Amerique smoked Mozzarella cheese

Do a search for "cheese 101"

Answers to your question:

1. Very little
2. Below 100
3. Depends on size of cheese, couple of hours probably
4. Cold (hot will melt the cheese)

Hi SmokinOkie,

I did a search for cheese 101 and found lots of info but never found cheese 101.
I found a draft of cheese 101.

Is 1 oz of wood enough? Or is 2 oz ok?
For temperature is 85 deg ok?
Time 2 hours?
I will post photos when I smoke it.

Thank you,
bembring

yes, it's still in Draft (didn't have much input, but it's there)

85 is perfect.

How much smoke is subjective. I'd do this.

Use just one oz. Some several pieces of cheese for different lengths of time. Let them sit overnight (it does intensive the flavor) and then eat.

Yeah, I know you won't wait that long, so eat it and see. If it's not long enough, smoke it some more.

I am really interested in how this goes and how much smoke flavor is achieved.
Please keep us posted.
Rob

Hi SmokinOkie,

I will try it this weekend and post the photos and info.

Thank you very much : )
bembring

Hi Magic Dragon Be Smokin,

I will post the info this weekend.

Thank you,
bembring

Cheese really does take the smoke, so take it easy with the wood. You may be used to seeing that brown smoked cheese of various sorts in the market. That was not done in a CS. Maybe it was coloring or something. The cheese I have done in my CS is not a significantly different color than what I started out with, but the smoke is really there, and as Smokin says it intensifies with age.

Good luck! I'd be interested in how easy you found it to maintain the cool temperature.

Hi
RendezvousQ,

Which CS do you have?
Are you using a cold smoke baffle?
How do you smoke chesse?

Thank you for the info : )

bembring

I have a cold smoke baffle for my 009, that I used for the cheese. Mostly I've tried it with low quality cheddar and the like, the results were a low quality cheese with a smoky flavor. So sometime I am going to give it a try to see how it works with some good cheese.

I did not believe it but the cold smoke baffle and a half hotel pan with ice works like a champ to keep the temperatures down (in my 009) I liked it so much that I ordered one for my 105 (the old 150) which is due here tomorrow. But that is to do mainly cold smoked salmon. There just isn't enough room to do it in my Smokette for the time invested.

With the smokette and baffle I do the smoking by smokes rather than hours, because the chips go out without a continual heat supply at an hour, maybe two depending on the wood. So I do one smoke, two smokes, etc. Two smokes is probably all you want to do with the cheese.

Rather than wood chunks I use the chips you can buy for those aluminum fish smoking boxes with the heating element (Luhr Jensen in a local brand.)

Hope that helps.

Hi Rendezvous,

Thank you very much for the info.
I called Karen an ordered a cold smoke baffle for my Amerique.

Thank you,
bembring

bembring,

Go to the main CS website and go to the customer service tab, under that is a section on operator manuals. within that are directions for the smokette etc. cold smoking baffle. Using the little chips I have set mine to 125 for like 20 minutes to get a good smoke rolling then turn it off. The more btus you put into the oven the more the ice is going to have to take out. You want your Amerique to stay way

The AQ with the digital control and 750 watt element barely produces smoke at 225˚ for 4-5 hrs. (ribs) and the wood is barely charred. I have tried chips and pellets with no avail.
I would have to think at lower temps for cheeze, fish, or jerky, no smoke will be produced in an AQ, that is why I am looking forward to finding the results of bembring's smoke.
In a test I did today, 4 hrs. set at 220˚ with the drip pan ¾ full of water for load, one chunk charred some, the other was still wood color with little char and upon opening the door and the wood box (gloved), I could pick up the chunks with bare hands, no fire or smodering at all.
I rest assured that we are all aware of the generally acepted belief that smoke penetration in meat is greatly reduced after the external temperature of the meat reaches 140˚. This is most likely attained in the first four hours of a cook, in my experience, which is why I did my test for that amount of time.
Basicly no smoke compared to my 055.
I am doing a 180˚ test tomorrow as above to see if the AQ will even smoke jerky at 180˚ (no doubt it will cook it), before an actual test with product, I want to know if the AQ is a smoker or just a cooker...mine cooks great, but smoke is lacking as is smoke flavor. I have had mine for almost 2 months and have been working with CS on this...still. Even replaced control board.
Love the AQ for size convience and remain a dedicated CS owner, as always...want smoke!

Get back with us bembring on your experience, Thanks, Rob

Hi Rob...
I've got to chime in here as I have had simular experience with wood not burning. Other times it does. I have had some luck placing the chunks near the front of the wood box in the center. That is where the "U" shaped portion of the element is, so I figured there is more element per square inch of box up front. I also try to put the flattest part of the wood chunk down and touching the box so that more surface area of the wood is contacted by the box. I have also found that different woods burn better than others. For example, the hickory that I have burns to white ashes, the apple retains it shape, but is actually burnt through. I haven't tried this but thought about it for lower temps...put in wood and use a higher temp, say 300, to get the smoke going. Then open the door to put food in, that will cool the smoker down, and reset the temp to where you want to cook. I know that kind of defeats the purpose of the ease of use of an electric smoker. Let us know!

Hi JBfoot,

I have also found the front of the box hot spot, but have never gotten wood to ashes only charred chunks with little smoke I too have experienced more smoke at higher temps (275˚-300˚), but too hot for most cooking (ie. ribs, brisket, butts, note owners manual/cookbook). I can notice smoke after about 20 min. and up to the time the unit starts cycling, which is when the temp. is with in 15˚ of set temp. But starting out at a high temp to produce smoke and later setting to desired cooking temp kinda defeats the set-it and forget it aspect of the cooker (with all due respect).

For instance as I type, I am 1 hour into a test @ 180˚ set temp. (CS hickory, some chips & pellets). After 20 min. I had visible smoke at the vents and a temp. of 160˚. At 27 min. into the cook/test temp. was 165˚ and the control went into cycling mode (on, off at 5-10 sec. intervals) which does not allow the burner to get hot enough to ignite or keep the wood ignited. At 45 min. into the test, temp. was 177˚ and not even the slightest sign of smoke at the vents now. After 58 min. the set temp. of 180˚ was attained.
25 min. of smoke ain't smokin'. This is similar to what I have experienced when set at 225˚.

The AQ is OK as a cooker, but does not produce the degree or quality of smoke flavor that is desired in smoked meats. In all my cooks thus far, smoke flavor is nill to none. Not even close to the quality of what my 055 produces so well.

I fully understand the characteristics of different woods and how moisture content can affect same. In my 055 this is not a problem and should not be in the AQ. In a test I did a couple of days ago at 225˚ using pellets and chips, they hardly chared or burnt...some just the same as when put in. It isn't the wood, as I am using the same woods that my 055 utilizes with no problem.

2 Briskets for father's day will be smoked in the trusty 055.

All the people at Cookshack are great to work with and this is why I am testing and working with them to remedy my problem of lack of smoke.

The best to ya,
Rob

I had the same experience with wood not smoldering well when I first broke in my AQue.

I solved the problem by placing the chunks in the box directly over the area where the element is. Now I can get them to burn to ash every time.

Haven't tried cold smoking in my AQue yet. However, it makes sense to me, unless I'm missing something, that any smoker must heat the wood to its smoldering point, which is somewhere close to its ignition point (for most woods around 300*f) in order to get smoke.

Therefore, asking a unit to produce smoke at temps below that, wont work. At the lower temps, perhaps the "visible" smoke seen was water vapor or other more volatile materials coming off, not real smoke: therefore the "nil to none" smoke flavor.

Hence the need for a cold baffle. The element gets gets the wood hot enough to smoke and the ice and baffle soak up the heat.

Cold smoking in a stick burner involves making the fire a long way from the food and channelling just the cool smoke to the cook box. Sort of the same deal, yes?

Hook

My 180˚ test is complete. The wood chunks will go back into the woodbox to be used again...some charring to the bottom, with little or no color change and I could pick them up with bare hand.
A few of the pellets darkened, but most were like new.
The chips did better and probably produced the visible smoke, but still not ashed, just char.
At this setting, my 055 will reduce the wood almost totally to ash.

I rest assured that we are all aware of the generally acepted belief that smoke penetration in meat is greatly reduced after the external temperature of the meat reaches 140˚. This is most likely attained in the first four hours of a cook, in my experience, which is why I did my tests for that amount of time.

Sure wish others would do similar tests and post results.

220˚ test cook. See my post 5 up for procedure.

225˚ test cook.
chunk on bed of chips

also chunk on bed of pellets (foil to contain)

Hi Rob,

I have never had a problem like that with my Amerique.

When I smoke most of the time set to 225.
The few times I have opened the door at an hour and the smoke pours out like crazy.

For a 13 to 16 pound Brisket I use a total of 5 oz hickory chunks from Cookshack.

For 2 pork butts weighing 10 pounds each I use 6 to 6.5 oz hickory plenty of smoke.

For pork ribs baby backs or spares 2 oz of hickory plenty of smoke.

Do you take the meat out of the refrigerator and put it in to the smoker right away?

Please let us know what you find out from Cookshack.


Good luck,
Have a great weekend.

bembring

OK...let me take another shot a this. You said that you replaced your board and still have the same problem. I wonder if your probe is miscalibrated and sending the board the wrong information (higher temp than the inside really is) causing it to cycle off and on at a lower temp, thus not burning the wood. You could easily compare the internal temp to a seperate digital probe if you have one. If that is the case, the the seperate probe will read significantly less than the display on the Amerique.

First...sorry this thread was hijacked..this has nothing to do with cheese. But I had another thought while putting in my chicken wings this morning. I noticed that the element can be carefully moved up or down, closer or farther away from the wood box. I wonder whether the distance from the box would make a difference in the wood burning or not? Wouldn't hurt to bend it "up" a little....carefully! Good luck!

I got the cold smoking baffle for the 100 series yesterday, you can use it like the smokette series with the ice pan, but it also has its own little wood box that uses a couple of lighted charcoal briquettes for the heat source and put the little chips on the charcoal, under the smoke baffle. Sounds like a good idea to keep the temperature down and smoke up. But I will have to wait to try it out until I return from a trip.

JBfoot is right...sorry about the hijack, but started out about cheese and low temp cooks, just thought I would share and get some help.

JBfoot is right agin, I carefully bent the element up to contact the wood box and did yet another 4hr. test at 225˚ and got the best smoke I had experienced so far. I had smoke for 1½ hrs. (CS hickory only charred, but apple piece reduced to 50% ashes...wow) compared to 1 hr. of smoke when set at 240˚. Previously at 225˚ setting I would only experience smoke/odor for about 35 min. However, my 055 smokes/puffs solid for 3-4 hrs., which is what I am used to and am happy with the smoke flavor it produces using as little as 4 oz. of wood.

Hope bembrings cheese turns out great, sorry again about all the posts. I have been reluctant over the last 2 months to post my experiences, so as not to trash the AQ or CS. Hopefully this matter will remain quietly tucked away and many thanks to all.
Rob

Hi Everyone,

I called Karen an ordered a cold smoke baffle for my Amerique on Thursday.

I couldn't wait for some smoked cheese today.
So here is what happened.

Cheese was 2 lbs of fresh Mozzarella wrapped in cheesecloth.

Half pound of Garlic Jack wrapped in cheesecloth.

And 2 pounds of Irish white cheddar cut in to pieces 1 inch thick.

Smoker lowest setting is 100 deg.
1oz of hickory chunk that I broke in half.

After 40 minutes no smoke and temp was hot it went up to 120 then I could smell some smoke.
Smoker kept going hotter front panel said hot it got up to 140 so I opened the door to cool it down but then lots of smoke came out of the door. Closed the door once the temp went down to 100 it went hot again 130 so I opened the door again to cool it down to 110 then changed the temp to 120. It went up to 130 so I opened the door again and gave up.

The Mozzarella stuck to the cheesecloth but next day it had a mild smoke taste.

The Garlic Jack had a mild smoke taste.

The Irish white cheddar had a stronger smoked taste but I would like more smoke taste.

I will try this again once I get my cold smoke baffle and post the results.

Right now I'm smoking two pork butts for Fathers day.

Happy Fathers day to all.

Thank you,
bembring.

Guys, I really appreciate the info, but PLEASE.

Warning, moderator alert ahead.

When you go off topic (topic was cheese) and get into other areas then all the information will get lost when I archive this. As a courtesy, don't "thread jack"

Start news posts when the topics aren't the same, the title is how most people search. AQ topics would also be best for the owners forum, but I can't move it there and there is some valuable information here, but new AQ owners probably won't notice the cheese thread.

End of moderator notes

Hi Smokin Okie,

As always you are right : )

The Irish white Cheddar did pick up more smoke the next day when I took it out of the refrigerator.

My wife and friends said that it was the best cheese they ever had.
I can't wait to try it again once my cold smoke baffle is delivered.


Thank you,
bembring

Hi Everyone,

My cold smoke baffle is here : )
I downloaded the pdf, but not sure how much ice to use or how big a pan to use?

Thank you,
bembring

Hi Everyone,

I could not wait for an answer.
Filled a 10x13 food service aluminum container with ice.

I Followed the instructions from the coldsmoke_baffle.pdf

My Amerique is smoking cheese now : )
The temp is sitting at 85 deg.
I will post some photos tommorrow.

Thank you,
bembring