Need Help! Cloudy with a chance of Cheese

[wntrlnd77]

I'm getting ready to smoke up some more cheese with the Amazen smoker.

Can anyone advise me about brining? I've heard people use pickle jar juice for brine, but I have no idea how long it needs to sit in the brine. Any other popular brines for cheese. Does any particular cheese work better than others when it comes to brining? I'm smoking a few kinds of cheddar, some gouda, mozzarella (fresh and dried), and goat cheese.


Any insight/help would be appreciated!

[Earache_My_Eye]

Can't say that I've ever heard of cheese being brined before smoking...plenty of people add various herbs/spices to it before smoking...i.e. cracked pepper...Mad Hunky rub...etc...

I would think it would take a fair amount of time for a brine to add much flavor to cheese. Maybe someone else has more insight for you....??

Good luck!

Eric

[Fishawn]

Seems like I have heard of it being brined, somewhere & sometime, but don't remember where & I don't think it is really common?... Maybe it is? .... As Eric mentioned, adding things to the cheese is pretty common...... What type of wood are you planning on using? .... I like to vac pack & let rest at least a month, but have opened up small sample packs sooner "to check"

[Scarbelly]

My personal preference is to flavor the cheese with the different flavors of the smoke. I love the flavor of the cheese and the addition of the smoke to finish the complexity. I am not much of a pickling guy.

[wntrlnd77]

Thanks, Eric!

Can't say that I've ever heard of cheese being brined before smoking...plenty of people add various herbs/spices to it before smoking...i.e. cracked pepper...Mad Hunky rub...etc...

I would think it would take a fair amount of time for a brine to add much flavor to cheese. Maybe someone else has more insight for you....??

Good luck!

Eric

Thanks, Fishawn! I'll be using hickory magic dust. Only flavor I have on hand. Any recommendations for my next order? I mostly smoke cheddars and mozzarellas.

I still have some cheese left from my last smoke, so it will be pretty easy to let this batch age in the fridge.

Who knows, depending on how much time it would take, I might not end up brining after all, but it sounded interesting enough to give it a try.

Seems like I have heard of it being brined, somewhere & sometime, but don't remember where & I don't think it is really common?... Maybe it is? .... As Eric mentioned, adding things to the cheese is pretty common...... What type of wood are you planning on using? .... I like to vac pack & let rest at least a month, but have opened up small sample packs sooner "to check"

[Fishawn]

Most folks seem to like the lighter smoke flavors to start with on cheese.... Fruit woods, Oak, Alder, etc... I like Hickory with Cheddar, but not too much time in the smoke..... And I like to let it rest a while before consuming.

[Scarbelly]

My go to dust is either Apple or Pecan for cheese

[wntrlnd77]

Thanks again, Fishawn!

Most folks seem to like the lighter smoke flavors to start with on cheese.... Fruit woods, Oak, Alder, etc... I like Hickory with Cheddar, but not too much time in the smoke..... And I like to let it rest a while before consuming.

[Hoser]

I prefer the apple dust myself....not too overpowering.

[curious aardvark]

also bear in mind you can mix dried spices and herbs with the wood dust to give added flavour.

Cheese isn't real absorbent so brining probably not going to have much effect.

Flavoured smokes - that's the way to go

[DeejayDebi]

Cheese is already brined during the making of the cheese. Most cheese are soaked in a saturated brine to add salt to the cheese after it is pressed. This also kills any surface bacteria or mold giving it an unwelcome place for molds to form for a few days.

Some cheeses have salt added to the curds before pressing. Vinegar and water is generally only used to remove/kill molds growning on the cheese. Brining before a smoke would make an awfully salty cheese!

Placing the cheese in a mild salt water pickle would kill bacteria and molds but to much or to long will disolve most cheeses. Rubbing a cheese with vinegar and salt water is however a good way to salvage a moldly cheese without cutting off huge pieces.

[wntrlnd77]

Thanks, Hoser! I definitely plan on getting some apple magic dust

I prefer the apple dust myself....not too overpowering.

Wow, curious aardvark, this is the first I've heard of mixing in herbs! Thank you for the info!

also bear in mind you can mix dried spices and herbs with the wood dust to give added flavour.

Cheese isn't real absorbent so brining probably not going to have much effect.

Flavoured smokes - that's the way to go

Thank you very much for such a comprehensive answer, DeejayDebi! I really appreciate the depth of your cheese knowledge!

And I can't believe you helped me with an answer with a hurricane passing through! Best of luck to you and yours!

Cheese is already brined during the making of the cheese. Most cheese are soaked in a saturated brine to add salt to the cheese after it is pressed. This also kills any surface bacteria or mold giving it an unwelcome place for molds to form for a few days.

Some cheeses have salt added to the curds before pressing. Vinegar and water is generally only used to remove/kill molds growning on the cheese. Brining before a smoke would make an awfully salty cheese!

Placing the cheese in a mild salt water pickle would kill bacteria and molds but to much or to long will disolve most cheeses. Rubbing a cheese with vinegar and salt water is however a good way to salvage a moldly cheese without cutting off huge pieces.