How to avoid common mistakes when smoking cheese

Smoked cheese is great, even store-bought, but homemade smoked cheese is exceptional. If you have been smoking cheese for a long time and have a lot of experience, you are probably able to avoid mistakes that beginners make. So, if you are a novice, read on to avoid these mistakes. Let us take a closer look.

Temperature too high

The most common mistake novices make when smoking cheese is incorrect temperature. That is too high temperature. If you use intestine or casing, then you may be able to reduce the negative impact to a certain degree but you probably will end up with a deformed casing and with cheese stuck to the intestine walls. If you use a permeable textile casing, the cheese will leak through the mesh and that could be a disaster. Plus the cheese will stuck to the textile and you will not be able to get it out. The maximum temperature should be around 60 degrees Celsius. To do so, you need to reduce the airflow.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Wait for the cheese to cool down

Tearing the stocking or casing off the cheese while it is still hot is a big mistake. The cheese is stuck to the casing and if you try to scrub it off you will destroy a big part of it and make it inedible. If you do that, the final product will not appear appetizing at all.

Wet wood

Another bad mistake. Wood that goes into smokehouse must be as dry as possible, otherwise it will produce tar. Use beech, but certain fruit trees such as cherries or sloes are also good.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Use the right type of cheese

We use 30% Edam but many people prefer a slightly cheesier taste and they choose higher fat. You may also want to check the cheese manufacturer. Do not use imported products that may not comply with quality requirements. Check everything in the store before you buy the cheese.

Grate the cheese before smoking

The best way is to use grated cheese. If you put a solid pieces of cheese in the casing, it may not melt perfectly and may create funny shape. Cubes also may not work well and you may end up with a funny shape.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Source: Vlastní zkušenosti autora

Preview photo: Radek Štěpán