Smoked Cheese
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This step by step guide will walk you through the entire process of smoking cheese. Learn how to use the cold smoke method for awesome smoked cheese – no smoker required!
Food, flavour, adventure. It’s the foodie trifecta.
We’re constantly trying new cooking methods, tasting new flavour combinations, and being all-around kitchen badasses. This smoked cheese is no different.
I know what you’re thinking right now; smoked cheese – gross.
WRONG!
Bacon is smoked. Bacon + cheese = divinity.
This recipe is dedicated to kitchen badassery!
SMOKED CHEESE TIPS AND TRICKS
GET a smoke tube. You don’t need any fancy equipment for this recipe, just a smoke tube, a torch to light it and a smoke chamber.
YOU don’t need a smoker to make smoked cheese – this can be made in any BBQ, or smoker. All we’re looking for is a chamber to smoke in.
LOOK at the weather. Smoking cheese should be done on a cool day – we do not want to heat the cheese in any way – just impart smoke flavour. If you must cold smoke cheese on a warm day, a pan will ice will help keep the temperature down.
HOW TO COLD SMOKE CHEESE:
- Fill smoke tube will pellets, place in smoker.
- Light the smoke tube and allow the pellets to burn for a couple of minutes before blowing out.
- Place cheese in the smoker.
- Allow the smoke tube to smoulder and impart smoke flavour for 2 hours.
- Remove smoked cheese from the smoker, wrap in paper, place in the fridge to rest.
- Vacuum seal the cheese and set aside for 3-4 weeks.
How Long Does It Take To Smoke Cheese?
The short answer is 2 hours. The more complex but accurate answer is 4 weeks.
Actual smoke time is 2 hours, after that, the cheese must breathe for 24 hours and then be vacuum sealed for up to 4 weeks.
Cheese breathes?
Yes! Cheese is a living thing, it breathes. Wrapping the cheese in butchers’ paper or parchment paper after smoking and placing it in the fridge allows the cheese to breathe a bit before vacuum sealing.
4-week vacuum?
I’m sure you could get away with 3 weeks if you’re impatient 😉
Allowing the cheese to rest helps to mellow out the smoke flavour. I’ve seen several comments online that people have sampled their smoked cheese and it tasted like campfire sitting on cheese, or cheese with a cigarette butt. That is because the flavour hasn’t mellowed, OR penetrated the cheese.
Vacuum sealing, or placing in a zipper style bag, and storing the cheese in the fridge will get that flavour to pull right through the cheese and you won’t be left with that smoke on top effect.
What Temperature Do You Smoke Cheese?
The texture of cheese starts to change around 80f, so it’s important that we set up the smoker to maintain a temperature well below that. If you have an in-oven ambient thermometer, you can place that in your smoker to keep an eye on the temperature.
We prefer to get out early in the morning when it’s cool to smoke our cheese, that said, it can be done in warmer weather by placing baking sheets with ice above and below the cheese to keep the temperature immediately near the cheese to acceptable levels.
Because we are using a smoke tube to generate smoke, we won’t be generating a lot of heat, which makes cold smoking cheese possible.
What’s The Best Wood For Smoking Cheese?
Personally, I don’t think it makes a huge difference when you’re using a cold smoke tube. That said – I really like blends, something with a neutral, a sweet wood, and a bit of stronger wood. Currently, we’re rocking Lumberjack Competition Blend pellets, which is a blend of maple, hickory, and cherry.
What Is The Best Cheese To Smoke?
I prefer to smoke hard and semi-hard cheeses, as soft cheese can take on too much smoke too fast. We really love cheddar and a Monterey jack cheese.
Be adventurous, though! You wanna smoke something soft, get in there and try it! Just be conscious of 2Smoke2Fast. ha. I would smoke softer cheeses for around an hour, instead of 2.
Looking for other great stuff to smoke?
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📖 Printable Recipe
Smoked Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 lbs assorted cheese
Instructions
Preparation:
- FIll your smoke tube with pellets, and place in smoker or BBQ.
- Use a small propane torch to light the pellets inside the smoke tube.
- Allow the pellets to burn for a bit before blowing out the flame. The pellet tube will continue to smoke throughout the whole session.
- Slice cheese into smaller portions, if desired.
Smoke:
- Place cheese onto a wire cooling rack and place the rack into your bbq or smoker.
- Close the lid and smoke with ONLY the smoke tube for 2 hours.
Wrap:
- After the cheese has cold smoked for 2 hours, remove from the smoker and wrap each piece individually in plain, untreated butchers’ paper, or parchment paper.
- Place the wrapped cheese in the fridge for 24-48 hours to breathe.
Seal:
- After the cheese has rested in the fridge for 24-48 hours, unwrap from the butchers’ paper, and vacuum seal in the desired portion size.
- Store the vacuum-sealed cheese in the fridge for 3-4 weeks before eating.
Notes
Recommended Equipment + Ingredients
Nutrition
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I’ll let you know in a month. Smoked it yesterday, vacuum sealed it today! I can’t wait.
You’ll LOVE IT! So excited for you!
do you lay the cheese down flat or stand on edge when smoking
It doesn’t much matter, I usually just lay it however it’s stable!
How long will the cheese last after the rest period?
We vacuum seal it, and it lasts A LONG time. I’ve used some that was more than 6 months old (still vac packed) and it was delicious.
@Vicki, The smoke helps to preserve the cheese just as it does meat. Vacuum sealing also helps foods to keep much longer. That being said I have cheese in the fridge that is about 3 years old. It is still great when I open a new package. Once opened it will also keep longer in the fridge than regular store bought cheese does. Just remember to rewrap in paper and store in a plastic bag that is left open (I just stick it back into the vacuum sealer bag).
I have yet to the NEED to let smoked cheese “rest” in the ‘fridge before vacuum sealing. I don’t believe that cheese “breathes” – if the chunk isn’t wet or oozing oil, just get out the sealer! Tell me why!
emr
Cheese is absolutely a living thing – It’s made up of microorganisms that respire, and the respiration rate changes based on available oxygen levels. Having tried both methods, I prefer the flavor of the cheese once it has rested for 24 hours before vacuum sealing, I find it to be more smoky and less acrid.
Your cheese should not be wet or oozing oil? That could mean you’re smoking it too warm of a temperature – maybe add a tray of ice to the smoker to reduce the ambient temp or wait for a cooler day.
Good informative for this newb. The delay in eating after smoking will be useful to remember.
I have followed this technique for many of my cheese smokes.
The only thing I do differently is that I cut up my blocks of cheese for more surface area (like in your photo above) and place several of the smoked “chunks” into the same parchment paper wrap before vacuum sealing. It saves on wrapping time and the amount of parchment paper that I use.
Very smart – love the idea of packing a few together. I’ll try that next time I make smoked cheese – as soon as the relentless heat slows down here in Alberta, I think! HA!
Thanks so much for this article, it’s still got legs in 2025!!!
I found it looking for the pros and cons of wrapping in (pink butcher) paper and you answered my questions.
I’ve seen comments elsewhere to the effect of “I’ve smoked 3 million pounds of cheese, go directly to vacuum seal, and i am back ordered.” That may well be, but that sounds like someone who doesn’t block garments after they knit them, never have and never will” if you know what I mean. 🤣
Good food never goes out of style!
For the people who sell the cheese they smoke, it may not be feasible to add that extra step in their cost control measures, but for those of us who have time to block our knitwear, we absolutely do it because we know it gives a better result. 😉
Yay, you’re still here!
I can’t wait to try some of your other smoked recipe ideas like the salt and the garlic.
A few of questions.
—Life happened, so the cheese from the 23 are still in pink butcher paper in the fridge at 1° in my new fridge middle drawer(❤️). Going to pack it tomorrow. I’m assuming no harm done?
—Have you ever left the paper on and vacuum sealed like that?
—Have you ever smoked garlic using loose cloves? I’m thinking of the Costco big bag.
Finally a garlic aside, do you ever ferment your own minced garlic? Super easy and handy. Lasts a year in the fridge and no nasty citric acid taste.
Thanks so much for your page, Kerin
Hey Kerin! Yup – I’m still here!
No harm no foul! Your cheese is just fine – life happens here A LOT!
I wouldn’t leave the paper because it might stick to the cheese when you unwrap and that might be unpleasant!
I have a recipe for smoked garlic on the blog – I do not recommend individual cloves- they would definitely dry out, and probably be more difficult to incorporate into your recipes.
https://www.cravethegood.com/smoked-garlic/
Smoked in the bulb is fantastic though, I always do a kilogram (~2.5lbs) at a time, peel and toss the extras in the freezer. So good!
I do have a guide to fermented garlic too! lol my brine is a salt water brine, rather than just salt 🙂
https://www.cravethegood.com/fermented-garlic/