sotv Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 13 minutes ago, Justin said: Nice idea and I will try that next time. How long do you leave the cheese? I am working on Wades idea do leave for 2 hours before vacpaccing and then 4 weeks minimum in fridge vacced. It has 15 mins left in smoker for a 3 hour smoke, not wanting it too smoky Depends on the quantity I have smoked. I did over 3 kgs and four different cheeses (not all for me), last time so left them loosely bagged but airtight overnight in a big plastic food container before vacuuming packing them next morning for minimum 3 weeks before starting on them and giving them out. I usually do 2 or 3 blocks though around a kg in total a time as they only last around 3 weeks before they are all devoured in my household, once ready to eat and as it only takes 2.5 - 3 hours to smoke a new batch, not a real problem to keep on top of it as no prep needed. So for those smaller quantities I just either ziploc bag them for 3 weeks to settle or if they came in those resealable packaging you buy them in, just stick them back in there, works just as well, I find and for my tastes smoked cheddar is at its best 3-6 weeks after smoking any longer it seems to get a little dry and hard for sandwiches. if keeping any longer I would probably vacuum pack them as less chance of mould developing over the longer period of time you want to keep them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 I watched it and I think it could be better, how long did he smoke it for, what wood did he use...It is missing to much info.....Does not matter, it is pretty decent video but could be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 1 hour ago, sotv said: Depends on the quantity I have smoked. I did over 3 kgs and four different cheeses (not all for me), last time so left them loosely bagged but airtight overnight in a big plastic food container before vacuuming packing them next morning for minimum 3 weeks before starting on them and giving them out. I usually do 2 or 3 blocks though around a kg in total a time as they only last around 3 weeks before they are all devoured in my household, once ready to eat and as it only takes 2.5 - 3 hours to smoke a new batch, not a real problem to keep on top of it as no prep needed. So for those smaller quantities I just either ziploc bag them for 3 weeks to settle or if they came in those resealable packaging you buy them in, just stick them back in there, works just as well, I find and for my tastes smoked cheddar is at its best 3-6 weeks after smoking any longer it seems to get a little dry and hard for sandwiches. if keeping any longer I would probably vacuum pack them as less chance of mould developing over the longer period of time you want to keep them. I left them for one hour outside, and just as the surface started to crack i vacced them individually and put in fridge. Will taste after 5 weeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor72 Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 So vac packing and the smoke stops it from going off ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 yes and flavour will mellow with time, cheese can last for ages anyway as long as it is packed properly. Obviously fresh cheeses do not last as long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor72 Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Aye I love smoked applewood cheese Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 I am trying orange wood this time. 5 weeks to taste test, time to forget about it for the moment.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 2 hours ago, Raptor72 said: So vac packing and the smoke stops it from going off ? It does not stop it from going off however both hard and medium hard cheeses have a "best before" date (not a "use by" date) and some of these can be several months. The harder the cheese the longer they will keep. The smoke will have a mild antibacterial effect and so will help to preserve it. It is important to allow the surface of the cheese to dry after smoking (the smoking process creates quite a lot of moisture) and if you vac pack it too soon it is more likely to grow a mould after a couple of months. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotv Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 (edited) Smoked some cheese the other day and had some leftover red babybels from the grandkids visit. So took the wax off let them get to room temperature and only let the babybels smoke for 45 minutes before removing them. Had one on the evening that was really tasty. Left the rest clingfilmed in the fridge for another 48 hours and had them with some Italian ham and red onion chutney, and some gruyere cheese sticks with a nice glass of red, delicious. Definitely doing them again, nice bit of supper and bite size pieces. Shame I have to regulate how much I can eat now though as 7 or 8 are definitely doable in one go. 😀 Recommend trying i, especially if you see them on offer at your supermarket. Edited December 9, 2018 by sotv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted December 9, 2018 Share Posted December 9, 2018 Nice too. Thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.