperature.
However, you can still smoke cheese at this temperature with the help of a gallon of ice or a tray of ice. This is to help keep the temperature stable and low enough to prevent melting the cheese.
Conclusion
If you love smoking cheese, then you should get a Masterbuilt electric smoker. It is one of the most convenient and easiest to use smokers that I have ever used for smoked cheese.
There are no special instructions with this smoker and you can work it like the common smoker. There is enough space to smoke up to four kinds of cheeses at a time with the tall design.
Since it also uses authentic fuel, the cheese you smoke in will always have that aroma and taste from the smoke. The texture is just perfect for a snack with bread, crackers, and more!
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