Smoking Feta Cheese

jchiggins, was it a nice balance between the salty of the feta and the smoke? I have a baffle that I haven't used yet. How long did you smoke for?

What is that you have your smoker on top of? It looks like a nice piece to match the smoker and for storage? I need something like that myself.

Did you occasionally turn the Feta? Ever try the chunked Feta? Love snacking on that stuff.

I am a big feta fan and like the fact that it has less calories than many cheeses. Smoking with alder is fine but I'd like to try cherry next. alder does not seem as mellow or sweet (Bad description) as Cherry. Alder has a little bite to it. Sometimes I just do things as I feel like it. Sometimes it even works out.
I don't like opening the smoker during smoking so I just stirred it when it was out and done after it set for an hour in the fridge. The smoke was heaviest on the top cheese but it all got smoked. Just keep the cheese down to about a half to 3/4 inch deep. Spread it out.
I set the oven for 140 degrees, allowed it to go to 97 (Mistake, should have turned off at 90) and let it sit in the smoker for an hour after turning the smoker off before removing from the smoker, putting in the fridge to cool and then stirring.
The extra seven degrees up to 97 would melt some creamy cheeses but it didn't do much to the feta, just caused it to settle a bit, stick to 90 degrees and all will be well. I would guess it takes about twenty minutes to get to 90 degrees but that depends on ambient temps. This time it was a little warmer than I like to smoke cheese as the ambient temp was 73. I prefer in the fifties or sixties. Simple reason is it takes longer to get to 90 and therefore more smoke on the cheese.
I made an omelet this AM with the feta and it was fine. A little sharp from the smoke but not an issue if you are not eating the cheese alone. Cooking with it was just fine. I think this is the alder flavor vs Cherry.
That unit on the bottom is a Cookshack storage cabinet. Got wheels on the bottom and room for the different shelves, grills and I keep the wood in containers on the bottom. I also like the fact that it elevates the smoker up to where I can work easily without bending over a lot. Good luck.

I just had feta for lunch in Tabouli, yum!

I really need to start smoking some cheese.

I love that cart, but I understand it is expensive, I need to check the website again. Maybe they will have one to give away during their 50 days celebration

Thanks for the details jchiggins and enjoy your cheese!

My wife bought me the whole thing for a big present. Little did I know it was a plot to get me to do all the cooking. Heh. It worked. This week, I smoked five cheese, two turkey breasts, a big slab of salmon, three slabs of baby backs and the feta. We're good in the freezer for now.
I get cheeses from Trader Joe's markets or Costco. So far my favorite is Gruyere. Also up there is a white light Irish cheddar sold by TJ and a combo GOuda Parmesan cheese. My wife loves the standard yellow sharp cheddar.
Cheeses that are only okay to me are Iberco, a Spanish cheese, Dubliner - An Irish cheese. Parmesan is just too dry and hard but fine graded. Toscano is good.
Pepper Jack is always fun but watch out, It's the softest and most quickly melted of those mentioned. If you let it go much above 90 degrees for too long, you will be cleaning forty dollars of cheese out of the smoker with a spatula.
Great fun.

NICE PRESENT!!!

Thanks for the warning on the Pepper Jack (one of my favorites). I was gonna buy the dubliner, but I will skip it cause it is expensive anyway and I will take your suggestion about it being only okay. I may try fresh mozzarella and watch the temp!

Vicki: I do smoked cheese all the time. My favorite is Pepper Jack, but I also do the Tillamook sharp and extra sharp aged chedder, and Jarlesberg Swiss. I have done Gouda, Dubliner, and Irish Coastal in the past. I found some Chedder with Chipoltle Chili, and really liked it, but the company that made it closed. I saw something about smoking Mozzarela awhile back. They wrapped it in fine cheese cloth before smoking it.

By the way, don't skip a cheese just because I personally don't like it. Dubliner is one of my favorite cheeses, just didn't like it the way I smoked it. Be creative. Lots of different kinds out there.

JC: The Dubliner and Irish Coastal cheese that I got were one of those "aquired taste" things. I noticed that they had a "grit" to them, and the "grit" had sort of a maple sugar taste to it. The "grit" sort of went away if you left the cheese out long enough to get to room temperature. I actually liked it, but had some comment that they didn't like it because of the gritty texture. I really like the smoked Swiss with slices of a really crisp fresh apple.

My wife is a big fan of Tillamook extra sharp, 2 yr aged, and so I smoke that. That and Gouda smoke up nicely. Gonna try Feta though. Hope the log doesn't fall apart.

I agree. A great lunch is some cheese, a sliced apple or pear and maybe some nice multigrain crackers.
I also just started smoking salmon. My wife and sister in law went nuts for it. Put it on a toasted bagel with cream cheese and a slice of tomato. Company came over so we mixed up a smoked salmon dip with Pa. cream cheese and some herbs. It disappeared quickly along with the smoked other cheeses.
A friend with a machine shop did a favor job for me and then asked if I would smoke some cheese for Christmas presents for his friends. I agreed and he showed up with at least twenty pounds of cheese in a thermos bag! Took three trips through the smoker to do it all. He vacuumed sealed it and gave most away.