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Cold-Smoked Muenster Cheese
A monster block of Muenster, cut down and cold smoked overnight with pecan pellets below 50°F, then vacuum sealed to mellow.
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 6 hours cold smoke
- Total
- 6 hours plus 1–2 weeks mellowing
- Yield
- As much cheese as you smoke
- Method
- Cold smoke
- Wood
- Smokin' Pecan pellets
Ingredients
Instructions
- Wait for a cold night. You want the smoker to stay below 50°F.
- Cut the cheese into manageable blocks to increase the surface area for smoke.
- Fill and light two smoke tubes with Smokin' Pecan pellets and set them in the smoker.
- Set the grill to fan-only mode (I use 10% speed) to keep the temperature down, and arrange the cheese on the grates with space between the blocks.
- Smoke for about 6 hours, until the pellets burn out.
- Leave the cheese in the smoker overnight if it's cold enough outside (around 35°F). Otherwise, refrigerate it loosely covered.
- Vacuum seal the blocks whole or cubed.
- Refrigerate for about 2 weeks to a month to let the smoke mellow before eating.
Pitmaster Notes
- Pecan pellets give it a deep, nutty flavor. Muenster takes on a lot of smoke.
- Cubing it before it mellows gives you smokier edges and a milder center. Cubing before smoking adds even more smoke, but it's tedious and can be overwhelming.
- Two smoke tubes can generate some heat. One is plenty for a lot of setups.
- This method works for gouda, cheddar, Colby, pepper jack and more. They make great holiday gifts.
Times and temps are my starting points. Every cooker and every cut runs a little different, so cook to temperature and feel, not the clock.
From dkcraftbbq.com/recipe/cold-smoked-muenster-cheese