Lidl British Extra Mature Cheese 10-11/8 £2.39 for 830g

[sotv]

Getting some single digit overnight temps coming, so time for me to start smoking the cheese again. Not a bad price this.

[sotv]

Back on offer again till Sunday 13/11 at  Lidl

Dry cool morning forecast for tomorrow 3 hours on the smoker

 

😀

 

 

[hoogl]

Good to know. I'm thinking it might be time to do another batch of cheese myself. 

What wood/method are you using? 📷

[sotv]

I am using a 50/50 mix of silver birch and applewood dust with the ProQ maze. Normally do 2.5hours of smoking and leave in the fridge for 24+ hours to let smoke settle before vacuum packing, Will let these go for 3.5 hours as they are big blocks. They're nice&  dry on the outside and not wet on the outside like some blocks of cheese.

Although these are called Extra mature, they're not overpowering or salty like some can be, just a bit stronger than most mature cheeses so just right for my tastes .  Mine had a sell by date of end of Jan so will do for xmas, hence the 4 blocks for me and my sister. 

Just out the smoker

Edited October 12, 2019 by sotv

[hoogl]

Very nice, I've never used silver birch. I'll need to try it at some point. A full 24 hrs in the fridge nice. I don't think my good lady would give up the space for that long. Do you feel that the smoke can penetrate blocks that big?  Nice review on the cheese I'll need to pick up a block. 

[sotv]

I leave it in the fridge for 24 hours to let the smoke settle, then vacuum pack it for another 2 weeks to let it mellow completely, usually good to eat after that, for my tastes. For me anything sooner and all you can taste is the smoke. Others may have different results and ways of doing it, but this is what works for me.

As it is a fairly dry cheese, the smoke does still tend to stick even with these bigger blocks as well. i find those wet coated ones not so much. No reason why you cant cut the block into smaller pieces if you wish though and freeze what you can't use at first, to smoke at a later date.

Trial and error and personal taste with the different woods, some people like the stronger smoky flavour that some different woods produce. I prefer the more gentle smoky flavours of fruit and birch dust. 

Luckily my wife is happy for me to fill the fridge, with cheese, bacon and fish. During November will be keeping an eye out for some different European Hard Cheeses on offer, that supermarkets tend to start stocking on the run up to xmas to smoke for a cheeseboard over the festive period.

I love smoking meat in the summer, but enjoy the colder months for curing and cold smoking, bacon, cheese etc