There is just something different about the smell of smoke in food, in a good way.
So here is how to smoke cheese without a smoker guide for those who do not have smokers at home.
There are a lot of ways that you can smoke your cheese if you want that authenticity.
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Eating smoked cheese has a different hit to it and I could go on eating a whole block, that’s how much I love it!
However, here I would tell you that you can innovate and use the following methods.
The main thing here is that you need to make sure that you can produce smoke.
There is not much need to concentrate on the heat that the appliance produces or its power.
You can smoke Cheese in a grill, pot, or even on smaller grills that do not use wood or pellets as main fuels.
You can even make your smoker out of household materials.
So with this post, you can master the many methods you can use to smoke your cheese perfectly.
We will discuss each one of them to see which one you want to use.
Using A Charcoal Grill
This is the easiest way to smoke cheese if you do not have a smoker available.
You can use a charcoal grill to smoke almost any type of food that you want to smoke to get that flavor.
With this technique, you can make your smoker by adding some wood chips to the charcoal fuel.
These wood chips will help create a thick smoke that will get you a nice flavor.
See, charcoal, as a fuel, does not produce smoke when you light it up.
It is a great source of heat as well and it can make the smoking method tedious since it can be too hot for it.
Step 1: Prepare Your Fuel
For this part, you will need to get charcoal for preheating the grill.
You can either fill up the entire firebox of the grill or just fill up its center to focus the heat on one area only.
The most important thing is to spread the heat evenly throughout the grill later on.
If your grill can do a two-zone cooking style, then that would also be great to reduce the heat inside.
Place the charcoal inside the grill and then fire them up.
Close the grill’s lid and then wait for at least 15 minutes so that the grill can preheat properly with the heat evenly distributed.
Step 2: Preheat With Wood Chips
Once the charcoals have preheated the grill and caught fire, open the grill lid and extinguish the flames by spreading out the charcoals.
Add the wood chips of your choice on top.
Close the lid once again and then prepare your cheeses on a mesh grate.
By the 15-minute mark, the wood chips would have caught some embers and started to produce that lovely smoke.
You do not need the wood chips to catch on fire, just the smoke will be enough.
You can then check the temperature and allow it to cool down to less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once it reaches around 90 degrees Fahrenheit, place the cheese inside the grill and then let it smoke for at least two hours to get that delicious flavor from the smoke.
Always remember to close the lid of the grill while the cheese is smoking.
You can also strategically place the grill under a shade so that the heat outside will not affect the grill temp.
Using A Smoker Tube
A smoker tube or smoke tube produces the best smoke that you need for smoking cheese.
It does not necessarily heat up but it still produces a decent amount of smoke.
It is a small tube with small holes on the side where the smoke escapes.
For people who do not want to spend a ton of money on a high-end smoker, this is a great option that you can go for.
You can use a smoke tube in a charcoal grill as well.
All you need is a small compartment that will allow you to enclose the smoke it produces to go into the cheese.
Step 1: Fill Up The Smoke Tube
Get some wood chips or wood pellets and fill up the whole smoke tube with them.
You can choose any type of wood to put in the smoke tube if you think it will give off more flavors.
For example, I like using apple or cherry wood pellets for smoking cheese.
Aside from adding that delicious smoky flavor, they can also hint sweetness or fruitiness to the cheese.
Once you get the smoke tube filled up, prepare your firestarters and then start the fire.
You can use a heat gun or some cotton soaked in alcohol to start the fire with the smoke tube.
Step 2: Place It In An Enclosed Area
Light up one end of the smoke tube and then make sure that the pellets catch fire.
From there, you can allow the flames to go out for the pellets to produce smoke and continue burning.
Once it produces a thick cloud of smoke, get your charcoal grill and then place the lit smoke tine inside the grill.
Close the lid of the grill for 15 minutes to balance the heat inside the grill.
Step 3: Smoke The Cheese
Once you get an evenly distributed heat, place the cheese inside the grill.
Beside it, lay a tray of ice or a gallon of ice, and then close the lid to smoke the cheese properly in the grill.
Again, make sure that the temperature is only around 90 degrees Fahrenheit and not over 100 degrees so that the cheese will not melt. Allow the cheese to smoke for at least two hours.
DIY Stovetop Smoker
For someone who does not own a grill or if you are saving up some money that you cannot buy a smoker, then you can try making your smoker.
This DIY option will get you to create the best smoker and you do not even have to go outdoors for it.
You can stay on your porch or even build it in your kitchen and cook later outside.
All you need is a large pot, preferably a ceramic one, aluminum foil, steamer insert, or anything with a bowl-like shape that has holes in it like a water filter.
Step 1: Create A Smoking Tier
Get your pot and then cover the bottom with aluminum foil.
You can also place a thin block of wood under the aluminum foil so that the heat does not go directly into the bottom of the pot.
Place a handful of wood chips on the aluminum, preferably from wood shavings or something that lights up quickly. No need for you to fill up the entire aluminum foil.
Step 2: Create The Food Grate
Place another layer of aluminum foil on top of the wood chips.
Do not fold the aluminum foil in as you will need some space to allow the smoke to escape from the foil later on.
The layer of foil on top of the chips will also block the melting of fats from the cheese.
However, since we try to avoid melting the cheese, you do not necessarily need the other layer.
Place the steamer insert on top and then put the cheese on it.
Leave some space between each cheese to allow the smoke to get in between and all over the cheese when smoking.
Step 3: Smoke The Cheese
Wrap aluminum foil around the lid of the pot and then cover the pot.
Ensure that the smoke does not escape and close the vents on the lid if it has one on it.
Place the pot on the stove and set the heat to low.
Ensure that you have a thermometer with you to make sure that the temperature does not go over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Let the cheese smoke for an hour before checking and then make sure that you get the color you want.
Once the cheese gets enough flavor and smoke, remove it from the pot.
Conclusion
So as you can see, there are many ways to still smoke your cheese even without a smoker.
You can make your portable smoker or use your charcoal grill with a little bit of modification.
Smoked cheese is always great as a snack along with biscuits, crackers, bread, salad, and more.
You can even put them on the best recipes that you want.
Just remember to store it properly in the refrigerator for at least two weeks after smoking it so you get the best out of the smoked cheese!
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