Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

How and Why You Should Learn to Smoke Cheese

By

It’s pretty much the holiday season at this point (if radio stations are playing holiday music, we think it counts), and that means it’s also the season of joy, revelry, and awkward exchanges with those coworkers who work on the other side of the office and you only really ever see when the words “free booze” show up in a company email.

Ignoring office holiday parties for the moment, you, too, might be hosting a holiday party this season. Do you know what you’re making yet? Hummus and chips? Chips and salsa? Mini meatballs that you’ve bought by the bag and drop in a gravy that was powder only moments before?

Recommended Videos

First, we’ve taught you better than that. There are plenty of options for everything from cocktails to main courses to keep you occupied for years. We now want to add one more side dish for you to consider: smoked cheese.

smoke cheese smoker
Oklahoma Joe's

Why smoked cheese? We’ve got a couple of reasons.

Related

First, it gives you a reason to use the smoker again. It may be getting colder, but you can’t say you haven’t looked lovingly outside at your smoker, cooing to it that it’ll be warmer soon. Well, warmth be damned! It’s time to fire that puppy up.

Second, it’s cheese. Do you really need more of a reason than that? Once you got the method down for one type of cheese, you can experiment.

If you need a third reason, here it is: smoked cheese adds a whole new flavor profile to any meal. You can do anything from smoked cheese on crackers to turkey and smoked cheese sliders to smoked mac and cheese to, well, anything with cheese in it. Those smoky flavors, bolstered by your choice of wood, will only enhance whatever you’re preparing.

Finally (we promise, this is our last reason), smoking cheese is super easy. Want to know how easy? We spoke with the smoker producer Oklahoma Joe’s to find out just how easy. Below, check out their recipe for smoked cheese. All you need to do after that is remember to add your new smoked cheese to everything at your holiday part (except for the Old Fashioneds and one dish for anyone who is lactose intolerant).

How to Smoke Cheese

Oklahoma Joe's

Cheeses, cut into 1 x 1 by .25” slices:

  • Cheddar cheese
  • Swiss cheese
  • Gouda cheese
  • Pepper Jack cheese
  • Brick Cheese

Woods for Smoking:

  • 1 cup apple wood chips
  • 1 cup cherry wood chips
  • 1 cup hickory wood chips
Smoked Cheeses

Method:

  1. Place a single lit charcoal briquette inside your smoker’s firebox, then pile the wood chips on top.
  2. Close the lid and adjust the air vent(s) for a 5 percent opening. Make sure the temperature doesn’t rise above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. (Note: it’s cheese, it will melt at high enough temperatures.)
  3. Place the cheeses inside your smoker and smoke for 1 hour.
  4. Remove the cheeses from the smoker and serve right away or store in the refrigerator.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
This is why you should be cooking with whiskey
Sometimes, just like you, your dishes just need a shot of whiskey to make everything better
Whiskey in a crystal glass sitting on a rock in front of a fire

There are few things as wonderful as whiskey. It's an absolute divine gift from the gods and we will fight anyone who disagrees. Yes, it's a hill we're willing to die on, and for a damned good reason. Not only is this beloved amber spirit a perfect refreshment on its own -- the epitome of comfort in a glass -- but it also makes for a wonderfully diverse and complex addition to many of your existing favorite meals. A few drops of this sweet nectar and dishes are absolutely transformed into better, more mysterious, richer versions of themselves. So put the wine aside tonight -- this is how you really use booze in your cooking.

Surprisingly, you can add whiskey to foods all across the culinary board. In a marinade, it flavors meats from the inside out with its rich, golden notes. Reduced in a sauce, it becomes bold and punchy, pleasing the palette with a spicy kick. And if you add a few tablespoons into your chocolate dessert, such as a frosting or batter, don't blame us when you find you can never have a whiskey-less piece of cake again.

Read more
You should be dry brining your steaks — here’s why
This is the easiest way to get the most flavor out of your meats
Dry brined steaks

When the word "brine" comes to mind, you may imagine yourself the night before Thanksgiving, wrestling a 19-pound turkey, trying to fit the thing into a container large enough to hold it and the salty water bath you're submerging it into. It isn't always the most fun activity, sometimes resulting in slippery poultry skidding across the kitchen floor and spewing curse words that make your visiting pearl-clutching mother-in-law blush. Thankfully, today, we're discussing dry brining, a much easier, much less stressful way to tenderize and flavor your proteins, and a new way to cook steak.
Essentially, dry brining is just a fancy culinary term for salting, then resting meat. And it's certainly not just for turkey. When you salt a piece of beef, pork, or poultry and allow that salt to penetrate the meat, you're creating flavor magic. When a piece of protein is seasoned with salt, it draws the juices from the meat to the surface. After a few minutes, that juice will break down the salt, which creates a concentrated dry brine. When left to rest in this way, meat becomes far more flavorful and tender than if you'd merely seasoned the meat right before cooking.
Furthermore, everything you dry brine, from steak and chicken breasts to pork chops, will have a far more even, beautifully golden, crispy crust. This is because the moisture that draws back into the meat after salting creates a much drier surface. And a dry surface is a deliciously golden one when cooked.
The recipe below is a beautifully simple one from Omaha Steaks, walking you through how to dry brine a steak, but this method to make steak will work on just about any protein you can think of, so get creative! And maybe next Thanksgiving, skip the water bath.

Dry-brined New York strip recipe
(From Omaha Steaks)
Omaha Steaks deliciously pairs these New York strips with grilled brown butter balsamic onions, which is exquisite. Enjoy these dry-brined steaks by themselves and/or with your beloved side dishes.

Read more
Nam prik, the fiery Thai chili dip you should be adding to everything
Chiang Mai native Chef Setalat Prasert of Spicy Shallot breaks down this amazing Thai favorite
Spicy Shallot Nam Prik in a basket.

Fiery, herbaceous, tart, and savory, nam prik is a chili sauce that's absolutely beloved throughout Thailand. With more than a dozen varieties, this hot sauce and dip is enjoyed with everything from raw and steamed vegetables to grilled meats or fish. While the dip is traditionally prepared in a mortar and pestle (or a Thai krok), modern cooks often use a blender or food processor to make this vibrant chili dip. 

To guide us through this Thai delicacy is Chiang Mai native Chef Setalat "George" Prasert of Spicy Shallot. Spicy Shallot, located in Elmhurst, Queens, on a three-block stretch of Woodside Avenue named Little Thailand Way, serves a unique blend of Thai cuisine and Japanese sushi. The restaurant is also a showcase of Prasert's favorite — nam prik kha.

Read more